Page 68 of Honeyed

While being home with Warren is one of my favorite places on earth, it might do both of us good not to be alone with our thoughts at this moment.

28

WARREN

The minute we walk into Hope Pizza, I feel the air shift.

Alana and I are chatting about something insignificant, smiling at each other as I push through the doors of the restaurant that’s been like a second home to me when the hair on my arms stands on end.

“What’s going on?” I ask immediately, noting that Cass is sitting in the empty dining room with her head in her hands.

She shoots up to stand too quickly and almost topples the chair. “Oh shit, I forgot I texted you to come have a drink. Pregnancy brain, I’m so sorry.”

“What are you guys doing here?” Patrick comes rushing out of the back, eyes panicked, as he takes in the scene.

“Cass texted us to come have a drink …” I’m thoroughly confused.

His eyes shoot to his wife. “What were you thinking?”

“It was before we heard the rumor!” Cass whisper-hisses to him.

Dread coats the back of my throat, and Alana’s hand tightens in mine. “What rumor?”

“You know what rumor.” It’s Patrick who speaks, his voice leaden.

“Who told you?”

Liam and Evan hustle out of the back, Alana’s youngest brother motioning for us to skedaddle before trouble comes around the corner. I know that trouble has to be Thomas because if Patrick and Cass know the rumor, someone was definitely in here for dinner service spreading it around.

“Gregory Reardon. He was in here with the guys from the dealership, talking about your marriage being fake and wondering if it was true. You two should get out of here,” Evan warns, looking over his shoulder frantically.

“Sweetheart, now is not the time—” Leona enters stage left, and now it’s a whole embarrassing party we get to walk into.

My palm is sweating where Alana still holds it because I know this is the moment we truly get found out. It’s one thing to not give this gossip any credibility to the outside world or our small-town neighbors, but I won’t lie to our family. I won’t act like they’re delusional when they probably know there is validity to this.

“Some nerve you have showing up here, parading this farce in my face.” Her father’s voice shakes with fury as he glares at me.

“Thomas, let me explain—” I move in front of Alana as if she’s in danger, even though I know it’s just natural instinct instead of rational thought in this situation.

“Don’t even speak to me. You betrayed the understanding we had, you made a fool of my daughter, of my family! I gave you my blessing, told you I made a mistake telling you to stay away from her all those years ago, and you lied to my face. I said you were worthy of her, that I loved you like a son, that I wasn’t upset for stealing this special moment from our family … and the whole time you knew you were faking it all. That you were treating her like a business deal!”

Leona gasps. “Thomas, we’ve talked about this. Warren is the exact right man for Alana, he is our family. I would trust no one else with her heart except for him.”

My heart bleeds at her words because her husband is right; I have made a fool of their family.

But Thomas is done addressing me as he points at Alana and booms, “You didn’t need to marry someone who didn’t love you just so you could spite me and get your own storefront!”

“You have no idea why I did what I did. And I don’t like you insinuating that I couldn’t have done this on my own had I chosen to.” Alana folds her arms over her chest and looks exactly like she did arguing with her father as a teen.

Thomas’s frown turns deeper, and his eyes go soft with sympathy. “Alana, my little girl. All I’ve ever wanted was a man who would choose you above anything. Who would know what a treasure he had. To find out that you did this as a part of some deal? It kills me.”

Somewhere along the way, with that rumor floating around, the Ashton family must have figured out the truth.

“How did you … who told you that?”

Nonna appears. “I did. They all have a right to know, even if you two are serious now. Lies keep us sick, Alana my dearest.”

I can’t even be mad at her grandmother because she’s right.

---