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“Thank you, Fiona,” Marley said.
I rushed down the stairs and joined the group in the lobby. Thankfully, there were no guests milling about. The front desk had been empty for the wedding, and maybe that’s how Aiden’s parents had snuck in. I wasn’t sure anyone suspected that his parents would show up.
“How did you know Marley was getting married?” Aiden asked in a cold voice I didn’t recognize.
“Yesterday, someone posted pictures on the social media pages for the inn,” Shay said.
A chill ran through me. I was the one who’d posted the preparation pictures online. “The inn looked so beautiful, and Marley had said that posting daily photos would be good for business. I hadn’t even thought about them seeing it and showing up.”
“You didn’t think,” Aiden said to me, and I swallowed over the lump in my throat. Then to his parents, he said, “You need to leave.”
Hank grabbed Shay’s arm and tried to tug her toward the front door. But Shay ripped her arm from his grip. “We’ll be back. You can’t get rid of us that easily.”
“You’d be surprised what I’d do to protect my friends and family. Gram didn’t want you here, and neither do Marley and I.” Aiden’s tone was cool.
“Shay. This isn’t the time or the place.” This time, Shay allowed Hank to guide her out the door.
Emmett and Talon followed them out, probably to ensure they drove off the property.
Aiden ran a hand through his hair as he turned his back to me and walked toward the kitchen. My heart thumped hard as I followed him, wondering if he wanted me to.
He braced his hands on the counter and lowered his head. I wanted to touch him, but I felt the anger radiating off him, and I wasn’t sure he’d welcome it.
CHAPTER 20
AIDEN
I couldn’t believe my parents had shown up at the wedding. I should have anticipated they’d want to cause a scene. It was what they were best at. We figured out early on that we couldn’t have friends or significant others over. Not unless we wanted to be humiliated.
No one else’s parents reeked of smoke and alcohol and looked like they hadn’t bathed in days.
I wasn’t sure I could return to the ballroom. I was embarrassed by their presence. It reminded me of who I really was. I wasn’t a man who could be proud of co-owning this inn with my sister. I’d always be the kid from the trailer, the one whose mother berated him and embarrassed him in front of others.
Those were my roots. There was no escaping them. No amount of money would ensure my parents stayed away. They’d always come back, demanding more, ruining everything I’d built.
Maybe it was best if we sold the inn and started off somewhere new, somewhere no one knew my name or who my parents were.
When the feather-light touch landed on my hand, I startled.
Fiona snatched it back. “Sorry, it’s just me. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
I pushed off the counter, rage pouring through my body. “I can’t believe you thought it was a good idea to post pictures of the wedding on social media. What did you think was going to happen?”
Fiona took a step back. “I was just doing what Marley wanted. I thought your guests would love the images, and maybe you could hold weddings here in the future.”
I couldn’t even process whether that was a good idea because I was so angry that she’d brought my parents to my doorstep, into the ballroom where my sister’s wedding reception was being held. “It was reckless.”
“I’m sorry.” Fiona’s voice was shaky and unsure. “I didn’t know that they’d be watching the inn’s social media pages or that they’d show up here.”
“You had to know. This is what they do.” I suspected I was being unreasonable, but I couldn’t stop the words from coming out.
“You never introduced me to your parents. You said they were too awful for me to be subjected to them. I know what you told me. But I didn’t know them or how they’d react. I promise I didn’t know this would happen.”
How could she have known? But the logical part of my brain had shut down when I realized it was my parents standing in the entryway to the ballroom. They marred something beautiful. Something I thought was safe from their presence. I didn’t expect them to show up here, and I should have. “My mother ruins everything that’s good.”
I ran a hand through my hair. My mom tried to ruin me and Marley, but we’d survived. We’d come out better than them, but maybe we hadn’t.
At least my father had seemed slightly embarrassed by her behavior. Maybe it was seeing Marley dressed up in her wedding gown. She was gorgeous, and I didn’t know much about fashion, but I had a feeling her dress was worth a lot of money.
