“Hi,” she replied, her breath hitching. She missed him so much.
“Your mother called.”
“What did she say?” he asked cautiously.
“She implied that I should be grateful that you chose me rather than all the rich socialites that would line up to marry you. It seems like they’re a dime a dozen if you asked me.”
James chuckled at her last statement and the sarcasm in her tone.
“You are one in seven billion, not easily replaced,” he replied emphatically.
Her heart fluttered at his declaration, an involuntary smile breaking out on her lips.
Sobering up, she said, “Maybe you should try convincing your mother of that.”
James sighed. “Rory, I love you. I only want to marry you. Why can’t that be enough?”
Her grip on her phone loosened. She placed her other hand along the edge to keep it in place as she replied. “It can’t,” she whispered.
“Why not?” James pressed.
Pain seared through her heart.How could he not understand it?
“Your mother has interfered with our relationship from the very beginning, James. She doesn’t like me; it makes no sense for you to try to convince me otherwise, and I know you try to protect me from her but only to a point because you also don’t want to hurt her feelings.”
“Rory,” he sighed, the tiredness in his voice palpable.
“Let me finish. Please?” she begged.
His silence encouraged her to speak. “You wanting to marry me can’t be enough because I’m not sure how far you’re willing to go to protect me from your mother if it comes to that. That’s not something that I should have to worry about, James.” She paused to look at the pristine water below, the tiny ripples moving the boat back and forth gently. “Your mother has been trying to derail our wedding, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t resent her for it. The concerning thing is that I think…” Rory took in a gulp of air.
“I think I’m starting to resent you too because it feels like you’ve left me to fight this battle all on my own, and I am bound to lose…I love you, but right now, it’s not enough.”
Rory waited for him to speak, her heart pounding against her chest in anticipation. She’d been more candid about the Lenora situation than she ever thought she could be.
“Where does that leave us then?” he finally asked, his voice flat.
Rory sighed. “I need you to tell your mother to back off. She needs to stop meddling in our plans. I will include her in the things I’m okay with including her in. I will not be strongarmed into it. I need you to let her know that. My mom is going to take me shopping for a dress in Seattle, my cousin Kerry is baking the cake, and I found a wonderful florist to help with the arrangements. Jenny is taking care of everything else.”
“Okay. If I do all that you’ve asked, will that be confirmation enough that the wedding will go on?”
Rory thought about the question. She hesitated for a bit, not sure what to tell the man waiting for her response. She wasn’t sure if that would be enough. She breathed out and then responded.
“We’ll see.”
ChapterNine
“If anything happens while we’re away, don’t hesitate to call.”
“Relax, Cora. Everything will be okay.” Jo smiled reassuringly.
“But—”
“Relax, sis. Jo is perfectly capable of looking after mom,” Andrea jumped in, realizing Cora was trying to find a way to stay back out of worry for their mother. But she needed this trip to Seattle just as much as the others. “Besides, nothing is going to happen.”
Cora released a heavy sigh. “You’re probably right,” she relented.
“Everyone ready to go?”
