The Road to Rose Bend, Naima Simone [jenna bush book club .TXT] 📗

She blinked back the sudden sting of tears and turned her head away, breaking free of his grasp. Hormones again. Yep, that’s what caused the swell of emotion. Definitely not the joy and sadness that battled it out in her chest. The Dennisons had formed a united front behind Cole, even if they might not agree with his choice, and therefore, they backed her as well. How sad was it that she hadn’t confided in her parents about Daniel’s visit or the truth behind this hasty wedding? Unlike Cole, she couldn’t count on their acceptance, their unconditional support. Call her a coward, she’d told them over the phone. She hadn’t been up to staring their disappointment in the face. To them, their daughter was making another impulsive decision. Fresh out of one marriage and jumping into another. Hell, until she’d walked down that makeshift aisle where Cole waited in front of a gazebo with Wolf and the minister, she hadn’t even been sure her parents would show up for her. But they had. And well, she took small victories where she could.

Scanning the crowded field where people were decked out in their Sunday best, or wearing jeans and T-shirts, she quickly located her parents. They stood talking with Moe and Ian and another older couple. As if sensing her attention on them, her mother glanced in Sydney’s direction. Her mother’s smile wavered, then firmed. That phone call last week had been the first they’d spoken since Sydney had visited the boutique. The strain between them hadn’t lessened, the distance yawning wider.

One she feared even a whole armada of ships couldn’t cross.

“We should go over and speak,” Cole murmured. She peered up at him, surprised to see a tiny muscle jumping along the hard line of his jaw.

“Cole?” She pressed a hand to his abdomen. And cursed herself for noticing how ripped the muscles were beneath her palm.

He glanced at her, and shadows darkened his amber gaze. “I’d like to introduce you to...” He didn’t finish, but cupped her elbow and guided her over to the small group.

Several people stopped them along the way, congratulating them. By the time they made it to their destination, her face cracking in half from the constant smiling and laughing seemed an imminent possibility.

“Hey, Moe, Dad.” Cole leaned forward and kissed his mother on the cheek and drew his father into one of those manly hugs that included back and shoulder slapping. “Luke, Patricia, thank you for coming.”

“Of course,” Luke said, shaking Cole’s hand. “We wouldn’t have missed it. Sydney, you look beautiful,” he murmured, and her mind—or her desperate heart—must have conjured that hint of chafing in his voice.

“Thanks, Dad.” Clearing her throat, she turned to her mother. “Mom. I’m glad you guys came.”

Her mother nodded. “Where else would we be? You’re our daughter.” For several moments, she searched Sydney’s face. “This is sudden, but... I hope you’ll be happy.”

Would her mother be proud or further dismayed if Sydney told her this marriage wasn’t about happiness but sacrifice? She honestly didn’t know.

“Sydney, I’d like to introduce you to Ramon and Valeria Narvaez.” He paused, and a curious tension filled the heartbeat of time. “These are Tonia’s parents, my in-laws. Ramon, Mamá, this is Sydney.”

God.

The pain damn near blindsided her, and she struggled to breathe past it without cluing in everyone standing there that she’d been dealt a blow. But something told her she’d failed to fully conceal it when Ian winced and Moe’s eyes softened, even as she gave Sydney a tiny shake of her head.

Sydney got what Cole’s mother was trying to silently convey. Oh, she got it. That had most likely been a slip on Cole’s part; she had no doubt it hadn’t been deliberate. But that somehow made the slight more hurtful. Hurtful, hell. Devastating. If she glanced down, she might glimpse jagged shards of her pride littering the ground around the hem of her long, pale yellow dress.

My in-laws.

Because Tonia would always be his first and true wife.

Sydney was a watered-down substitute.

Stupid of her to be so wounded. She’d gone into this union with her eyes wide-open, acknowledging her place, her role. And did she really expect him to stop considering Tonia’s parents as family just because their daughter had died, and he’d remarried? No. Of course not.

But logic and reason still didn’t prevent her from seeking Patricia like a little girl instinctively crying out for her mother when in pain. A crinkle marred the bridge of her mother’s nose, but quickly disappeared when she noticed Sydney looking at her. Patricia notched her chin a shade higher, and the pain dimmed, ebbed. You hold your head up. Message received. Though a minefield of issues cluttered their relationship, warmth eddied inside her. And Sydney did just as her mother instructed. She hiked her chin, fixed a smile on her face and switched her attention to the older couple.

“It’s a delight to finally meet you, Sydney,” Valeria greeted, stepping forward with both hands outstretched. She clasped Sydney’s in hers and leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek. It’d been years since Sydney last saw Tonia, but she saw the other woman in Valeria’s kind brown eyes, thick eyebrows and wide mouth. Tonia had been a beauty, just like her mother. “My husband and I have heard so many good things about you. We’ve been excited to meet you.”

Sydney’s smile warmed despite the ache that continued to pulse in her chest. Sincerity and a genuine friendliness emanated from Valeria. And as Ramon moved forward and kissed her other cheek, murmuring, “Welcome to the family, mija,” she understood why Tonia had been such a loving person. With parents like these, she’d had no choice.

“Thank you. It’s wonderful to meet you both.” Sydney hesitated, unsure if she should continue but... Forget it. If there was an etiquette for this kind of situation, she’d never read that Emily Post covered it. “I was younger than Tonia, but I remember her well. She