My mother’s tone was full of judgement. “You two look nice.”
“We were shooting our engagement photos when you called,” Royce said.
“Oh.” She lifted her chin. “I see. And how are the wedding plans going?” Her posture was stiff and awkward, and she forced pleasantness into her voice. “I haven’t been told much. Being the mother of the bride, I thought I’d be more involved.”
A thousand thoughts raced through my head. I had barely been involved, and I was the bride. I hadn’t even picked out what I was wearing right now. Everything was selected by Alice and approved by Macalister, and I was sure when the time came, it would be the same of my wedding dress. I wanted to remind my mother again that our family wasn’t paying a cent toward the wedding, and that meant we’d relinquished the right toward any decision.
The two Hales at the top had made it known that Northcott input would not be needed. My wedding had nothing to do with me. It was a merger, and the reception afterward was a promotional opportunity.
My loudest thought was the one that spilled out of my mouth. “Really? You want to whine about this now?”
She took in a marked breath, like a bee she hadn’t bothered unexpectedly stung her anyway. “I’m not whining, but I think it’s ridiculous I haven’t been asked to be a part of the most important day of my daughter’s life.”
Frustration balled my hands into fists, but before I could snap back at her—
“I agree,” Royce said. “I’ll speak to Alice about it.” An easy, disarming smile breezed across his lips. “She doesn’t mean to do it, but she has a habit of taking over.”
My mother’s demeanor changed faster than the direction of the wind. Her eyes brightened. “Thank you, Royce. I’d appreciate it.”
And just like that, he’d won over his future mother-in-law.
“Northcott?” a voice called from down the hall.
We were ushered into Emily’s room, where my sister looked tired and small, but other than the IV hooked into her arm, she appeared fine. I hurried to her bedside and crushed her in my arms.
“I’m okay,” she said. “Everything’s all right.” She released me and gave me a once-over, then shifted her gaze to take in the rest of the room. “They said everything looked okay on the ultrasound, but the doctor hasn’t come by yet.” She turned her weary focus toward the man at my side, and the warmth faded from her. “Hello, Royce.”
“Hey,” he said. “Glad to hear you’re okay. Your sister was worried.”
“Enough to drag you here, I guess.”
“Oh, no,” I tried to explain. “We were—”
He waved a hand, cutting me off. “I decided to tag along.”
A fast set of knocks rang out on the door behind the curtain before it slid open and a woman in blue scrubs and a white doctor’s coat strolled in. She ignored everyone else in the room and focused only on Emily.
“I’m Doctor Spenser, head of obstetrics. I’ve looked over your tests, and I can say things look good with the baby. He or she appears to be doing just fine. Now, the placenta is lower in your uterus than typical. It’s a condition called placenta previa, and it’s the most likely cause of your bleeding.” She softened her voice. “Unfortunately, you’re probably going to have more during the pregnancy. As long as it doesn’t get too heavy or painful, it’s nothing to worry about. It does mean you’re looking at a C-section when we get to the finish line.”
She slipped her hand in her pocket, pulled out a small tablet and stylus, and continued talking as she wrote orders on the screen.
“Your iron is low, and you’re dehydrated, plus your blood pressure is high, so I want to get you in a room upstairs and keep an eye on you. Let’s see if we can get your numbers looking better tomorrow.”
In my peripheral vision, I saw Royce pull out his phone, and his thumbs fluttered over the screen. Was he already texting for the driver to come fetch us? Because he could go without me. I wasn’t going to leave while my sister was being admitted to the hospital.
Once again, I was irritated that my car, the one I was completely capable of driving, was off-limits. Next time I was at the Hale house, the first thing I’d ask Macalister about was getting my keys back. I’d done everything he asked all summer. Now it was winding down, and soon school would start, and I was desperate to regain any independence I could.
After the doctor finished answering Emily’s questions and left, Royce’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen and looked pleased. “Excuse me for a minute.” He swiped to answer the call and strode toward the door. “Hey, Nigel, thanks for calling. You got something for me?”