Page 72 of Earned Husband

“It’s because of his father, isn’t it?” I turned back to the fountains, but they still did nothing to improve my mood. “Colin isn’t him, Mom. People will get over it.”

“With time, yes, they will, but Court Thayer is in prison for some rather serious crimes. People remember things like that.”

Irritation bloomed deep down inside. “That’s not Colin’s fault.”

“No, but it is his family.”

“So what? It doesn’t matter to me. It shouldn’t matter to anyone. Colin is his own person.”

“I agree. The world would be much simpler if people judged only the person standing in front of them, but that’s just not how life works.”

I sighed, tears of frustration filling my eyes as I shook my head. “It’s just so unfair. He’s done everything Dad has asked of him and we’ve both been playing our parts. We should be allowed a little more freedom. Even if only in the house.”

She was quiet for a long minute as she watched me, a soft smile finally appearing on her lips. “You like him.”

I frowned. “What? How is that relevant?”

“Because it’s true. You actually really like him, don’t you?”

“I do,” I said after a brief pause, my voice wobbling with the force of the emotion behind the admission.

Mom’s smile grew smug. She rose elegantly from my bed and came over to pinch my cheek like she had when I’d been little. “I always knew you’d settle down with a calm, easygoing man.Someone who is able to absorb everything around him instead of standing out on his own.”

I pulled back slightly, what she’d said rubbing me the wrong way for some reason, but she didn’t seem to notice.

“There’s strength in silence,” she said without skipping a beat. “Colin is exactly the sort of man I imagined as a husband for you, steady and grounded, a real port in the storm.”

While Colinwasall of those things, hearing him reduced to those qualities alone irked me. She was making it sound like they’d chosen him simply because he happened to fit into some box, but that wasn’t what it was about for me—and frankly, Dad had chosen him initially because he was a Thayer. It seemed pretty disingenuous to start pretending otherwise.

“He’s also thoughtful, and funny, and brilliant, and kind,” I said, my tone sharp but my voice soft. “He carries his burdens so gracefully that most people would never notice he’s carrying them at all. That’s much more remarkable than simply being quiet or calm.”

When I looked back at my mother, she was smiling at me. “That’s true. I’m glad you like him so much, darling. It certainly makes things easier.”

With that annoying little nugget of not understanding my point at all, she stood up and strode back to the still-open door. “Get ready, my love. Someone will be up to collect your things shortly and we’ll be leaving for the airstrip soon after that.”

I sighed, but before I could point out that I would’ve chosen Colin for myself even if he hadn’t fit into her vision of what was right for me, she was gone. A few minutes later, long before my worries could pull me under completely, a tribe of housekeeping staff appeared to take my luggage downstairs, and the next thing I knew, we were on our way to our private hangar.

My father, Khaled, and Colin were already waiting near the jet when we arrived, and at least finally seeing him againshould’ve settled my nerves, but the man looked wrecked. Even before I’d climbed out of the car, I noticed how tired he seemed.

Two weeks of being attached to either Dad or Khaled’s hip had clearly worn him out, and I was sure the stress of the engagement wasn’t helping. Ashanti and my mother helped my niece and nephew out the car, with Jasmine snapping her headphones firmly into place before she climbed out too.

I finally followed and Colin spotted me immediately, the exhaustion not disappearing from his face but his features softening and opening up once he smiled. Jasmine sighed quietly at my side. “Nanna is going to eat him alive.”

I nudged her with my elbow. “Don’t you have music to listen to or something?”

“Or something.” She shrugged. “It easier to ignore Mom and Dad when they think I’m otherwise occupied.”

I chuckled. “As long as you leave my fiancé out of it.”

She glanced at Colin again. “I’m just being realistic. He looks too optimistic to know what’s waiting for him.”

“Stop it. He’ll be fine.”

“I’m trying to mentally prepare him through telepathy.”

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t think that’s how telepathy works.”

“Maybe not, but it’s worth a shot. You should be thanking me. I’m trying to help.”