Lyssa loved to needle him about their ten-year age difference. And the truth was that he did feel incredibly old. The last month had aged him. Hell, the last couple of years had.
Working to keep the bleak thoughts from his face—and wipe them from his mind—he turned to Will next and pumped his friend’s hand, then pulled Harper into a hug. “You’re radiant, Harper. The perfect bride-to-be.”
She smiled, her cheeks pinkening. “Thank you, Evan.” Concern flashed in her eyes, just as it had in Susan’s, but thankfully, before she could press him on how he was doing, Susan guided him into the living room.
“Have you eaten? Do you need something to drink?”
“I’m fine,” he said, his constant refrain. “And I need to say hello to this lovely lady.” He hunkered down by Francine Ballard’s chair to give her a hug and let her know how happy he was to see her again.
Charlie’s mother’s fingers were gnarled with arthritis, her legs shackled in braces, and getting up and down quickly was hard work. But she still walked a mile a day.
If she could keep going, keep moving forward, so could he.
Evan’s family was full of smiles. Hugs. Unconditional love. But he could see that they were also walking on glass, with no one pushing. No one prodding. No one demanding to know how he could have left for a month with nothing more than a text to Susan, Bob, and the other Mavericks.
Getting divorced. I’m heading out to visit my European offices. I’ll be back for the wedding.
He’d answered their shocked and concerned texts with his new stock phrase, I’m fine. And then he’d gone dark.
“Honey, you must be starved after your long trip here.” Susan signaled him with a wave into the dining room. The sideboard was set with a spread of appetizers, casseroles, and salads. “Let me get you something to eat.” She loaded up a plate with his favorite dishes, then sat beside him at the dining room table. “Will insisted I use a caterer for the rehearsal dinner. And the wedding too. He said he didn’t want me exhausting myself with all the cooking. I wasn’t sure how well it would work out, but the food is good, don’t you think?”
“This curry rice is mouthwatering.” He wasn’t hungry, but he ate for Susan.
“You’ve lost weight.” She frowned in concern again. “How are you really doing, honey? We’ve all been so worried.” The Maverick chatter carried through the living room archway, with everyone careful not to intrude on their private moment.
“I’ve moved on. I’m not dwelling on the past. It’s over. I just needed a few weeks to figure things out, that’s all.”
She locked eyes with him for a long moment. One in which he tried not to squirm like a little kid under his mother’s all-seeing gaze. “We understand why you needed time to process what happened.” She put her hand over his, sorrow and fury mixing together on her face as she said, “Paige told us what happened. About the things Whitney did.”
He should have known Paige would spill the whole sordid tale to Susan and Bob, to the Mavericks. After all these years, she was family too—and family turned to one another when they needed help dealing with difficult issues. He should have done that too, but the deep shame of having been blind for so long to Whitney’s true nature had held him back…
He squeezed her hand. “You didn’t need to worry. You and Bob taught me to deal with the tough knocks and keep on going.”
“I have to admit you look better than I thought you would.” She shook a finger at him. “Except that you’re too skinny.”
He laughed for her, because she needed it and he wanted to make up for the worry he’d caused her. Then he made himself pick up his fork and eat a few more bites as Susan told him all about the wedding preparations. But he wasn’t really there with her.
Because no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop himself from rewinding back four weeks, far away from this warm and loving family home…
Chapter Two
One month ago…
Whitney had decided to spend Thanksgiving in the south of France. Evan should have missed being with his wife during the holiday, but he was actually relieved. It meant the Mavericks and their families could all have a nice day together, without any of her inevitable drama.
The dinner conversation was as lively and entertaining as ever. But when they went around the table to each say one thing they were thankful for this past year, emotions went deep. One by one, each person at the large table in Matt’s dining room bared a piece of their soul. By the time they got to Evan, he found himself blurting out, “I’m thankful you’ve all been there for me through three miscarriages.”
The table fell silent. Until Paige said, “I’m sure that if Whitney were here, she would say that she’s thankful for how you were always there for her. Especially since she wasn’t comfortable reaching out to any of us.”
Paige’s statement was clearly intended to be kind, but her words hit Evan like a punch to the gut, nearly doubling him over with guilt. Because every time Whitney had miscarried, he’d been out of town on business. Yet, Whitney hadn’t called her sister or any of the Mavericks for help or comfort. Each time she’d lost their baby, she’d gone through the pain and loss all alone, until he could get home to her from whatever locale his business dealings had taken him to. Even though he always rushed home as soon as possible, that sometimes meant it had taken more than a day for him to make it back to her.