Page 66 of Imperfect Arrangement

His stormy eyes meet mine, and I see the same turmoil I feel. “My phone looks a lot like yours right now. Texts from my mom, dad, uncles, aunts. The whole family group chat is lit up.” He rakes a hand through his hair, frustration etched into every line of his face. “But before replying, I wanted to talk to you. How do we handle this?”

He saidwe.

“You’re asking me?” I’m nervously wringing the hem of my shirt so badly it might just tear.

“It’s about us, right?”

I gulp. “I can’t tell the truth, Raymond. Not to Nana, not to Mom. They still believe marriage should only ever be for love.”

“And they’re not wrong, Willow.” His voice softens. “The best relationships are built on the foundation of love. You deserve to be with someone who loves you, respects you, and cherishes everything you care about.”

“What about you?” My voice drops. “Have you found thatsomeone?”

We’ve never discussed the topic of Quill’s mom. He must have been in some sort of relationship to create such a sweet girl.

“I’ve always known what I wanted from life, and a romantic relationship has never been important. Now that Quill’s in my life, keeping her happy is the only thing I care about.”

Before I can ask anything further, my phone rings again, with Nana’s name flashing. I show him the screen with a weak shrug and hit speaker.

“Don’t you dare hang up on me again, Lolo!”

“Nana, I was in the bathroom. I told you I just woke up.”

She steamrolls right over me. “So it’s true? You’re engaged? Who is he? Why?—”

“Nana, calm down before you give yourself a heart attack!” I blurt, genuinely worried now.

“I already had one this morning! Do you know how I found out about you? That lanky Mrs. Cade from my poker club textedeveryonein the group! So of course they were all congratulating me, and I had no fucking clue why.”

Holy hell. Nana values her standing in her poker cluba lot.

“Where’s Mom?” I ask, hoping for backup.

“She’s here. She’s listening,” Nana snaps.

“Mom?”

“Willow, are you okay?” At least Mom’s not blowing her top like Nana, but I can still hear the underlying concern. “We went to your apartment, but you weren’t there. Where are you, honey?”

“I’m fine, Mom. I promise. Please calm down.”

“Calm down! She’sagainasking us to calm down,” Nana jumps in, but I can’t be angry at her outburst.

“Ma, give her a chance to at least tell us what happened,” my mom says, and guilt builds up again. Here she is hoping I’ll give her the truth, while I’m mentally crafting lies.

“I am not letting Lolo ruin her life, Steph.” Nana’s words are fast, and suddenly it hits me why she’s being crazier than ever. She thinks history is repeating itself.

Raymond shifts beside me, tense but silent. Our eyes meet and he gives me a terse nod.

“His name is Raymond Teager,” I say, steadying my voice. “He’s a good man, Nana. He?—”

Mom inhales sharply. “Teager? The same man who’s working with Gio?”

Raymond curses softly under his breath, but I push forward. “Hewasworking with Gio, but not anymore. He wants to invest in Gramps’s dream, our dream.” My grip on the phone tightens.

“And you like him?” Mom asks, cautious but not accusatory.

“I do.” My gaze meets Raymond’s and there’s no other way to say this, so I simply proceed. “And he likes me too.”