Colin’s mother had replied:

Is Paige comfortable with this? June seems very happy living with you.

Colin responded:

We’re figuring it out. I’d rather not make an issue of it until everything’s finalized.

I stared at the screen.

Three weeks.

He’d discussed changing my daughter’s living arrangements with his relatives three weeks before our wedding.

Without saying anything to me.

Beth looked em.bar.ras.sed.

“I should’ve checked with you. I assumed you and Owen had already agreed.”

I shook my head.

“You couldn’t have known Colin wasn’t telling the truth.”

“I still feel awful.”

She glanced toward June.

“I’ve known her three years. She’s such a sweet girl. She always helps Harper with homework when they’re together.”

I swallowed.

Beth continued.

“Mom is heartbroken. Not because the wedding didn’t happen, but because Colin used her name to make June feel unwanted.”

I looked at the bracelet.

“Does your mother know you came?”

“Yes.”

“What does she expect me to do?”

“Nothing. She says the bracelet is June’s if she wants it. And she wants you to know she’s sorry.”

Some of the tension inside me eased.

I’d spent the previous day wondering why Colin’s family would reject a child who’d shown them nothing but affection.

Now I understood.

They hadn’t rejected her.

Colin had used their names to justify what he wanted.

I closed the jewelry box.

“Thank you for being truthful.”

Beth reached across the table and touched my hand.

“I know he’s my brother.”

I met her eyes.

“But what he did was wrong.”

We sat quietly for a moment.

Then June appeared in the doorway.

“Hi, Beth.”

Beth smiled.

“Hey, sweetheart.”

June noticed the box.

“What’s that?”

Beth looked to me for permission.

I nodded.

“Grandma Lydia bought you something for the wedding.”

June approached cautiously.

Beth opened the box.

June’s eyes widened.

“It’s purple.”

“Your favorite,” Beth said.

June touched the little J.

“She bought this for me?”

“She did.”

“Even though I wasn’t going to be in the ceremony?”

Beth glanced at me.

Then answered gently.

“She wanted you to feel welcomed into our family, June. She was looking forward to seeing you.”

June’s expression shifted.

She studied the bracelet silently.

Then asked something that nearly brought me to tears.

“Does she know Colin doesn’t want me there?”

Beth froze.

I reached toward June.

“Come sit with me, sweetheart.”

She climbed onto my lap, something she rarely did anymore.

I wrapped my arms around her.

“Grandma Lydia didn’t know what Colin told you.”

June looked toward Beth.

“She wasn’t uncomfortable?”

“No, sweetheart.”

“Because I already have a dad?”

Beth shook her head.

“Not even a little.”

June looked at the bracelet.

“Oh.”

That single word carried more sadness than I could bear.

Beth stayed a few more minutes before leaving.

Afterward, June returned the bracelet to its box.

She didn’t ask to wear it.

I didn’t insist.

That evening, we ordered pizza and watched a movie.

For a while, everything felt familiar.

June laughed at a funny scene.

She rested against my shoulder.

I hoped the confusion was finally beginning to fade.

But while I tucked her into bed, she asked:

“Mom, if you’d married Colin, would I have needed to stay with Dad more often?”

I sat beside her.

“No, sweetheart. Not unless you, Dad, and I discussed it together and agreed it was best for you.”

She picked at her blanket.

“Colin said it would make things easier.”

“When did he tell you that?”

She stayed silent.

I waited patiently.

Finally, she whispered, “Before we even chose my dress.”

My breath caught.

“How long before?”

“Maybe a couple of months.”

I stared at her.

I’d believed Colin began pressuring her during the final week before our wedding.

But it hadn’t begun Monday.

It hadn’t even begun that month.

And as June finally shared more, I realized she’d spent far longer preparing to step aside from our future family than I’d ever imagined.

Chapter 7 — The Home That Was Already Hers

I remained seated beside June on her bed.

“Sweetheart, can you tell me exactly what Colin said?”

She looked hesitant.

“Will I get him in trouble?”

I shook my head.

“You’re not responsible for what happens to Colin.”

She pulled her blanket closer.

“It started when we were discussing the wedding.”

“Alright.”

“He asked whether I was happy you were getting married.”

“What did you tell him?”

“Yes.”

My throat tightened.

“What happened next?”

“He said he was happy too, but things would change afterward.”

“What kind of changes?”

She shrugged.

“He said you’d have to think about him too, and I shouldn’t expect everything to stay exactly the same.”

I kept my voice calm.

“Did he give you an example?”

June nodded.

“Saturday mornings.”

I immediately understood.

Saturday mornings belonged to us.

Whenever June wasn’t visiting Owen, we’d make pancakes, wash clothes, and watch silly television shows together.

Sometimes Colin joined us.

Other mornings, he slept late.

I’d never considered it a problem.

“He said after the wedding, Saturday mornings might become grown-up time. And maybe I could visit Dad more often.”

I looked at her.

“Did you tell him how you felt?”

She lowered her gaze.

“I told him I liked making pancakes with you.”

My heart ached.

“What did he say?”

“He said I was old enough to understand that you deserved time with your husband.”

I glanced toward the bedroom doorway.

I remembered June hadn’t requested pancakes recently.

I’d assumed she was simply outgrowing our little tradition.

Once, she’d said she could prepare cereal herself and that I should sleep longer.

I’d felt proud of her independence.

Now I wondered whether she’d believed needing less attention was her way of making me happy.

“Sweetheart, you can always ask me to make pancakes.”

She managed a faint smile.

“I know.”

But I could tell she remained uncertain.

“Did he say anything else?”

June hesitated.

“Colin said when people marry, they sometimes need to put their spouse first.”