“For as long as I’ve known Jillian, all she’s ever talked about wanting was parents who loved her and were proud of her.” I shrug as if it’s that simple, but something tells me showing affection doesn’t come easy to Stetson either.
“You’re a good man, Klaus. Glad she’s got someone like you.”
He steps to head away, but I stop him with his name. “It’s not too late.”
He raises his glass. “Enjoy your night.”
I stay rooted to the floor, beautiful people all around me still filtering in from the church, stunned to my very core. For all of Jillian’s claims over the years, her parents didn’t like her, I’m shocked to learn that maybe they just didn’t know how.
Freaking bizarre.
Ahead of me, a robust woman with Roman’s dark coloring pulls Jillian into a hug, shaking her back and forth. Jillian lifts her hand out to the side to protect her wine glass.
Teresa. Roman’s mother, I can only suspect.
I head that way, rescuing Jillian if she needs it, comforting her if she needs that and when I’m close, in a booming, Italian voice, way too loud for what she’s saying to be overheard but seemingly uncaring she says, “I tell you what, we just don’t know what that boy of ours is thinking.”
Yeah… she and me both.
18
Jillian
It’s painful and beautiful to see Teresa, dark-rimmed eyes showing her exhaustion and pale skin showing her stress, standing in front of me. But her hug is comforting, reminding me of all the years she’s showered me with affection I so desperately craved growing up.
“I tell you what,” she says, and she hasn’t even said hello to me. “We just don’t know what our boy is thinking.”
She pulls back from our hug and then I’m touched again, right before the scent of Klaus hits me and his hand slides to my stomach. I’d imagine it’s because he likes touching me. A part of me is sure it’s so he can hide the missing back of my dress from prying eyes.
Possessive he is, in a way I hadn’t anticipated and really, freaking love.
“Oh.” Teresa’s eyes light up. “I heard you brought a date, but this… well, you are handsome,” she says to Klaus.
I roll my eyes. I’ve been getting that a lot this weekend. Mostly from older women. If Klaus objects to being objectified, he doesn’t show it.
I tilt my head and am rewarded with his panty-melting smile. “Thank you. Klaus Newman, Jillian’s boyfriend. You must be Teresa.”
“I am. Nice to meet you, too. How long have you been together because until your mom said something earlier, I wasn’t aware you were dating.”
She lets that linger, almost disappointed, like she’d hoped I’d come back for Roman and set her world to rights. I won’t go on with how offensive I find her son.
“Not long,” I say, at the exact same time Klaus says, “Awhile.”
“Oh?”
“What Klaus means is that we’ve been friends for a few years now but just got together recently.”
“I got tired of pretending I wasn’t in love with her when I think I started the first time we met.”
Heart. Stop. My entire body freezes at his quiet but bold declaration. He said the same thing to Nana before, but now? In front of Teresa. It almost pains me to let the lie settle between us.
But oh, if it were true….
I shake it off and take a sip from my glass, forcing my jaw to relax.
“Oh, well that’s lovely, dear. I am truly happy for you if you’re happy.”
“Thanks, Teresa. And I’m sorry to hear about Norman. Is he here?”
“We had someone take him home. Getting him out, well, it takes a lot out of him.”
Tears burn my eyes and I force them down. “I’m truly sorry. He’s a good man.”
“Well, he’s a fighter too, so we’re hoping, but, well, we’ll make the best of what we’re given. It’s all we can do, right?”
“And speaking of, I truly do hope Roman and Julianna are happy together.”
“Please. That girl probably has the shovel with her to start digging for all our hidden treasures.”
Behind me, Klaus barks out a laugh and my own bursts free. “Teresa!”
“It’s true. She’ll get that ring and my son and she won’t stop wanting for the rest of her days. I only hope Roman loves her enough to tell her no every once in a while.” She shakes her head, for as much of a smartass as she can be, her frustration is clear as is the lack of love for her daughter-in-law.
“Perhaps Chloe will choose more wisely. How is she?”
Roman’s little sister is only twenty-one and last I heard, she fled Charleston for New York to be a fashion designer. Like me, she never fit in with her family which meant even when we were younger, we bonded.
“That girl does my head in. Living life up in New York, going to school, I think at least sometimes, and flying through her trust fund so fast she’s going to be broke by the time she graduates. She’s here, or will be soon. The wedding party is getting pictures done. At the rehearsal.” She rolls her eyes and scoffs. “Don’t know how Julianna’s parents are affording all this insanity, but I sure am glad I’m not footing her bill. Word on the street is her dress costs more than my first car. Probably tacky as that car, too.”
“Teresa,” I scold her, but inside, my heart is doing a little happy dance.
“I’ll let you go, sugar, and we’ll keep that old bitty gossip between us, won’t we?”
“Absolutely. We’ll talk soon.”
“Do.” She kisses my cheek. “And don’t be a stranger. I know this weekend will be busy, but Norman doesn’t have many left, so make sure you come back and see us. We won’t even have to let Roman know.”
“I will. And I’ll make sure I spend time with him before I leave, too. Love you, Teresa.”
“Always, my beautiful stubborn girl.”
She leans in, says goodbye to Klaus and when she’s gone, he bends down to my ear. “Beautiful and stubborn? She has you pegged, doesn’t she?”
“Hmm?”
He laughs in my ear. “I’m beginning to think I don’t know who’s crazier, Teresa or Nana, but I’m pretty sure I can guarantee the fun of tonight is just getting started.”
“Yeah. Fun. Like a root canal. Come on. I need more wine before the wedding party shows.”
“How many of these people do you know?” Klaus asks.
We’ve moved to the outdoor garden area that’s fancily decorated with fairy lights and fresh gardenias potted everywhere. Vines drape from the portico. My parents’ house looks more like it’s been prepped and decorated for a wedding, not the rehearsal. The familiar bubble of irritation is alive and well, rumbling in my gut.
“Most. Except for Julianna’s sister’s friends. Victoria is three years younger than us so while Julianna and I were close, Victoria was more a nuisance than anything.”
Victoria, along with the rest of the wedding party, skipped in an hour ago. The entire wedding party is now outside, drinking at the open bar. The girls are dressed in matching mint green dresses and the men in light gray suits.