When Love Happens (18 page)

“Because you’re part of the family—you’re an Archer now, whether you like it or not.”

He let out a humorless laugh. “For how long? Thank you, Sara, but I don’t think I’ve ever qualified as a member of your family, and I’m sure Tori would be horrified to hear you say so.”

“You really don’t think much of her, do you?” she asked
softly.

“That’s not it. I think the world of her, or at least I did. I didn’t marry her on a whim or because we were drunk. I fell arse-over-elbow in love with her practically at first sight. By the time we went to Vegas, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, and I didn’t want to wait for that to start. Since she agreed to marry me, I thought she couldn’t either.” The love he’d
felt for her then crested over him until he thought he might drown in the emotion. What a fitting metaphor, since he didn’t think she would’ve thrown him so much as a bone, let alone a life preserver. “Unfortunately, she was apparently caught up in the moment and didn’t really feel the same way.”

Sara had brought her hand to her mouth as he spoke. She dropped it slowly. “I don’t know if that’s
true. All I can say is that she’s had a rough time, and I’m not even sure she realizes how bad it’s gotten.” She took a deep breath, and her eyes took on a determined sheen. “Give me until tomorrow to get things figured out—with Tori
and
the show. Can you do that?”

He couldn’t help but appreciate her fervor. He suspected Sara Archer was the heart of her family. “How can I say no to you?”

She
gave him a saucy smile. “You can’t, because I’m your sister-in-law. So there.” She left, and the ache in his chest lightened just a bit. If he had even one Archer on his side, maybe things weren’t as hopeless as they seemed. That, or he was just a fool in love.

T
ORI HAD PUT
up with Kyle attacking her for another ten minutes at The Arch and Vine, then she’d told him he could pay her bill and left. She’d spent the next few hours hiding in her bedroom, trying to take a much-needed nap. In addition to feeling like emotional crap, her system was still off from last night’s overindulgence.

Sean’s rental car had been parked outside when
she’d gotten home, but she had no idea if he was still there. Her bedroom window didn’t face that direction, and there was no way she was leaving to go look. Even though the only people who lived here were Mom and Dad, she wouldn’t put it past Kyle or someone else to be lying in wait for her to emerge so they could pounce on her.

She’d texted Cade and apologized again. He hadn’t responded, so
she’d sent an e-mail doing the same. How horrible was she that she’d apologized to him profusely, and yet she hadn’t said a word to her husband?

It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been thinking of Sean. It was impossible not to. She hadn’t been able to see the look in his eyes before he’d left the pub, but if the speed of his departure and set of his shoulders were any indication, he’d been thoroughly
pissed.

In search of a distraction, she got up from her bed and padded to the attached bathroom. The tile around the bathtub and backsplash behind the sink sported dark green accents straight out of the late nineties. Maybe she ought to redo everything. New tub or maybe just a shower—she had a great soaker tub in her condo in San Francisco. And a whole new vanity. Maybe a floating base cabinet,
like the one in Sean’s condo.

She inwardly cringed. She didn’t want to think about him. Instead, she looked in the mirror and surveyed her face. She looked pale. She wasn’t wearing much makeup, and it showed. Her eyes were a mess—they had bags and, truth be told, were a bit bloodshot. She pulled her hair back into a severe ponytail and secured it.

Bored with this attempt at diversion, she went
back to her bedroom and contemplated the TV, which she’d installed when she’d started spending so much time here after Alex died. She rarely turned it on, and when she did, it was to watch reality shows. Specifically, the ones Sean had produced, when she could find them on cable.

So much for trying not to think of him.

A knock on her door forced a groan from her chest. “Who is it?” she asked.

“It’s Mom. Would you come downstairs?”

Uh-oh.
She went and opened the door. “Hi. I’m good up here. Thanks for checking on me, though.” She tried to sound as chipper as possible but wasn’t sure she’d sold it.

Mom’s eyes crinkled at the corners as she looked at her expectantly. “Please come down? We’d like to talk to you.”

Tori knew who the “we” referred to. They’d clearly told Mom what happened
and sent
her
upstairs because they knew Tori would slam the door in their faces.
Jerks.
And they knew she wouldn’t refuse Mom, which made them
conniving
jerks.

Tori grabbed a light running jacket from the bed and pulled it on over her T-shirt, slipping her thumbs through the holes at the wrists and zipping it up. “Sure.”

Walking downstairs with Mom felt like she was marching to the executioner
with her guard. Her stomach tossed, and by the time she reached the kitchen, she’d crossed her arms to ward off the sudden chill that had come over her.

Seated around the table were Dad, Kyle, Maggie, Sara, Dylan, Derek, and Chloe. They’d gone full-fucking intervention on her.

“Here, take my seat,” Mom said, gesturing to the empty chair at the head of the table.

“I’d rather stand.”
So that
I can run at the first chance.

Mom pushed her gently toward the chair. “Sit.”

Tori had no choice but to take the seat. Mom patted her shoulder and then sat in a chair she’d angled to the side between Tori and Sara.

“This isn’t necessary,” Tori said, knowing her plea would fall on deaf ears.

Kyle narrowed his eyes at her. “You don’t even know why we’re here.”

“I can guess.” She didn’t bother
trying not to be oppositional. This entire situation was the definition of putting someone on the defensive.

Dad cleared his throat. “I took a ride with Sean today. He seems like a very well-put-together young man. I liked him quite a bit, and not just because we share a hobby.”

Next to him Derek nodded. “I’ve spent some time with Sean, too. We had a great time at The Arch and Vine earlier.
He’s a smart guy.”

Tori held up her hand. “Is this the plan? You’re going to go around and tell me how great Sean is in the hopes that I’ll stay married to him? If you all like him so much, you marry him.” She recrossed her arms and pinned her spine to the back of the chair.

“Tori, will you just listen to everyone?” Mom asked. “We’re worried about you. We just want to see you happy.”

She gripped
her biceps as frustration rioted through her. “Then how about supporting me instead of some guy you just met?” Where was Evan when she needed him? He wouldn’t have participated in this bullshit. He would’ve spoken up for her.

Mom pressed her lips together, and Tori felt instantly bad about snapping at her. It seemed like that’s all she did lately—feel bad for how she was feeling. Didn’t anyone
care about that? Was she not allowed to have an emotion that wasn’t approved by someone else?

“Tori, everyone here supports you.” Maggie’s voice was calm and reassuring. But then, Tori expected nothing less from a trained therapist. “Will you let everyone support you?”

Tori nudged her shoulder up. How did you answer that question in the negative without sounding completely heartless? “Sure.”

“Maybe if we understood why you want to divorce Sean, we wouldn’t have so many questions. Your behavior of late seems so erratic, and we’d like to help.” Maggie smiled encouragingly, and on any other day, it might have been comforting. Today, however, it grated Tori’s already-frayed nerves.

“This isn’t really helping,” she said drily, hoping that if she injected some humor they might leave her
alone.

Chloe sat on Tori’s other side. She laid her palm flat on the table, the diamonds in her engagement and wedding rings shimmering in the light. Tori thought of her own rings, the simple platinum band Sean had bought in Vegas and a princess-cut diamond he’d given her when he’d visited her in San Francisco. She’d stashed it in her sock drawer as soon as he’d left, and that’s where it remained.

“Is there a side to him we don’t see?” Chloe asked. “Is he abusive in some way?”

“God no!” Tori shook her head. “This is ridiculous. And it’s between Sean and me.”

“He wanted to leave,” Sara said, “but I convinced him to stay. He also couldn’t get a flight,” she added a bit sheepishly. She reached over and touched Tori’s arm. “Maybe you should tell everyone what you told me. I think it would
help.”

She couldn’t. Dredging it up after so long and talking about it just that once with Sara had been too painful. It was so much easier to let it stay in the past—not forgotten, but ignored.

“Do you want me to tell them?” Sara asked.

Tori shook her head. She didn’t want to talk about any of this—Sean, Alex, the stupid marriage.

“Yes, please,” Kyle said. “Tori, we want to help.”

“Really?
I think you’re all just nosy busybodies.” She knew that was harsh and not really true, but this entire intervention was ridiculous. “You want to know why I can’t be with Sean? Fine. I am not an impulsive person. I plan everything. I have goals, expectations. Meeting Sean, our entire relationship—
it was not on my road map
. I got caught up, married him, and it just so happened to take place the
night before Alex killed himself.”

“We know all that,” Derek said quietly.

“Yeah, well, what you don’t know is that Alex knew about Sean. I kept the relationship secret from everyone but him. I texted him right after the ceremony, and he congratulated me.” She tightened her grip on her arms, as if holding herself would keep it all together. But she was a fool. Already her insides were splitting
apart, and she felt as though she was going to break into a million pieces. She couldn’t bear to look at anyone, so she stared at the table. The lines in the wood swayed and danced as her eyes lost focus. “He called me just after midnight. He didn’t leave a message. I don’t know why he called—did he want me to talk him out of what he was doing? I’ll never know because I was too busy being self-absorbed
to be there for him.”

Mom’s arms came around her and held her tight. Chloe and Sara reached for her. Someone else—she thought it might be Kyle—was behind her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. After what seemed like a long while, everyone moved back. She blinked several times and saw those around her were wiping their eyes. Her gaze connected with Dad’s at the opposite end of the table.
He looked stoic, but she saw that his eyes were just a bit red.

“I understand now,” Mom said, sniffing.

“I wish you’d told us,” Derek said, his eyes sad. “We would’ve been there for you. All this time you’ve been carrying this burden. We’re family. What else are we for if not to help each other, especially in bad times?” Having lost both of his parents at a young age and been taken in by the
Archers, Derek had a unique perspective on family. He constantly pointed out their fortune and, frankly, was pretty damn good at guilting them into appreciating each other.

“I know that here.” Tori pointed to her head. “But here,” she said as she moved her hand to her heart, “I’m kind of a mess.”

“We all are,” Maggie said, smiling with just the right amount of self-deprecation. “And that’s okay.
Talking about it, however, should help. Do you feel any better?”

She supposed she did, but it wasn’t a big release. She hadn’t even cried. She hadn’t wanted to succumb to the pain. “Yes,” was all she said.

“So what are you going to do?” Kyle asked.

Tori looked at him and blinked. “Uh, have dinner? Go to bed? Get up in the morning and go to work?”

He narrowed his eyes at her and shook his head.
“About Sean.”

“That’s between her and Sean,” Mom said. “Leave it alone now. We can all like Sean, but it’s ultimately Tori’s decision. And she’s right, we need to give
her
our support, not the guy we just met.” She looked around the table at everyone, her gaze fierce. “I want everyone to leave Tori alone about this. Understand?”

Maggie lifted a hand as if they were in class and she wanted to
be recognized, but she didn’t wait to speak. “Tori, have you considered taking a little time to yourself—some mental health recuperation? You’ve been working so hard.”

Sara nodded. “That’s true. You work on the renovation, you work for your firm in San Francisco, you don’t do anything else but run. You’re going to burn out, and maybe you already have. Why don’t you go up to the cabin?”

The family
owned a small cabin on Mt. Hood. They’d gone there as kids, but as they’d grown, the space had been a bit too close for all of them. Nobody wanted to sleep en masse in the loft that served as a dormitory for all of the kids. Still, some of them used it from time to time, especially Tori, who loved to ski. She hadn’t been up there at all this year because—yeah, Maggie had been right—she worked
too much. But it was the best way she could occupy her time and her mind.

“I think that’s a great idea,” Dad said, startling everyone. Every head swung toward him. “Whatever you decide about Sean, you need to find a way to get back to the life you loved. You need to live again, Tori. Trust me, I know. In fact, while you go to the mountain, maybe Mom and I will head to the beach.” His gaze settled
on Mom, and his lips curved into a warm smile that had been in short supply this year. Tori looked at Mom and noted tiny spots of pink in her cheeks. It looked as if they’d finally found their way back to each other.

“Okay, I’ll go.” She turned to Sara. “Would you mind grabbing my stuff from the garage apartment?” She was being a bit of a coward, but she didn’t want to talk to Sean tonight.

“Is there anything you want me to tell Sean?” Sara’s question was tentative.

“Not that I can think of.”
Coward, coward, coward.
Tori stood and looked around at everyone. “I guess I should say thank you?”

Maggie laughed, and a few others joined in. Everyone got up, and hugs were exchanged. Tori had to admit she did feel better, if only because of the smiles on her parents’ faces.

After several
minutes, she crossed the room to go upstairs to pack. Dad stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Tori, don’t forget what we talked about. If the love is there, it might be worth fighting for.”

She still didn’t think her slapdash marriage could compare with her parents’ relationship, but she just nodded and said, “Thanks. Dad, does this mean you and Mom are good?”

Dad smiled again, his gaze drifting
toward Mom. “I think we will be.”

Now
tears burned the backs of her eyes, and she leaned up to kiss his cheek before hurrying upstairs. If she left in the next half hour, she could be at the cabin by eight thirty or nine.

But what about Sean? Did she just let him go back to LA tomorrow without a word? They had things to resolve—like the divorce and the show—but not tonight. Tonight she was going
to take her family’s advice and try to climb outside of her own head. Tomorrow she’d deal with Sean. Maybe by then she’d figure out what that meant.

S
EAN FINISHED PUTTING
his breakfast dishes in the dishwasher, poured some soap into it, and turned it on. With a quick look around the kitchen, he was satisfied that he was leaving the apartment the same way he’d found it. He had just enough time
to get back to the airport to return his car and make his twelve-fifteen flight.

He went into the bedroom and grabbed his bag, his gaze lingering on the bed. He’d spent the night sleeping there instead of the couch, and the sheets had smelled of Tori. Their brief make-out session Saturday night had been at the forefront of his mind as he’d tossed and turned before finally falling into a restless
sleep.