Page 146 of The Reason I Married Him
Too bad she has no idea who she’s dealing with.
“Thank you for your observation, Andrea.” See what I did there? “But you must not realize how much this town loves Aubree. How much they cherish her. They wanted to make this day joyous for her. They wanted to celebrate with us.”
“They have always been fans of the Rowleys, haven’t they,” she says, interrupting my tirade. “Although, I’d say their love was more directed at Cassidy and now Hattie.”
Oh wow.
“Then again, they probably rally around Aubree because she was always the one . . . left out, right, Aubree?”
Aubree curls into me. Fuck, she’s so uncomfortable.
“Could explain why you had such an odd reaction.”
“It wasn’t odd,” I say. “It was genuine. She gets nervous when the focus of attention, but I’ve never seen a smile so big on her lips. I’ve never seen a town come together so thoughtfully for one person, and I’ve never felt more love than I have today. You can make all the snide comments you want, but we know they aren’t a reflection on the love we have for each other, but a reflection on your unhappiness and attempt to make other people feel how you feel day in and day out . . . miserable.”
And then I take a leap of faith and reach down to take Aubree’s hand in mine, to let her know that I’m here for her, that she’s not alone. I wait for her to pull away, to reject me holding her hand, but she doesn’t.
Instead, she entwines our fingers, pressing her palm tighter against mine.
She trusts me.
She believes me.
She believes in this connection.
It might not be love, but it doesn’t need to be. We have a deeper understanding for each other, something that extends past the kisses we’ve shared this week or the agreement we made. This is an appreciation for one another.
Amanda places her hands on her hips, looking angrier than ever. “How dare you make such an assumption about me.”
“Just like you made an assumption about Aubree?” I ask, squeezing her hand tighter. “You act like you were friends, like you know her, but you know nothing about her. You don’t know the kind of strength this woman has as she works on her dead sister’s farm day in and day out, living out her sister’s dream. You don’t know the loving heart she has as she helps her brother take care of their niece, who still struggles with the loss ofbothof her parents. And you have no fucking clue how this woman will set aside her life to help out anyone in town. The reason people are celebrating today is because Aubree let herself come first.She let herself have a moment. So don’t come over here and try to shit on her happiness. I’m not going to allow it.”
Amanda folds her arms across her chest and cocks one hip to the side. She’s not done. It’s clear as day in her body language and the uneasiness in her eyes. “Any author can make up nice things to say about someone, but do you really mean it? People have seen you two around town, and sure, you’re next to each other, but you’re never intimate. For two people who seem to be soooo in love, you sure don’t look like it.”
I’m about to say something when Aubree moves in closer to me, her hand still in mine, her shoulder pressing against mine. I can see that she’s filling herself up with courage, and I squeeze her hand three times, letting her know that we’re in this together.
“Amanda,” Aubree says, sounding shaky. “I understand that we went our separate ways, but I would appreciate it if you didn’t try to spread your unhappiness on me and our big day.”
It’s a simple comment. Not the insult I would have made if I were in her shoes, but it’s just enough for Amanda to back off with a look of shock.
Maybe she didn’t expect Aubree to stand up for herself. Maybe in all the time they’ve known each other, Aubree has never stood up for herself. Maybe Amanda has used her knowledge of Aubree’s past to her advantage and walked all over Aubree like her dad did. Either way, the stunned look on Amanda’s face was all the indication Aubree needed to walk away.
Hand in hand, Aubree tugs me away from the negativity and straight out the inn door. She doesn’t let go of my hand and she doesn’t say a word. She vibrates in anger, so I don’t say a word either. Instead, I keep by her, squeezing her hand, reminding her that she’s not alone in this.
When we finally get to my car, I bring her to the passenger side and open the door, but she doesn’t get in. She turns toward me instead and looks up at me.
“That was . . . that was embarrassing. I’m sorry.”
“Why the hell are you sorry?” I ask. “There is nothing to be sorry about. You weren’t the one being an asshole. I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”
“She’s just . . .” Aubree looks away. “She’s not the best person, and I hate that she brings up the past. She knows me so well from that period of my life. I don’t like it being brought up, or for people to know about it. I just hate that you had to hear it.”
“Are you afraid I’m going to judge you?” I ask.
Her eyes find mine. “No,” she answers. “I mean, you . . .” Her voice shakes. “You . . . you defended me.”
“Of course, I did,” I say. “Do you really think I’d just stand there and let her make you feel bad about yourself? No fucking way. From her husband’s silence, just standing there eating petit fours, my guess is that she’s very unhappy, and she’s projecting that unhappiness on you. Her problem, not ours.”
“I guess not.” She glances away, but I can tell something else is on her mind, so I tip her chin and have her look at me.
