Page 6 of Wedding Whitney (Alaska Blizzard #4.5)

Whitney

I wake up before Jake, leaving him asleep.

He had a long day yesterday and probably needs the rest since he fell asleep in my room.

I don’t care about getting caught—I plan to have a talk with my grandmother about Brett.

Jake is a grown man who can take care of himself, but this is supposed to be the happiest time of our lives, and it isn’t fair that Brett is being an asshole and trying to cause trouble.

“Good morning, dear.” Gran looks up from her newspaper with a smile.

“Good morning.” I pour myself a cup of coffee, take a sip, and then sink down across from her. “I need to talk to you.”

“About breaking the rules last night?” Her eyes twinkle with amusement.

I shake my head. “No. The only reason we’re going along with the whole abstaining thing is that we love you, but after what Brett did yesterday, we needed to be together.”

Her eyes narrow sharply. “What, exactly, did Brett do?”

“He’s trying to come between us, and I’m not having it, Gran. I won’t do this in the days leading up to the wedding. It’s not fair, and I’ll cancel the whole thing before I let him get away with shit like he tried to pull yesterday.”

She sighs. “Tell me what’s going on.”

I tell her everything, and the older woman shakes her head. “I don’t understand him. I really don’t. But I’ll take care of it. I’ll speak to your father.”

“Dad’s on his side,” I say, shaking my head. “And if they’re going to do everything in their power to upset Jake, and by association upset me, I’m done with all this. You know I didn’t want the big wedding, and?—”

“Nonsense.” Gran interrupts, holding up a hand. “I know you’re mostly humoring me, but I also know you, and you love all the pomp and circumstance of a wedding.”

“Yes, when it’s lighthearted and fun. And with a few exceptions, nothing about this has been fun.”

“That wasn’t my intention,” Gran says quietly, looking away.

“Nothing that’s upset me has been because of you,” I say quickly.

“The dress, the food, the decorations, it’s all been amazing.

It’s mostly the guest list and the people I have to be nice to.

It’s ironic, too, considering Dad isn’t even the one paying for the wedding.

Jake and I could have paid for it ourselves, you know. ”

“I do know, but I wanted to. I didn’t have any girls, so I wanted this for you.”

“I know.” I reach across the table for my grandmother’s hand.

“I love you, Gran. I’ve loved doing all the planning with you.

I just wish Dad and Brett would get on board.

I don’t know why they don’t like Jake, beyond the fact that he wasn’t born with money, but it doesn’t matter to me.

I’m marrying him whether they like him or not. ”

“Your father is simply being cautious, but he’s coming around. Brett, sadly, is one of those men you hope will outgrow himself but hasn’t seemed to. The idea of him someday running the family business is enough to make me live forever.”

I chuckle. “Well, I’m good with that, so let’s make it happen.”

We smile at each other over the table, but I need to know the answer to the biggest question that arose yesterday. “Gran? Is my inheritance contingent upon my having two children by the time I’m thirty?”

“Not in my will,” she says firmly. “What your father does with his money is up to him.”

“Okay, then it’s a non-issue.”

“You are going to have children, aren’t you?” Gran suddenly looks concerned.

“Yes, but probably not two before I’m thirty. Maybe the first around the time I’m thirty? I don’t know yet. We’re not even married and have so many other things going on.”

“I know, dear. Don’t be upset, all right? I’ll talk to your father, and we’ll get this handled.”

“Thanks, Gran.”

“Good morning, beautiful ladies.” Jake comes in looking freshly showered and a lot better than he had the night before, and conversation turns to other things.

Hopefully, this will be the end of it.

* * *

The next few days are nice, spent with friends and distant relatives that aren’t jerks. Thank goodness. Gran said she was going to call my father and have a talk with him, but I don’t care anymore.

My father and brother are both assholes, and I’m not going to let Jake devote another second to getting to know them or bonding or any such bullshit. Luckily, today we’re joining Kane, Hailey, and the twins for a day at Six Flags, which feels like a much-needed escape.

Initially, Kane and Hailey hadn’t planned to go since there wasn’t a lot geared for babies, but with Jake and me there to help, it sounds like a win for everyone.

“I’m ready for all the roller coasters,” Kane announces when we get there.

“Me too,” I say, grinning.

Jake grimaces. “Not me. I’ll sit with the twins while you guys do it.”

“You don’t do roller coasters?” Kane asks in surprise.

Jake shakes his head. “I got sick on one when I was a kid, and now it just grosses me out. I don’t get motion sick or anything—I just don’t like them.”

“Fair enough.” Hailey rubs her hands together. “Then I’m down for any and all roller coasters while you babysit.”

Jake grins. “Works for me.”

“It’ll be good practice for you, buddy,” Kane says, teasing him.

“Don’t tease him,” I say softly after we leave Jake with the twins and head into the line for the next roller coaster.

“Don’t tease him?” Kane stares at me in confusion. “How come? I spend half my life teasing him. Probably three quarters!”

“I mean, about babies. There’s some family drama going on about having two babies before the age of thirty in order to keep my inheritance, and even though I don’t care about the money, I think it’s really put him on edge.”

Kane grimaces. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

“I know. That’s why I’m bringing it up now. He’s had a rough time with my father and brother, and I don’t know how to fix it. Gran said she was going to intervene, but they’ve never listened to her before, so I don’t know why they would start now.”

“I think you need to relax, enjoy the days leading up to your wedding, and ignore all the bullshit,” Hailey says firmly. “Jake can take care of himself.”

“He can, but it’s not fair that they’re making him second-guess not just himself, but what we have together. Maybe he hasn’t said it out loud, and maybe he hasn’t even thought it to himself, but I know him, and he’s not having fun. Not even a little.”

Kane frowns. “Your family definitely adds a level of stress, but you two shouldn’t be at odds right now. Maybe the best thing would be to move to a hotel.”

I sigh. “The problem is that the only person whom that would hurt is my grandmother, and she’s not the one making us miserable.”

“You want me to talk to him?”

“Maybe?” I look up at him thoughtfully. “Just to reassure him, you know? I’m here. I love him. And I’ve told him that, but maybe hearing it from the perspective of one of his friends will help convince him.”

“Okey-dokey.” Kane rubs his hands together. “But not until we’ve ridden this baby. I’m fuckin’ psyched.”

“Me too.”

I manage to grin because I’m looking forward to all the rides today.

I’m still worried about Jake, though. He swears he’s fine, but I see the tension in his eyes, know he didn’t sleep well even though we were together last night, and he’s more important to me than everything else.

“It’ll be okay,” Hailey says softly, squeezing my arm. “You’ll see.”

“I hope you’re right.”

It's hard to see past what’s happening now, despite our upcoming wedding and honeymoon.