Ted cradled her hand in one of his while plucking the ring from her.
“You’ve expressed your thoughts very clearly, Ted. But my father… This mess… I can’t ignore it, especially now. My mother’s being sued,” she told him. “So the press and attention aren’t over yet. It’s just beginning.”
She watched as Ted grimaced at the news and her heart pinched. “You didn’t see the man serve her after the burial?”
“No. I left when everyone else did.”
“I see.”
“Look, Devon, I know you’re still upset with me, but don’t overthink this and make it out to be more than it is.”
Overthink it? More than it was? “Ted, I needed you today. I needed you to be by my side, holding my hand, supporting me. If you’re going to pick and choose and shy away from the bad and only be around for the good… that’s not the way to start a marriage.”
He reached out and grasped her arms, running his hands up and down the lengths.
“I know. I’m sorry. You have to realize this is uncharted waters for me here, too. Devon, the future I’m trying to protect is for both of us. Can’t you see that?”
“I do. I really do understand, but my father died,” she said. “My mother hasn’t been in her right mind due to the stress of it, and Dara and I have been scrambling to keep things together. You could’ve helped us. Helped me.”
He drew her close and hugged her, and she felt his lips brush over her temple.
“I’m here now. Can’t we focus on that?”
She buried her face against his chest and willed herself to let go of her disappointment. If he said he’d tried to make it, he had. He didn’t control the weather… even if he could’ve left the night before and avoided the morning fog. “How long are you staying?”
“We’re leaving this afternoon.”
She tensed and lifted her head. “What? What do you mean, we?”
“Did you forget? Devon, we have the gala tonight and a fundraising luncheon for my campaign tomorrow.”
“Ted, I can’t… You want me to go to events like that? Now?”
“It’ll help you move forward,” Ted said, his tone soft. “We can put this mess with your father behind us. Not to mention, as previous commitments, you can use them as an excuse to get away from all of the drama here.”
“Ted—”
“You know you’ll need to clear your head before you start work Monday morning. The events will get you back in the groove of things. Back to real life.”
Real life? “This is pretty real,” she muttered.
But his words centered her mind on work. On starting the new job the day after tomorrow. The days had flown by so quickly she’d actually lost track.
“We’ll spend an hour or so here, get you packed, and be on our way,” Ted said. “And this,” he said, taking the ring from her hand, “can go back on your finger tonight once we’re back in New York and things have settled. Okay?”
“Dev? Devon!” Dara called from somewhere in the house.
Devon pulled away from Ted and hurried toward the door, the panic in Dara’s voice spurring her on. “In the study,” she called back as she yanked open the door. “What’s wrong?”
Footsteps rang through the foyer, and Devon watched as her sister skidded a bit in her rush before she came running down the hallway.
“Mom’s gone.”
“What? What do you mean, gone?”
“Gone, like gone gone. We can’t find her anywhere. Have you seen her?”