It's Always Complicated (Her Billionaires Book 4) (17 page)

Big Mike affixed a thousand-mile stare over Dylan’s mother’s shoulder and took a few steps down, off the porch, onto solid ground next to Cyndi, who crossed paths going up to herd the kids. She peeled Jillian out of Dylan’s dad’s arms and gave him a look that said,
Let the parents figure this out
.

Dylan felt completely helpless. Laura sniffled, then squared her shoulders, clearly forcing herself to be as composed as possible as the entire situation unraveled before them.

“Yes. We’ll get Jilly and the boys settled and—”

“Oh!” Mary’s voice was like a bubble being popped against a stray branch on a tree. “Jilly! Jillian!” Her eyes went as wide as saucers and she met Laura’s eyes. “You named your daughter
Jillian
? That’s the same—oh!” She started to look at Big Mike and stopped herself, the motion so fast Dylan wouldn’t have caught it if he weren’t so hyperaware right now.

“Who made you do that, dear?” Mary asked gently.

There was no malice in her tone. No accusation. No judgment or bitterness, and yet the question felt like a slap to Dylan’s core and he flushed, a red rage filling him like a balloon.

“No one. It was my idea,” Laura said, her voice loud yet shaking. A flash of insight made him wonder if Mary assumed someone made Laura name their child after his and Mike’s former lover because Mary couldn’t imagine a world where women had free will in a relationship, but his anger made the rational question slip through his fingers like a slipper
y
fish in a river.

Big Mike’s back was to them now, his mom shooting looks between Dylan and Laura, then clasping his shoulder, as if transmitting power and support through touch.

You okay?
she mouthed.

No. He shook his head slowly.

No. We’re not okay.

Rose took charge and corralled the
grand
parents while Cyndi and Ellie herded the three kids into the cabin. A look from Cyndi made it clear she and
Ellie
had it covered.

Take care of Laura
, she mouthed, disappearing with the kids to the other side of the cabin, where a bedroom and bath were located.

Dylan eased Laura onto the couch, her body frozen, a strange sort of catatonia making her a silent mannequin.

“They think you guys
made
me name her Jillian?
W
hat the hell is wrong with those people, Dylan?”

He sighed. “Nothing’s changed.”

“They were like this before?”

“Way worse. Way,
way
worse. But maybe they’re on best behavior.”

“Worse.” She shuddered.

“They’re—they’re good people,” he said reluctantly.

Laura’s snort of outrage made him roll his eyes at his own attempt to rationalize.

“Why on earth are they here?” she marveled.

“Because you invited them.” He didn’t want to dig the knife in, but...

“I can’t undo it. I wish I could. I really thought I was helping him.” Defeat filled her voice. Dylan’s body filled with concrete, a deep exhaustion that was more emotional than physical. He’d just been in a car an hour ago. In bed, naked, fifteen minutes ago.

Time flew when you were having fun.

And when you were having not-so-much fun, too.

“We need to deal with what’s in front of us. We can’t go back and undo it, so now what?” he asked, pulling her to him, resting his chin on her head. “How do we move forward? The guests are arriving and we have a wedding tomorrow afternoon.”

“It’s almost become an afterthought,” she said with a choking gasp. “I’ve turned the wedding into a second-place event.”

A thought struck him. “We need to get Josie and Alex over here. Maybe even Alex’s mom.”

“Alex’s mom?”

“She’s a psychologist, right? Maybe she can help.”

“I don’t know,” Laura said, doubtful. Reluctant. Worried. “That feels like we’re really stepping over a line.”

“If Mike’s dad goes nuts tomorrow at the wedding, the line crossed will be way worse.”

“You think he would make a scene?”

Dylan went quiet. He wasn’t sure. Thirteen years had definitely aged Mike’s dad, who had been so fucking intimidating when they were college boys who were just starting to figure out their identity and shocked to discover how different they were from the rest of the world—and relieved to find each other and Jill.

Now, as men in their mid-thirties and with much more solid senses of who they were, Big Mike was just...a man. An old man who was judgmental and closed off, but he was here.

Here.

And that had to count for something.

What worried Dylan was whether that “something” was positive or negative. Woe be unto Mike’s parents if they came here to stir up shit and try to destroy the loving life they’d worked so hard to build. Dylan wasn’t above having them booted by security to keep the peace.

Even if it would shatter them all.

“I’m sorry, Dylan.” Laura looked at him with red eyes so full of regret. “I had no idea the kind of Pandora’s Box I was opening when I sent that letter. I never in a million years expected them to just come like this! Why didn’t they answer me?”

He shrugged. “Probably fear. They likely knew Mike wouldn’t want to see them. Big Mike was always very controlling when we were in college. Insisted on his way or the highway.”

“And Mike picked the highway.”

“Yeah. Farm boy in the city. His parents thought we’d all corrupted him. They tried to make him leave college. Just withdraw and come home.”

“After they learned the truth about you and Jill?”

“No. Before. As Mike pulled away from them and created his own life, they didn’t like it. Wanted him back. They’re people who really prize tradition. Devoutly religious, mid-America types. Nothing wrong with that—but they also couldn’t handle him loving the way he did.”

“It must have been a shock,” she said.

He kissed her temple, then gave her a look of incredulity. “How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Simultaneously take Mike’s side while trying to imagine it from his parent’s point of view.”

She swallowed, hard, and wiped her eyes with the palms of her hands. Laura wasn’t wearing makeup, and she glowed with a nervous tension that came from desperately wanting to do the right thing. The storm of emotion in her eyes pained him. Dylan felt pulled in two directions. He was accustomed to conflict between the three of them, but never like this. Most of their arguments came down to dividing time in fair ways.

This was an external force that had been unleashed for all the right reasons but in all the wrong ways. Laura had meant well. She acted out of love. If only she’d come to Dylan first before reaching out to Mike’s parents—but the past couldn’t be undone. They’d have to get through this mess the only way he knew how.

By going through it, painful minute by painful minute.

“You said his dad was violent, but I see an older,
more
diminished man than the one you and Mike have described,” she said calmly, clearly pulling herself together. “And we have a wedding with a few hundred people here for the festivities. Alex and Josie’s wedding can’t be ruined because of my stupidity.”

“You’re not stupid.”

“I acted stupidly.”

He started to protest and stopped. She wasn’t wrong. She was just...misguided.

“I screwed up. It’s my responsibility to fix this.” The sound of children squealing with delight bubbled through the air from the general direction of the kids’ bathroom. Laura smiled.

“Glad someone’s having fun.” A heavy sorrow filled him. This was supposed to be one of the happiest days of their life. Tomorrow they’d celebrate their love, tomorrow night would be their wedding night, and the next day they would board a plane for Paris.

All the details that had been set up months ago were now in question.

Their entire world had changed with Mike’s parents’ arrival.

If Dylan felt overwhelmed, he could only imagine how Mike felt right now. He knew better than to try to find him, though dusk was beginning, and running through the strange Maine woods at night was pushing the bounds of danger, even for Mike. Hopefully, Mike found a trail and was running safely, but Dylan had his doubts. When Mike ran out of sheer stress, the result was never pretty.

He wasn’t joking about expecting Mike to run all the way to Canada.

“How long do we give him before we try to find him?” Laura asked, as if she read Dylan’s mind. “
Y
our parents are being great, distracting Mike’s mom and dad, but there’s a point where he has to come back and talk to them.”

“No. Not really.”

“What?” Laura was aghast. “Of course he does.”

“No.” Dylan stayed calm as he answered, feeling preternaturally neutral. “Technically, he doesn’t. He can send them home and not talk to them.”

“That would be worse than if they’d never come.”

He shrugged.

“Oh, God, I wish I could take it all back.” She closed her eyes. “If Mike won’t talk to them, then I will.”

“And say what?”

“How sorry I am that I reached out to them without talking to Mike first. I’ll explain his weird behavior.”

“And then?”

“And then
what
?”

“Laura, Mike’s vanished. You know him. He’ll need six hours of steady running to even be part human when he comes back. I don’t think he’ll be able to talk to them then. Are they staying for the wedding? What’s the plan?”

“There is no plan! I didn’t plan for this! They were supposed to answer me months ago and then I could calmly, rationally talk to Mike and support him in whatever decision he made! I never planned for them to just show up.”

Tap tap tap.

“Laura? Dylan? Mike?” That was Sandy’s voice. “Anyone home? I have a small question about the—” Sandy stepped into the living room, took one look at Laura’s face, and her eyes widened with alarm.

“Hi,” Laura said weakly.

“What’s happened?” Sandy was across the room, her daughter right behind her, both of them with brows creased in worry.

“It’s—oh—I just—” Laura fell apart again. Dylan stood up and faced Sandy and Lydia, rubbing Laura’s shoulder, trying to keep himself together.

“Family problems,” he said. “Extended family. Mike’s parents showed up out of the blue.”

“I take it they weren’t invited?” Sandy asked.

“They were. It’s just, they didn’t RSVP.” He really struggled to explain the backstory. “They disavowed Mike
about
thirteen years ago. Cut him out of their life when he and I were with a partner. Before Laura.”

Lydia piped up. “The three of you—you’re not the first threesome for all of you?”

Laura nodded while Dylan shook his head. “First time for Laura. Mike and I...we had a partner before Laura. Her name was Jill. She died, and...”

Sandy looked like a lightbulb went on. “Jillian.”

He and Laura nodded.

“Mike’s parents didn’t take it well. His dad came to blows with Mike. Laura—well, she thought—”

“I invited them to the wedding. I thought we could right the wrongs and maybe Mike could have a relationship with them again. They never replied, so I didn’t think they were coming.” Her words burst out of her like a dam breaking. “And then they just appeared!”

“Where’s Mike?” Lydia asked.

“Running.” Laura and Dylan answered in unison.

“Running?” Sandy asked, eyebrows up.

“It’s what he does when he’s upset. He runs. Long distances. Ten miles or more.”

Lydia and Sandy shared identical looks of disbelief.

If Dylan hadn’t been living with Mike for so many years, he wouldn’t believe it, either.

“I just eat ice cream when I’m upset,” Lydia joked, patting her hip.

Laura shot her a grateful look and a smile. Dylan felt his shoulders unclench slightly. It was the first smile he’d seen on Laura since this fiasco erupted. They would find their way out of this. Mike, though, would have to lead them.

And the Mike they both knew and loved wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Even if he were here in body, in spirit he was a million miles away, the splintered pieces of himself integrated through long-distance running. Dylan knew to give Mike time and space.

Space, they had plenty of.

Time? Not so much. As dusk deepened, he wondered how best
t
o balance the kids’ needs, Laura, Mike, and the very real fact that more than two hundred guests were trickling in.

Speaking of which, Sandy asked, “We just have one final question about the bar and where you want it placed during the reception. Because the table is different for this double wedding, we need your input.”

Dylan looked to Laura, who nodded. “I’ll go. I’ll text Josie, too, because she’ll want to double-check.” Her face reddened at the mention of Josie.

Had it really only been half an hour since Josie had barged in on them having sex? How could so much happen in such a short time frame? Life was piling up.

A naked, dripping-wet boy shot past them, toddling and giggling as Cyndi chased with a hooded towel, giving Dylan an apologetic look.

Maybe the running-away thing ran in the family.

Josie

“Qwitcherbitchin’, Josie. So what? You walked in on your best friend doing the three-backed nasty with her guys. It’s not like you’re the first person in the world to do that,” Darla said as Josie, Alex, Darla, Trevor and Joe sat around a roaring campfire.

“Excuse me?” Alex asked, choking on his beer. They were all sitting in folding camp chairs, Alex’s long legs so close to the fire she worried the soles of his sneakers would begin to melt.

Darla waved her hand at him. “People walk in on their friends having sex all the time. It happens. Get over it.”

“What the hell kind of world do you live in, Darla, where people walk in on their friends naked in bed?”

Trevor cleared his throat as Darla stuck her tongue against her cheek and squinted. Josie knew that meant she was mounting a vigorous verbal defense. Trevor beat her to it and said:

“We’re in a band.”

As if
that
explained everything.

Alex, Joe, and Darla just nodded.

What the hell was wrong with these people?