Page 127 of Fierce-Dane

“We don’t talk about it much,” she said. “Again, I don’t want to get in the middle of it. It’s new yet and I barely know what a normal relationship looks like, let alone a blended family one. No reason to make things difficult.”

“It’s a good attitude to have, but I also think you’ll stand your ground if you have to.”

“Always,” she said. “If you’ll excuse me, Shiloh is waving to me. Maybe I’ll go push her too.”

“You do that,” Doreen said.

“You’re a sly one,”Diane said to Doreen two hours later.

“Excuse me?” Doreen asked.

“I see the grin you’re trying to hide,” Carolyn asked. The two of them saw the opportunity and were going to take it when they noticed Doreen walk into the house with some plates to clean up from the lunch that had been put out.

“I’m thrilled to see my son is so happy,” Doreen said. “Nothing wrong with that.”

Diane looked at Carolyn and smirked. They were right and they knew it and were going to get Dane’s mother to admit it.

“You set your son up,” Diane said. It took her a bit to figure it out, but after watching what was going on and overhearing the first conversation between Doreen and Sloane and then bits and pieces more throughout the day, she was positive that was the case.

“I’d never do that,” Doreen said. “Why would you say that?”

Her sister-in-law laughed. “We know you’re trying to deny it. Your secret is safe with us. But we told you at Chloe’s bridal shower that we were thinking of finding someone for Dane.”

“And I told you to let him figure it out on his own. He’s had a hard time of it with relationships,” Doreen said.

“No one knows their boys like a mother,” Carolyn said. “I know that. So does Diane. You beat us to the punch when you heard Tiffani talking about wanting her father to feel happy too. Maybe you thought Sloane could do it in more than one way.”

“I bought a massage for my son from his children,” Doreen said, smirking. “Nothing more than that.”

“That’s your story and you’re sticking to it,” she said, putting her fingers to her lips and turning an imaginary lock. “Got it.”

“I’m telling you, Jolene,” she said hours later that night. “Doreen did it. She set her son up and she will take that secret to the grave with her.”

Diane was sitting in the living room talking to her sister-in-law who was in Charlotte and wanted an update after the party.

“Good for her,” Jolene said. “It’s rubbing off. But you know darn well you and Carolyn still had a hand in it.”

“Of course we did,” she said. “But in the end it only matters that the couples are happy.”

“Don’t I know it,” Jolene said. “Ben proposing to Eve was the best one yet. When they ask you to be part of it, you know you’ve done right. Remember that. You haven’t had a hand in it yet.”

“Don’t go there,” she said, laughing. “We were part of Trent’s engagement and you know it.”

“You were there for it,” Jolene said. “The same for a few others. But Iplannedthis one.”

They’d all heard the story a few times. Jolene wasn’t going to let anyone forget that she was asked to come up with the trivia questions the night Ben proposed to Eve. That she’d actually helped plan it more than any of the other engagements.

“You did,” she said. “And for now you’ve got no one you’re working on. That isn’t like you.”

“I’ve always got one up my sleeve,” Jolene said. “Give me time yet. What about Zander?”

“It’s getting there,” she said. “The guys have a betterhandle on this. We like to think it’s a team effort. At least we got an opportunity there to see Sloane and Dane on the same day.”

“Some are harder than others,” Jolene said. “But as you said, as long as the couples are happy in the end, it’s all that matters. Still more work to do with Dane though by the sounds of it.”

“Baby steps,” she said. “Just like we got to see Willow standing on her legs today. She’ll be running soon and giving her mother and father fits. I miss those days.”

“We’ve got plenty of grandchildren to help remind us,” Jolene said.