The following day, I set about the task of writing thank-you cards for the obscene amount of gifts that we had been given—and that continued to arrive. I had staked out a quiet spot by the duck pond, away from most of the action, when I was surprised by a familiar, yet unexpected visitor.

Kira Hawthorne.

I blinked, then scrambled to my feet as Jax’s mother came towards me.

“Penny, my darling.” She grasped me by the shoulders and gave me two loud, smacking air kisses next to my ears.

“Mrs. Hawthorne.” I was slightly dumbfounded by her arrival. We had not left on the best of terms, and I hadn’t expected to see either of Jax’s parents during the rest of our time in the UK.

“Call me, Kira, please” she said, a million times friendlier than she had been at dinner a few nights before. She was actually smiling, though I could tell the Botox was making it a little difficult. Or maybe she just always had a strained look on her face.

Then, I saw her glance down at my ring, and I realized exactly why she was here. She thought I was going to be her daughter-in-law. Had Jax called her or had she read it in the tabloids? Even though the whole charade still made me uncomfortable, I was cheered by the thought that the engagement might encourage Jax’s parents to actually connect with him. Nothing like a wedding to bring people together.

I mentally slapped myself. There wasn’t going to be an actual wedding. This was just for the cameras. But maybe an engagement would be enough to start rebuilding bridges between Jax and his folks.

“Did you come to see Jax work?” I asked, hopeful that Kira was reconsidering a lot of things regarding Jax.

Her smile slipped, just for a second.

“No, my dear,” she said, recovering it quickly. “I came to see you. To take you to lunch.”

“Oh.” I could barely hide my surprise.

“We barely got a chance to talk at dinner,” she reminded me, clearly choosing to avoid the reason why we had barely spoken at dinner. “And I want to get to know you better.”

Even though I couldn’t help feeling a little suspicious of her reasoning, I also knew that everyone deserved a second chance. So I texted Jax that I was going to lunch with his mom, ignoring the shocked emoji face he sent as a response, and headed out with Kira.

She took me to a country club. Or, as they called them in England, the local tennis club. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I suspected that even if I had been prepared, I still would have felt out of place. Luckily, I was wearing one of the beautiful—and expensive—outfits that Jax had bought for me, but still, I could feel everyone’s eyes focused on me.

We ordered, and then Kira focused her full attention on me.

“So,” she said. “Let me see the ring.”

Self-consciously, I held out my hand. I was still getting used to wearing it, but I had a hard time not staring at it constantly. I was seriously in love with how beautiful it was, while also trying not to be too in love with it because I knew that eventually I’d have to give it back. In fact, it was probably on loan from some fancy designer. The thought saddened me, but was exactly the kind of thing I needed to remember.

The large, glittering diamond was an unusual shape—a large oval, but sitting sideways instead of vertically. It had a thin band, and the whole thing reminded me of something, but I couldn’t figure out what it was.

Kira looked at the ring and made something like a cooing noise. “It’s beautiful,” she said, and I think she even meant it.

“Thank you.” I pulled back my hand. “Jax really surprised me.”

“Yes.” Kira took a sip of the champagne she had ordered. “He always did love surprises.”

“Really?” I leaned forward a little. I hadn’t expected to hear stories of Jax’s childhood from Kira, but I was ready for them regardless.

“Oh, yes.” Kira took another drink. “He was always surprising Peter and me with things he had written—little plays that he wanted to perform after dinner.”

The thought of a young, excited Jax trying to put on a show for his cold, dispassionate parents saddened me. Jax had dealt with a lot of rejection from Kira and Peter, but he seemed to have used it to make himself stronger. And I knew that Jax wouldn’t make the same mistake with his own kids when the time came.

I nearly choked on my drink. Jax and kids? I needed to get my thoughts and my hormones under control. Stat. I focused my attention back on Kira.

“Have you two discussed the wedding?” Kira asked.

I shook my head. “We’re still just enjoying being engaged,” I told her. “There’s no rush.”

“Hmm.” She pursed her lips and gave me the once-over. “Well, neither of you are getting younger,” she said. “Might be best not to wait. You’re, what? Twenty-five already? Your fertility is peaking right now, and it’s only downhill from here.”

My fork froze halfway to my mouth, but Kira just continued talking.

“And have the two of you discussed where you’re going to live?” she asked.

Morgan had asked the same question, and it was one that I had found myself thinking about as if it was something I actually had to worry about. If this was real—which I knew it wasn’t—but if it was, where would we live? Jax lived in Los Angeles, but he was often away on shoots, which could take place anywhere in the world. If I returned to New York and found a job, it was possible I’d only get to see him when he was in between movies.

Not that it was something I had to be concerned with.

“We haven’t decided yet,” I told Kira.

“You know, Jax owns a flat in London,” she informed me. “Remarkably close to where his father works.”

I stared at her. Was this really going where I thought it was going?

“The two of you should go visit Peter in London one day,” she continued. “You’ll be able to see how much better it would be if Jax reconsidered his father’s offer. To take a job at his company.”

“Jax already has a job,” I told her, bemused. Was she seriously suggesting that taking a junior executive job at some stockbrokerage was better than being an award-winning, world-famous actor?

Kira ignored me. “It really would be better for both of you. Force Jax to grow up and settle down. It would be for his own good, really.”

“He’s not interested,” I said, louder this time.

Loud enough for people at the table next to us to look over and share a disapproving glance. Kira glared at me, but stopped talking.

We ate our lunch quietly for a while.

“Don’t expect fidelity,” Kira said abruptly.

I glanced up at her. She kept her eyes on her salad, which she was pushing around her plate but not eating.

“Jax wouldn’t cheat on me,” I told her, but my voice was gentle. That was one thing I knew for sure.

Kira smiled— a little smile at the corner of her mouth. It wasn’t a nice smile. It was a sad one.

“They can’t help it,” she said, still not looking at me. “And Jax is so like his father.”

“Jax is nothing like his father,” I murmured.

“All men are the same,” Kira argued. “I’m just saying that you shouldn’t expect them not to want to have a little fun once in a while. Boys will be boys,” she said with a wave of her hand.

“That’s not like Jax at all,” I told her. “He is kind and caring and thoughtful and he would never do anything to hurt me.”

Kira looked at me, and I realized that I was talking about a relationship that wasn’t even real. Kira and Peter’s marriage wasn’t a good one, but at least it was genuine. Who was I to comment on marriage and commitment and fidelity?

“You underestimate your son,” I said firmly.

Kira snorted. “I see, you’re just like all the other fans.”

“No,” I said, losing my temper finally. “I know him, and he’s worth far more than you will ever see.”

I pushed back my chair. “I hate to make a habit of leaving a good meal behind, but I think this lunch is over.”

And for the second time running, I walked out on her.