Chapter 3

Instead, Diane pursed her lips.

"What? Did I say something wrong? We're all family. It's a holiday. Do we really need to make such a fuss over one bedroom? You two are doing well for yourselves. What's the harm in your parents staying elsewhere for a couple of nights?"

Mom touched my arm again.

"Nolan, please. Let it go. Don't fight because of us."

I didn't answer. I looked at my wife.

"Outside. Now."

Sabrina's expression tightened, but she followed me past the gate.

As soon as it shut behind us, I asked, "When did they decide to come?"

"I told you, it was last-minute—"

"Sabrina." I cut her off. "Kendra brought pool floats for her kids. Aunt Carol's family packed a suitcase full of clothes. Tessa just told me she already chose tomorrow's sightseeing stop. Which part of that sounds last-minute?"

Her face froze.

"When?" I asked.

"Well..."

"When?"

She lost patience. "Ten days ago."

My stomach sank.

I'd already suspected as much, but hearing her admit it was another matter.

"Ten days," I repeated. "You kept this from me for ten days."

"I didn't keep anything from you! I just didn't think we needed to fight over something so small. Mom only asked about Kendra at first. Then Brady found out. And both aunts happened to be free for the weekend, so..."

"So you said yes to all of them."

"There are six bedrooms!" Sabrina snapped. "We only needed three. What was the point of leaving the other three empty? Why shouldn't Kendra come?"

"And the fourth extra family?"

Silence.

"When did you realize we were one room short?"

She looked away.

Suddenly, everything clicked.

"You planned it," I said.

"Planned what?"

"You planned to send my parents to a hotel from the beginning. Didn't you?"

She frowned sharply. "Don't put it like that."

"Then explain what you were going to do if I never asked."

She fell silent.

Five or six seconds passed. More than enough to answer me.

A bitter laugh escaped me. "Why didn't you tell me ahead of time?"

"Because you would've said no!" she burst out.

The words hung between us. Neither of us said anything.

A breeze swept along the outer wall. Inside, Kendra and the others were still laughing.

I stared at the woman I'd married.

"So you knew I wouldn't agree, and you invited them anyway."

Realizing she'd let it slip, she backpedaled at once. "That's not what I meant. I thought it'd be fun with more people. And they're already here. You can't seriously expect me to throw everyone out."

She kept going.

"We missed getting together over the last holiday, and this is a long weekend. Your parents aren't the type to make a fuss. What's wrong with a hotel in town? I'll even book them somewhere nice."

Something in my head went very quiet.

So that was it.

She hadn't overlooked who would be hurt. She'd deliberately chosen the people least likely to complain.

My parents were "easygoing." That made them the easiest to sacrifice.

* * *

When I went back inside, Mom smiled the second she saw me.

"Did you work it out?"

I couldn't speak.

"Really, it's fine," she hurried on. "It's crowded here anyway. A hotel might be quieter."

Dad sat beside her, silent as ever.

Worried I was still angry, Mom lowered her voice. "You and Sabrina don't get many days off together. We can check ourselves in. You don't have to worry about us."

The pressure in my chest was almost unbearable.

This vacation had been planned for both sets of parents. Yet somehow, mine had become the two people who didn't belong.