Shoreline Drive (21 page)

Through the yells and laughter, the shouted congratulations and wishes for their happiness, Merry saw a sleek black car drive slowly up Main Street and park across from the square. Shading her eyes against the brightness of the afternoon sun, she squinted curiously to see who would emerge. Part of her fluttered nervously—the silly part that never stopped hoping her father would wake up one day and be interested in her—but the man who got out of the driver’s side was too short and squat. Even from a distance, she could see that he wore a dark uniform and a cap, like a chauffeur out of a movie.

“Oh no,” Ben groaned. He went rigid at her side, stiff and unhappy.

“What?” Merry asked, just as the chauffeur guy walked around to the back of the car to open the door for an older couple to climb out. The woman was slim and stylish in a classic pink wool pantsuit, and the man whose arm she took turned to stare over the town square like a king surveying his great, unwashed populace.

“Brace yourself,” Ben said grimly. “Those are my parents.”

Chapter Sixteen

Merry frowned in confusion. “Why should I brace myself? It’s wonderful that they were able to make it in time for the reception! Isn’t it?”

The ache of her own father’s absence tightened her voice, and Ben had to force himself to uncurl his fingers from the fists that wanted to punch a hole through the gazebo wall. Because this was not going to be pretty.

Stay cool, he told himself. He was going to need to be cool to get through the next hour. His parents were here, invading his private island haven, crashing the happiest day of his life—and he wasn’t going to be able to hide the truth from Merry.

“Listen.” He turned to her, grasping her shoulders for emphasis. “When I said I invited my parents to our wedding, and they were sorry they couldn’t make it? I lied. I didn’t invite them. And they’re about to make both of us very sorry.”

“Why wouldn’t you invite them?” she gasped. “And why would you lie about it?”

“Because they’re horrible,” Ben said impatiently. “What, you think I turned out the way I am by accident? No. Trust me, these people are awful, and I didn’t want them around you and Alex.”

“If they’re so horrible,” Merry hissed, exasperated and embarrassed, “why go to all the trouble of marrying me to provide them with a grandson to carry on the family name?”

Caught out, Ben shook his head. “Just because my parents suck doesn’t mean I’m happy to see the family name die out. Besides, that wasn’t the only reason—but it was one I thought you’d be able to sympathize with.”

She opened her mouth to argue with him, but Ben cut her off with a naked plea. “Can we talk about this later? I swear, I’ll answer any questions you have about my relationship with my parents.”

“Fine,” Merry said, eyes flashing. “But this isn’t over. And Ben? This is not a great way to start our married life—with you getting caught in a lie.”

“Believe me,” he said bleakly. “I know.” He turned back to survey the two people picking their way through the newly fallen leaves blanketing the village green.

Heads turned as the newcomers made their way through the crowd of revelers. Harrison McNamara stepped in their path as if he wanted to greet them, but Tripp and Pamela Fairfax were old hands at ignoring what they didn’t want to see. They swept past the dignified bank manager without a sideways glance, all of their glittering attention focused on the gazebo.

“What do you want?” Ben snapped, instinctively curling a protective arm around Merry and drawing her close. She was tense against him, her body all planes and angles. “You show up at my wedding, unannounced and uninvited—”

Merry jerked away from him with a reproachful glance before turning to his parents. “What he means to say is, welcome to Sanctuary Island. We’re so glad you could be here to celebrate with us.”

Tripp Fairfax stopped a few feet from the pavilion, his bushy brows lowered over the judgmental stare he leveled at the simple, homespun decorations … the harvest bouquets of red and gold leaves, the strands of cheap Christmas lights hanging from the trees. “Tell me we’re not too late,” Tripp said heavily. “To put a stop to this insanity.”

“Oh, sorry. Was I unclear?” Sarcasm layered over Ben’s voice as thickly as the buttercream frosting on their monstrosity of a wedding cake, but he couldn’t stop it. “When I said you showed up at our wedding uninvited, I should’ve said you crashed our wedding
reception
. The wedding itself is over and done with, legal and official and nothing you can do about it. So you may as well head home.”

Beside his father, Ben’s mother closed her eyes at the news, one perfectly manicured hand pressed delicately to the pale pink lapel of her ladies-who-lunch suit. “Oh, Benjamin.”

Fine tremors ran through Merry’s entire body, and Ben ground his back teeth, wishing he could spare her this.
You made me call them
, he longed to say, like a child refusing to take responsibility. But none of this was Merry’s fault.

Ben forced himself to calm down. If he could behave like a rational adult, maybe the example he set would convince his parents to follow suit. “Since you’re here … Mother, I’d like to introduce you to my wife. Meredith Preston Fairfax.”

Merry flinched again, but this time, Ben thought it was more due to surprise. It was the first time he’d said her married name aloud, and he was surprised himself at how much he loved the sound of it. She recovered quickly enough to say, in a high, tense voice, “I’m pleased to meet you?”

His mother pressed her lips together, looking sad and torn. But his father didn’t even bother to acknowledge Merry with so much as a frown—he stared straight at Ben and said, “You are determined to ruin this family.”

Ben felt the shock that ran through Merry’s body before he strode down the gazebo steps to go toe-to-toe with his father. “That’s it,” Ben snarled. “You don’t get to come here and pass judgment and be disapproving. I’ve lived just fine without your approval for a long time. I didn’t need it when I left Richmond and moved here, or when I started the animal hospital, and I certainly don’t need it now that I’ve found Merry and Alex.”

“Benjamin!” Pamela sucked in a shocked breath. “How can you talk like this? How can you do this to our family?”

It was harder than he expected to ignore the genuine hurt in his mother’s voice, but Ben couldn’t afford to back down. “If you think I’m ruining your family, fine. Disown me. I’ve got a new family now.”

Something flashed in his father’s steely gray eyes, pain mixed with a grudging respect. Tripp shook his head. “Don’t be so quick to cast me off, son. I’ve given you everything you’ve ever had, including the time and space to form this ill-advised attachment—and I can take it all away, just as easily.”

“All you’ve ever given me is the knowledge that no matter what I do, I can’t live up to the idealized image of me that exists in your head.” Ben lifted his chin. “Face facts, Dad. There are some things in life you can’t control. I’m one of them.”

“I’ve never wanted to control you.” Tripp pinched the bridge of his aquiline nose. “Such dramatics. I merely want you to live up to your full potential. Is that such a crime?”

Sincerity rang through his father’s words, and Ben steeled himself against it. He knew his dad truly did want the best for him. But Ben’s idea of what was best differed dramatically from Tripp’s.

Still, in the interests of providing positive reinforcement, Ben backed down from his battle-ready stance. “I know, Dad. And I appreciate the opportunities you gave me when I was younger. But at some point, you have to be willing to acknowledge that I’m not a child anymore. I get to choose the life I want to live.”

Tripp’s gray eyes hardened to stone. “Not when you prove yourself unable to make rational choices.”

“I don’t mean to interrupt,” Merry said, causing the entire Fairfax family to stare at her in surprise. Her shoulders drew up nervously, but she continued on, undaunted. “I’m sorry you’re not happy about us getting married. But I think you should know that we have been totally rational about this decision. This marriage is not something we’ve entered into lightly or, or blinded by emotion. Honestly, it’s more about practicality than anything else.”

For the first time, Tripp Fairfax’s gaze settled on Merry, drifting down to rest for a moment on the quilt-swaddled baby squirming in her arms. Ben felt everything inside himself gear up to jump down his father’s throat the moment he uttered a single word to make Merry feel like crap.

Showing the self-control and diplomacy that stood him in good stead as the chairman of the board of the largest, most profitable hospital in Virginia, Tripp said, “Ms. Preston, I don’t doubt your motives. From your perspective, of course this marriage makes sense.”

It was fairly mild, for Tripp Fairfax, but Merry stiffened all over, a flush burning across her cheeks. “Think whatever you want; call me a gold digger if it makes you happy, but while you’re at it, you might consider the fact that without this marriage, your son won’t get the one thing he wants—and that he says you want, as well. A son to carry on the family name.”

Tripp tilted his head to one side, scrutinizing Merry with curiosity. “How do you figure?”

Merry marched down the gazebo steps like an avenging angle, all flowing hair and righteous wrath. Ben watched her, transfixed. When she was close enough, she hissed, “How can you be so insensitive? I’m talking about the fact that Ben can’t have biological children of his own!”

Ben winced as his father’s eyes filled with comprehension.

Uh-oh.

“You think Ben is incapable of fathering a child?” Tripp mused, all but stroking his beard as he glanced between Ben and Merry. “How interesting.”

“We’re done here,” Ben said, sidestepping quickly to reach his wife and put his arms around her trembling shoulders. “Mom, Dad, it’s been lovely as always, but you missed your window to mess up the wedding, so it’s time for you to go. Now.”

“It’s a public park,” Tripp pointed out. “You can’t force us to leave.”

“Oh yes we can.” Grady stepped up beside Ben, burly and intimidating. He was joined by Harrison McNamara and his teen daughter, Taylor, brandishing a punch ladle, along with huge, intimidating Sam Brennan, flanked surprisingly by Andie Shepard in her tan sheriff’s uniform.

One by one, the townspeople of Sanctuary Island, Ben’s adopted home, came forward to stand with Ben and Merry—Miss Emily crossing her thin arms over her withered chest threateningly, old Mr. Leeds pulling a growling Percy by the leash.

They ranged themselves around the newlyweds and faced down the leaders of Richmond society with raised chins, clear eyes, and no hesitation.

“You’d better leave,” Ben told his mother, softening his voice with an effort. “You don’t belong here.”

“Neither do you!” Pamela exclaimed, blotting at her damp eyes to keep her mascara from running.

“Yes I do.” As the words left Ben’s mouth, he realized they were completely true.

He belonged on Sanctuary Island. The people of this community accepted him for who he was, grumpy and antisocial and utterly dedicated to keeping their pets healthy. These people were ready to defend him, no questions asked.

“This isn’t over,” Tripp warned him, straightening his striped tie with a snap of his wrist. “We’ve taken a room at a waterfront inn across the channel in Winter Harbor, and we’ll be staying until you come to your senses. Your mother and I aren’t giving up on you, even if you appear to have given up on yourself. Come along, Pamela. Let’s leave these people to their … hoedown.”

He turned on his heel and stalked back to the car with Pamela tripping along at his side.

Ben let out a long breath. At his back, he felt the tension ebb out of the assembled mob of townsfolk.

“They’re gone.” The relief in Merry’s voice clutched at his heart. “I can’t believe it. Thank you, everyone!”

“Yeah, thanks,” Ben echoed, slapping Grady on the back and showing a smile around the crowd, but it was hard to keep it up, even as everyone around them cheered.

This felt like a victory, but it wasn’t. Not really. He knew his father better than that.

“They’re gone for now,” he said, tamping down on the dread in his heart while the rest of the party went back to partying. “But not for good.”

Merry held herself carefully, as if a single wrong word might shatter something. “That’s fine. I needed them to get out of here and leave us alone for the night, at least, to give me the chance to ask you a question.”

Ben’s heart dropped into his gut. “And I promised to answer your questions.”

“You did. So here it is.” She took a deep breath, as if steeling herself, and narrowed her vivid blue eyes on Ben’s.

“What did your dad mean when he asked if I thought you were incapable of fathering a child?”

There it was. The crack in the wall behind which lurked every dark thing in Ben’s past, every memory he’d banished, every emotion he’d successfully repressed.

Momentarily speechless, Ben stared down at the take-no-prisoners look on his new wife’s face, and did the only thing he could think of: he told the truth.

“Technically, there’s nothing to prevent me from fathering a child. I let you think there was, because I wanted to avoid this exact conversation.”

Merry went white, with either fury or hurt. Ben couldn’t tell, but he hated it either way. “God, Ben. Maybe your parents are right. This marriage was a mistake.”

Ben reached for her hand. He had to stop her from leaving like this. “No! It wasn’t a mistake.”

But Merry kept shaking her head—in fact, all of her was shaking. “What was I thinking, marrying a man I barely know?”

“You know me,” Ben assured her through the ache in his throat.

She looked away. “I thought I did. But it turns out I’m missing some pretty key pieces of the puzzle.”

“Give me a chance to make it right,” Ben demanded, not relinquishing his grasp on her cold fingers. “I promised to answer all your questions and, this time, I swear I won’t leave anything out. No matter how much I hate talking about it.”

Merry’s mouth was turned down in an unhappy curve, but she’d stopped trying to pull away from him. “Ben…”