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“What? That’s crazy. You never said anything. Is your family still there?”
This was why she hadn’t mentioned it, and she hated that she’d let that detail about the lake slip. “Yeah.”
“Where do they live?”
“Kalamazoo.”
“Do you want to see them while we’re there?”
“Maybe. But you don’t have to come.”
His forehead scrunched with confusion. “Why would I not come?”
She shrugged.
“Do they know about us?”
Her head tilted toward the window again, remembering how excited Mom was to find out who she had married. “I told them.”
“Everything?”
“I didn’t break the contract.”
“You can tell them if you want to.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“It’s decided then. A visit with the in-laws before we head home.”
She gave a weak smile, unsure of how that visit would go. “What should I know about your family?”
Gus’s lips spread into a smile and there was a twinkle in his eyes. “You’ll love my mom. She is the sweetest woman on the planet.” He looked over at her. “And she’ll love you.”
Merritt pressed her lips together. She had been thinking a lot about how she would get along with his family, and she worried about getting too close to them and what they would think when she and Gus parted ways.
“I think you’ll get along really well with my dad. You have a lot in common when it comes to business.”
“I read all about how he built the company after his father died. I’m already very intimidated.”
He laughed. “Of my dad? You won’t be when you meet him. He’s easy to talk to, and trust me, as soon as he hears what you’ve done with your company, you won’t be able to get him to leave you alone about it. He’ll want to know everything. He loves hearing about small businesses expanding, and he likes talking about it even more.”
“Okay, I’m kind of excited to meet him now.” She smiled. “And your sister?”
“Skylar. She’s very kind and lovable, and she’ll no doubt welcome you with open arms like she did Genevieve.”
“Is that Sebastian’s fiancée?”
“Yes.”
“And they’re in Montana?”
“Yeah, Genevieve works at a horse rescue there, and Sebastian left his position at the company to move there with her. Sky says he still flies in occasionally for meetings and sometimes works remotely, but she pretty much took over for him.”
“And they asked you to step away from the company?”
He hung his head. “Dad asked me to distance myself while we went through Milton’s stupid lawsuit. I could’ve stayed on as VP when Sebastian left, but it felt like a slap in the face to give president to Sky, so I walked away.”
“I see.” She felt bad for him, but it seemed like it was his own decision that had taken him away from the company, not his family’s choice.