“Soon.” Lann sat back and crossed his legs. He seemed so calm and in control when everyone else was as tight as overstretched guitar strings. He touched Kat’s hair. “Katherine and I don’t want to wait.”
“What about plans, invitations, a dress, a venue?” Felicity glanced at her husband. “What about a budget? These things take time to arrange, and to save money for.”
“I can assure you, money is not the issue.” Lann’s voice was assertive. “We don’t want that.”
The cup rattled on Felicity’s saucer. “What do you want?”
Lann looked her straight in the eye. “Katherine and I are going to elope.”
Felicity gasped. She rested an accusing gaze on Kat. “You’re our only daughter.”
Kat stared at her hands. She didn’t want to hurt her mom’s feelings. Lann touched her shoulder, giving a comforting squeeze. Sitting back, she allowed Lann to take charge of the situation.
“I understand your sentiment,” Lann said, his tone not unreasonable, “but this is what we want.”
Felicity addressed her daughter. “Is this true?”
Kat nodded.
Giving up on drinking her tea, her mom deposited the cup on the table. “Why?”
“We want something private,” Lann said.
“Where are you going to live after the wedding?” John asked with narrowed eyes.
Lann looked at Kat. His voice didn’t falter when he said, “We haven’t decided yet if it’ll be in Santiago or New York.”
“You have homes in both cities?” Felicity asked.
“Yes.” Lann stroked Kat’s arm.
“What about your studies, Kat?” Felicity asked. She faced Lann. “This is the most important thing in Kat’s life. This is what she always wanted.”
“She won’t have to give it up,” Lann said.
Kat cringed. She was yet to tell Lann she’d decided to drop out. Her parents would be so disappointed.
“Couldn’t you wait until after she gets her doctorate?” Felicity asked. “Why the rush?”
“Mom, we’ve made up our minds. Please, just accept our decision and let’s enjoy the day. We only have a few hours and I want to make the most of them.”
Her mother was usually a reasonable person, and Kat had expected her resistance, but not this much. By now, her mom should’ve broken into her spontaneous self, bustling with joy and trying to force biscuits and cake on them.
The front door opened and closed. A few seconds later, Gideon reentered the lounge.
He rubbed his hands together. “Sure is cold out there.” He reached for the tea with a grateful expression.
Felicity got up. “I’m going to check the roast. Lann, do you mind giving me a hand?”
Lann shot Gideon a narrowed look as he got to his feet. “Sure, Felicity.” He gave Kat a lingering kiss that, in front of her parents, made her cheeks turn hot. “Call if you need me.”
His words offered support, and so much more. She could always count on Lann, no matter what. She stared after his broad back, the golden braid dancing down his spine, as he left the room with her mom.
Gideon cleared his throat, drawing her attention. He took the seat next to her, sitting down so close she could feel the heat radiating from his skin. “Kat, we don’t have a lot of time.”
His statement made alarm bells go off in her mind. She looked at John. “Dad?”
John leaned forward and tipped his fingers together. His brow was drawn into a concerned expression.
“Kat,” Gideon said, “I’m not a friend of your dad’s. I never had a brother called Frederic. I’m a special agent with the FBI.”
She stilled. Her heart stopped before starting with a wild rhythm again. Suddenly her parents’ uncharacteristic behavior made sense.
“Why are you here?” she asked in a hoarse voice.
His eyes told her he wasn’t falling for the ignorance she feigned, but his smile was indulgent. “Your fiancé is not who you think he is.”
She moved away from him to the end of the sofa. “What are you talking about?”
“He’s a criminal. A murderer.”
She gaped at her dad. “You invited an agent to our house to question me about my fiancé?”
John pulled his shoulders up to his ears. “He just showed up. We didn’t have a choice.” His voice was strained. “However, I’d like to know what’s going on.”
“Lann isn’t a criminal,” Kat said.
“Is that so?” Gideon left his cup on the coffee table. “What does he do for a living?”
“He’s into property development and communications.”
“Is that what he told you?”
“I should know. I’m living with him.”
Gideon regarded her with a skeptical look. “Where exactly have you been living for the past few days?”
She thought quickly. She’d already slipped to her parents that they’d been in France. They could’ve told Gideon. “We went on a holiday.” She left out the destination, just in case her parents hadn’t mentioned it.
Gideon turned to her dad. “John, do you mind giving us a moment?”
John got to his feet. “I’ll go check if there’s mail.”
When her dad had left, Kat stared at Gideon, allowing her anger to show. “Agent who, did you say?”