Heirly Ever After - Vernon, Magan (pdf ebook reader .txt) 📗

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I took a few photos of the pages and then flipped to the next few.

“This doesn’t look like the bedroom.”

A chill crawled down my neck as I slowly turned to see Madison standing in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest. She was still as stunning as ever in the long black gown, but instead of the blush on her cheeks, she wore a stern expression, eyes narrowed and lips turned into a frown.

“I was just checking out some of the material your sister was talking about. Thought it would be some nice reading before bed.” I leaned against the desk, placing my palms against the cool wooden surface as I tried to keep my bearings straight, not getting distracted by her words.

Or her legs, for that matter.

She slinked into the room, each step going to the same rhythm as my heart that felt like it was about to leap out of my chest.

“Really? Or was this just an escape from my future brother-in-law’s family?”

I let out a breath and laughed. “Maybe a little bit of both.”

“You don’t have to lie to me, you know? You could have just said you needed a break,” she said, stopping within a few centimeters of me, giving me a full view to appreciate the dress and how her slight curves fit into the silky material.

She could have worn a paper bag and still been gorgeous. But the way she stood in this dress with a new air of confidence strutting forward had my mouth watering.

I kept my hands gripped on the desk to force myself not to touch her and keep from complicating things.

“Thought you might be used to all of this fancy nobility stuff,” she said. “You even knew all of those dessert names.”

I couldn’t even bite back my laugh. “Cranachan is nothing more than oats, cream, berries, and whiskey. Hardly a fancy dessert. Neither are the fondant fancies or sponge, that is, if you know how to use the mixer.”

She rolled her eyes. “Ha, ha. You’re so funny.”

“Not trying to be funny, just telling you the truth. I’m not a man who goes out of his way to have lavish seven-course meals every night.”

She raised her eyebrow, her hips brushing against my leg as she pushed past me, then leaned on the desk next to me. Our bodies weren’t touching, but the heat from her was palpable. One little movement and I could have my hands on that dress.

Have it on the floor.

Have her.

I had to get a grip and stay in safe territory.

“The MacWebleys aren’t exactly the same as the Webleys.”

Madison nodded. “I could tell that about you as soon as I met you.”

“How is that?” I raised an eyebrow, watching that cute blush spread to her cheeks again.

“Well, one, you smile more. And two, I could never see Gavin or any of his family taking public transportation.”

My shoulders slumped. If only she realized that I hadn’t had any other choice.

“Probably not,” I said, “though I didn’t expect the bride’s sister to be on a train, either.”

She sighed, the blush draining from her cheeks as she looked down at her hands, picking at the skin around her fingernails. “Natalie offered to send a car for me so I wouldn’t have to take the train, but there’s something about growing up poor that just made it seem like I was taking advantage.”

“Poor?” I asked.

The Webleys were marrying peasants now?

She laughed, but there was no humor to it. “Well, not like we lived in poverty, but my dad died when I was really young, so my mother raised Natalie and me the best she could with little money…until she got sick.”

My chest tightened as she continued.

“Cancer. It’s a real bitch. And medical bills were piling up just as Natalie graduated college. She took care of Mom and me the best she could but wouldn’t let me drop out of college to get a job, even if it was just fast food. So she ended up here, working as the curator.”

“Medical bills? They charge someone for cancer in America?”

She sniffled. “Yeah, absurd, isn’t it? Hospital bills are ridiculously high, and since we couldn’t pay them right away, they went to collections. Thousands upon thousands of dollars in debt and my sister had to leave the country just to make a dent in expenses.”

“Is your mother better now…?” I asked tentatively, thinking about her quiet demeanor.

Madison nodded. “Yeah, thanks to my sister and, you know, really good doctors.” She sighed. “But I could have done more. Mom and Madison kept saying, ‘No, no, don’t worry, just finish school.’ They never let me know how bad she was. I was off dancing at clubs with a fake ID and not having a care in the world while my sister was struggling to support the woman who raised us. Then…you know…one shitty boy and of course I screwed up everything they worked for.”

Her words trembled as the air around us changed, cocooning us in the space together.

“They didn’t want you to worry. And I’m sure they’ll understand what happened with the shitty boy,” I assured her, putting my hand on hers without meaning to and instinctively brushing my thumb against her knuckles, hoping to soothe her.

“I just had no idea how bad it was with Mom. Then Natalie left and we kept getting all these bills. I just stared at the numbers, wondering how the hell we would ever afford it.” She blew out a breath, shaking her head so a few loose curls brushed against her shoulders. “Sorry, I shouldn’t spill all of this to you. You probably don’t understand any of this, just like I don’t understand fancy desserts.”

If only she knew.

“My great-grandfather’s very ill. We don’t have the same problem with medical bills, but there’s a certain shift when the head of a family falls,” I said softly, thinking about the man laying back in his bed, waiting with his last breath for me to