"You look amazing," Summer says, and leans over and kisses my cheek.
"You go out there and floor them, lady.” Amelie kisses my other cheek.
We end up hugging again.
There’s a knock on my door, then my mother’s voice calls out. "You have a minute for us, Isla?"
I wince. The last person I want to see right now is my mom. Not because I’m not happy to have her here. It’s just, the less time I spend with my family, the less I have to lie to them about the circumstances that brought me to this wedding.
"You okay? Do you want us to send them away?" Zara frowns.
I draw in a breath and square my shoulders. "No, it’s fine."
"You sure?" Summer asks. "I’m very good at keeping family entertained."
"I’m sure you are, and thank you for being such wonderful friends, but it’s best I meet my ma, else she’ll never let me hear the end of it." Which is true. My ma’s wonderful, but she’s also smart enough to know when I’m evading her, and she won’t take too kindly to that.
"Okay." Zara presses a quick kiss to my cheek. The women step back and head for the door. "I’ll knock in ten minutes to remind you that we need to get going."
"Make that five," I mutter.
She nods, then the two of them open the door and slip out. I hear them greet my mother, then hear another voice. Shoot. Seems like Liam’s mother is also here. And she knows about this entire charade. I’m sure she hasn’t told my mother anything, because I’d have heard from my mother if she had. That’s my only consolation. I reach for a tissue and dab under my eyes, then paste a smile on my face before I turn.
"Mother, Mrs. Kincaid," I greet the two women.
"I told you to call me Rosie, didn’t I?" Liam’s mom beams at me.
My mother stands inside the room, her fingers pressed to her bosom. "Oh, my goodness, you look so beautiful, my darling little girl."
"Thank you." I glance between them. Rosie is the first to move. She walks over and pats my shoulder. "You look radiant." She lowers her voice. "If Liam doesn’t change his mind about the veracity of this wedding, then he’s more stupid than I thought."
Umm, what about me? What if I want to maintain the status quo and not change the status of this relationship from 'It’s complicated' to 'Happily Married'? I want to say it aloud but I don’t because my ma is in the same room. Also, she’s just walked over to join us. When she hesitates, I resist the urge to roll my eyes, my ma may not take too kindly to that. Instead, I wrap my arms about her and hug her. "Thanks for everything, Mom. I’m not the easiest of daughters, I know, so thanks for being patient with me."
My ma sniffles. "Now you’re going to make me cry."
"Nope, no tears, happy occasion, remember?" I echo Zara’s words.
She nods, then sniffles again. "I know I can be an overbearing mother sometimes but you do realize it’s because I have your best interests at heart?"
"I know, Ma." I squeeze her arm.
"If there’s anything you ever want to tell me I’m here for you, Isla," my mother murmurs.
I glance at Rosie who shakes her head indicating she has no idea what my ma is talking about. "I’ll leave you two to catch up." With a last look at the both of us she walks away.
"I’m not sure what you’re talking about Ma," I say carefully. My heart begins to gallop. She can’t be hinting at what I think she is… can she? Nope. No way my mother knows anything about the one thing I haven’t been able to share with anyone in my family.
My mother shuffles her feet. "All I mean is that we’re all there for you, Isla. Me, your brother and the entire Lymington Knitting Club."
"Of course, Ma." I release her and step back. "I’m aware." Not that I plan on sharing anything with the infamous nosey parkers of the Knitting Club. I could, possibly, share my secret with Dorian. But the moment I tell my mother, she’ll tell the Knitting Club, and then it will be all over my hometown. To be honest, it’s one of the things that’s stopped me from confiding in her. The last thing I need is all the people I grew up with looking at me with knowing eyes. So, guess it’s going to have to wait. The much bigger issue I have is deciding if I want to share my secret with Liam. Honestly, I’m not sure.
My mother is watching me closely. She must see something of my thoughts reflected on my face because she sighs. "Isla, I—"
"Isla, it's getting late."
Thank god. "Ma, we’ll talk more later, okay?"
She doesn’t look happy but contents herself with kissing my cheek. "Love you, honey."