Megan had entered the Chambers estate through the back gate—the one used by the hired help and other untrusted, poor folk. Joseph had offered an apologetic smile, as if sensing the gut punch she experienced as they drove toward the squat two-story house set apart from the massive mansion. Then again, she needed the reminder.

This wasn’t her world.

Chad wasn’t hers.

The servant’s quarters. She exited the vehicle and stared over at the mansion. Although Chloe and Chad’s parent always made her feel welcome at their home, she’d avoided the grandparents place like the plague, mainly because Grandpa Chambers treated her like the Bubonic Plague.

“Our sincerest apologies, Miss Gallagher, accommodations are quite limited this weekend, so your unexpected arrival leaves very few options for quarters.” Joseph pulled her rolling suitcase from the trunk. “This way.”

She knew there was at least one bed available in the main house since the guests of honor weren’t attending, but maybe they were reserving that room just in case they changed their minds. Megan thought the welcome-to-the-family shindig was sweet and couldn’t imagine why they hadn’t shown up.

He angled away from the mansion and toward the back of the servant’s quarters. Although she recognized the power play and the intended jab of being physically separated from the main house, she was thankful for a reprieve from the oppressive, stodgy atmosphere that surrounded Chad’s grandparents.

In all honesty, the smaller servant’s home was much larger than any other residence she’d ever been in. An elderly couple halted their work in the kitchen and offered a smile as she followed Joseph through the homey, country-style kitchen. Photographs lined the walls, some of the Chambers family, but she assumed most were servants. With Chet, Chad and Chloe.

A photo with a younger Chad and the couple in the kitchen drew her attention, mainly because the fish he held up was almost bigger than him. She smiled when she noticed the missing teeth in his beaming grin. Mischievousness gleamed in his gaze.

“Our Mr. Chad’s always been a handful,” the older man commented as he approached. “He fished all day, wouldn’t leave until he’d gotten a bigger one than Chet. I knew right then and there he’d always go after what he wants, never stop.”

“Chad’s a great guy,” she whispered unnecessarily. Pride filled the man’s gaze.

“I’m Jacob, Joseph’s father. My wife Felicia is in the kitchen. If you need anything, you let us know. We serve dinner for the Chambers family at seven sharp. We’ll have ours at nine, assuming we’re done at the main house. You’re welcome to join us then, if you’d like.”

Megan nodded and motioned toward the end of the narrow hall where Joseph waited. “I’d better get my stuff settled. Thank you for allowing me to stay with you. I’m sorry if my presence is a problem.”

“Never a problem, dear. It’s been a while since you were here last, but I remember how sweet you always were, how you skulked in the shadows so no one noticed you were around. Chloe talks about you all the time when she visits,” he said.

She doubted her best friend would have anything good to say about her on this visit. Megan smiled and focused on following Joseph through the living room and up the staircase. He stopped at the first door on the left and motioned for her to enter.

A double sized bed engulfed the room. A small two-drawer dresser sat in the corner near the window. Joseph sat her rolling suitcase just inside the door and left. Dinner would be served at the main house in less than an hour, but Megan wasn’t in a hurry. That meal wasn’t for her.

She kicked off her shoes and curled up on the bed. Maybe a nap would alleviate the heartache spreading through her like a brushfire.

“Meg!”

Megan grunted as a weight landed on her full mass. She blinked awake and peered up at Hunter’s smiling face—a face so like his father’s it almost hurt to look. “Hey, Squirt. How are you?”

He huffed labored breaths as he collapsed beside her. “I ran all the way.”

“You did? Well I’m thinking you should be getting ready for dinner.” She glanced at the clock. Almost seven. “Does your daddy know where you are?”

“His daddy didn’t run all the way.” The gravelly voice slid through her like whiskey, smooth at first then fiery. Chad crossed his arms and leaned against the doorjamb. “Did you have Joseph put you out here?”

Tension corded her shoulders as she stood. Knots formed in her stomach as he approached. He halted within touching distance. His wet hair curled at the ends. A subtle infusion of woods and vanilla permeated her nostrils. A crisp, white shirt accentuated his honed physique and remained untucked from black slacks.

“You aren’t ready,” he admonished.

“Ready?”

“Dinner starts in a few minutes.”

“I’m not hungry,” she lied. “I’ll grab something from the kitchen here later.”

“You didn’t answer my question, Spaz.” Fingers settled on her cheek. “Did you have Joseph put you out here?”

She dared a peek up into the turbulent mossy green gaze. Megan couldn’t navigate the possible responses. None seemed to offer calm to the thunderstorm rolling between them. “I wasn’t expected. Accommodations are limited.”

Chad’s grip on her cheek firmed. His jaw twitched. “Hop off the bed, Squirt. We’ve gotta go eat.”

“Great Grams said we’re having roast, but that I can have cheeseburgers if I want. With tater tots, cause that’s my favorite. And I’ll have my own ketchup.” Hunter hopped off the bed. “You want some of my tots?”

“I’ll let you have them all,” she replied. “Did you wash your hands?”

“Yeah, we just showered.”

“Let’s go. Head out, Squirt. We’ll be along shortly,” Chad ordered.

Megan’s heart clenched as the boy tore off and she was left alone with his father. “We both know it’s best if I don’t go to the main house, Chad. Please don’t make this awkward.”

“You’re not getting shoved aside in the servant’s quarters and ignored. We were both responsible for Vegas. I won’t let them pin everything on you.” His jaw twitched again. Fire gleamed in his gaze. “Gramps says the publicist diverted most of the media way, but a couple of gossip rags are running stories tomorrow. We’ll lay low here for a few days, see what comes from it, but the lawyers should contact me in a couple days. I expect everything will blow over within a week and we can get back to our lives.”

“Right.” Megan forced a couple breaths. “I shouldn’t have come here, Chad. It’s adding gas to a fire. I’ll head to the airport and catch a plane home tomorrow. There’s no reason for me to be here.”

“We’re in this together, Spaz. I’m not letting you walk away, not until I know the fallout from Vegas. If the gossip rags grab the stories tomorrow, we could be in for a hell of a media storm. My family isn’t the Kardashians, but we’re a big enough name to garner attention. My divorce was ugly, as you remember.”

Ugly wasn’t the word for what Chad’s divorce had been. No word adequately described that nightmare. Thank goodness Hunter had been young.

“What about…” She bit off the name, then forced it out. “Sheila.”

“What about her?”

“Is this going to cause problems with her?”

“Everything I do causes problems with her,” he growled. “Come on. Joseph can only hold Hunter back for so long and I don’t want to be any later than we already are for dinner.”

Megan looked down at the outfit she’d work all day. Baggy, old jeans and a t-shirt. Great. “I should change.”

“No, you’re fine. Come on.” He grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Remember what I said, Megan. We’re in this together.”

Right. Until the divorce goes through. Then it never, ever happened.

She trudged behind him with the enthusiasm of a dead man walking. Hunter snagged her free hand when they arrived downstairs and they were off to the main house. The little boy skipped, his exuberance almost infectious. Between his constant rambling and the bursting orange of the setting sun on the horizon, she almost forgot the troubles awaiting her arrival.

Chad settled a hand on her hip. Arm around her back, he pulled her closer as they entered the foyer. He leaned over. Hot breath fanned her cheek, then landed on the shell of her ear. A shiver ran through her.

“Hang tight. Give me two minutes.” He pulled away and raced up the stairs. Hunter gave chase.

What the hell?

Dread and unease brewed a toxic stew in her gut, a cauldron of trouble she couldn’t escape as stilettoed steps echoed on the marble flooring. Grandma Chambers appeared in formal evening wear with her silver locks in a sophisticated updo. Chad’s mom was beside her in a black cocktail dress that accentuated her slim figure.

“Megan, it’s so good to see you. It’s been ages,” the latter said.

“Hi, Mrs. Chambers.”

“Oh, dear. You know better. Call me Anna.” She looked around, her gaze sweeping anywhere but on Megan’s ratty jeans and t-shirt. “Where did my son go? I’m afraid I don’t even know them anymore. I still can’t believe Chet and his lovely bride aren’t attending. This entire weekend was for them.”

“Upstairs, but he didn’t say why.” The traitorous bastard. “And hopefully Chet will put in an appearance.”

Megan seethed in the awkward silence, mixing her time between wondering where the heck Chad went and where the hell Chloe was. Footsteps thundered down the stairs. She turned and froze in shock.

Hunter slammed into her. Arms locked around her thighs, he squeezed tight and looked up with a huge grin. One so like his dad’s her heart did a double-tap when she looked up and noted Chad’s wink as his flip-flopped, board shorts and Vegas t-shirted body settled into place beside her. Her pulse rattled to life.

“Mom, Grams.” He mussed Hunter’s hair. “Sorry, had to get comfortable. We ready for dinner?”

His mom grinned, an outright chuckle buried in her words. “Yes, let’s eat. I heard talk of tater tots and ketchup.”

“Yay!” Hunter tore off toward the formal dining room three large rooms away.

Megan ignored her surroundings, her entire focus on the firm hand settled on her hip. Possessively. What the hell was Chad up to?

Fine china and silver worth more than Megan’s car filled the massive dining table. Chandeliers glinted from above, their lighting soft and calming despite the tension suffocating the room. Chad’s grandfather and father appeared and sat without word near the head of the table. His grandmother and mom took their positions beside their men.

Chloe entered, adorned in a dark royal blue cocktail dress that accentuated her eyes and gorgeous coloring. “Oh. You’re here.”

Megan smiled at her friend, whose eyes widened. “Yeah, sorry. I tried to stay in the servant’s quarters.”

“The cook wasn’t expecting an extra,” Grandpa Chambers commented dryly as he settled his linen napkin into his lap.

“It’s okay, Great Gramps. She can share my tater tots. Felicia said they had loads of burgers for me, and I’m little. I can only eat one. Dad says that’ll change soon enough, though. I’m gonna be a big man just like him.”

Pride resonated in his little voice as he dragged a chair out and climbed up. “Sit by me Meg. I’ll share my ketchup, too.”

Chad’s grandpa sneered, but remained silent. His parents both chuckled, no doubt seeing more of their son in Hunter than anyone. What had Chad been like as a little boy?

Chloe sat across from Hunter, her gaze narrowed, her lips thinned. Megan recognized the biting anger radiating from her friend. After dinner they’d work it out. Face to face. They’d been friends forever. Letting one stupid incident screw that up would be crazy. Impossible.

Or so she hoped.

Chad motioned to a seat next to Hunter. Heat rose in her cheeks as she sat and let him push her chair in, as if they were at a fancy dinner. Oh wait, they were and she was in grungy jeans and a freaking t-shirt.

And he was in shorts. He sat on the other side of Hunter, who was fiddling with all his silverware.

“Why are there so many forks, Dad? Who else is coming? Do we have enough plates? I can share mine with Meg or Chloe if you want.”

“Remember when we practiced at my house when you stayed over?” Chloe asked. “And I showed you how grown up food requires different forks and spoons.”

“Oh, yeah.” Hunter huffed his response as if the weight of the world had been shoved onto his little boy shoulders. “Which one do I use for tots? Do you know, Meg?”

“The boy needs to be in a proper school,” the old man stated from the table.

“He’s fine,” Chad replied.

Stilted conversation dissipated into awkward silence. Hunter twitched in his chair. He looked up at her, then at the forks. His agitation was so palpable she almost drowned in it. He wanted to make his great gramps proud.

Megan glanced at Chloe, then at the head of the table. Glowers and animosity wafted from that side of the table, but she’d be damned if she let it affect Hunter. He was innocent in all this. Let them chew her up and spit her out, but they’d better leave him be.

She grabbed the smallest fork—for oysters if she remembered her lessons well—and held it up. “I think this one will spear the tots real good. What do you think?”

“Awesome.” He held his little fork up. Little legs pumped back and forth, as if containing his restlessness was impossible, even for dinner. “Do you want tater tots too, Aunt Chloe?”

“Yeah, I think tots are awesome.” She held up her oyster fork. “Why are these out, Grams? I thought we were having roast.”

“Oh, well when your brother informed us we were having an additional guest, I expanded the menu. I’d hate to not have enough food. Sadly, Chet isn’t bothering to come, so this was all for nothing.” Grandma Chambers sipped her red wine as Jacob and Felicia entered with four other servants and began serving the meal.

Hunter fidgeted in his seat when the first course arrived. Oysters.

Megan hadn’t ever experienced a full course meal at the Chambers estate, but she’d heard nightmares from Chloe through the years. Oysters were always the worst start to a meal. Her gut clenched as someone set some near her.

“Ewww,” Hunter commented.

“Grandma, you know Megan’s allergic to shellfish.”

“Oh dear. I’m afraid I thought that was only crustacean shellfish,” the woman commented with a tight smile. “My apologies, dear.”

Megan sipped on her water as she and Hunter sat through the first course. Conversation drifted around them, but she wasn’t invited to participate, nor did she offer. Silence descended at her end of the table. Chloe flashed her a few sympathetic glances. Hunter shifted restlessly beside her.

Chad remained stoic.

Tension swarmed like an angry hornets nest by the time the main course arrived. Felicia sat a heaping pile of tater tots near Hunter with a dish of ketchup. Jacob arrived shortly with hamburgers.

Grandpa Chambers sneered from the head of the table as the little boy dove into his food with gusto. Megan shifted her chair until she was settled between him and the disapproving glares from the great grandparent. What the heck did they expect? He’d sat patiently and quietly through three courses with nothing to eat.

Little boys weren’t meant for three hour long meals. No one was. She flashed a worried look at Chad, whose glower went from his son to his grandparents. Anna and her husband weren’t much happier.

No wonder Chet had absconded his new bride. No man would put the love of his life through his hell, not willingly.

Hunter shoved the trough of tater tots across the table to his Aunt Chloe, who took a heap and pushed it back across to Megan. They shared a knowing smirk that somehow erased the unease hanging between them. She should’ve known not to worry about their friendship. If it could endure a who-knows-how-many-courses dinner, it could handle a mistake marriage—even if it was to her big brother.

“I understand there was an unfortunate incident in Las Vegas,” Grandfather Mason commented.

“We’ve discussed this, Gramps,” Chad said. “Once I have Hunter settled in we can talk again.”

“I’d rather have Miss Gallagher’s take on the situation,” he replied. “I won’t have my great grandson’s welfare harmed because of this foolishness. This nonsense with his mother has damaged him enough.”

Hunter halted his hoovering of tater tots and looked between his dad and Megan. Ketchup coated his lips and fingers. She couldn’t help but chuckle despite the tension. She’d never seen someone love the condiment with such gusto.

Ignoring the intentional jab against Hunter proved difficult, but she’d learned from Chloe the best recourse to an offense of ignorance was doing nothing. She’d turn their animosity back on her. She could handle them.

“My take is moot. We rectified the situation as quickly as possible. There’s nothing more to say.” She reached for the wet wipes Felicia had wisely set beside Hunter’s plate.

She’d helped Chloe babysit him enough times for the routine face scrubbing to be rote. Shock radiated on Chad’s face as his son relaxed into the firm grip she maintained on the back of his head as she swiped ketchup and food remnants from his mouth. She released the hold and got to work on his hands.

“I beg to differ, Miss Gallagher. My attorneys have looked into the situation and determined a divorce won’t be as easy as we hoped. We must make arrangements to discuss the situation with your lawyer.”

Like she had a freaking lawyer. Her gut soured.

“Dad, really. This is unnecessary and tasteless,” Anna commented. “We’ve known Megan for years. I find the entire incident not only humorous, but perfect in so many ways. Only to be that young again. Don’t you agree, Harold?”

“Give me the word and we’re in Vegas. I’ll sweep you off your feet again and again, honey,” he said. “And yes, I seem to recall the two of us doing much worse when we were their age.”

Anna smirked.

“I’ll handle whatever issues your attorneys have, Gramps, and happily remind them it isn’t your concern,” Chad replied. “My lawyer’s already ensured me things will be handled without delay or problem.”

“Is…” Hunter looked down and squirmed in his seat. His little body trembled. “Is Mommy mad again? She won’t take me away will she?”

Damn them. Something snapped inside Megan as Chad drew Hunter into his lap and whispered softly.

“Don’t you dare carry on any further, Mr. Chambers. I can sit here and swallow your bullshit when it’s flung at me. You aren’t the first pretentious ass I’ve handled and you won’t be the last.” She set her napkin on her plate. “But you went too far just now. Bringing up lawyers in front of Hunter, knowing full good and well what he’d think. How dare you.”

“The boy’s too soft,” the old man responded.

“He’s a boy,” Anna snapped. “And I’ll repeat myself, again. Harold and I won’t have any part in whatever witch hunt you’re on. Megan is a good girl, a hell of a lot better than Sheila ever was.”

“You told me you wanted to get to know her,” Chloe accused. “That’s the only reason I got Chad to bring her here. You lied.”

“Why is Great Gramps mad at Meg?” Hunter sniffed and buried his head against his Dad’s body.

“My boy and I will be leaving in the morning with my wife.” Chad hugged Hunter tighter against him. “I’ve had just about all the family bonding I can stomach for a lifetime.”

He rose with Hunter in his arms. The boy wrapped around his dad like a monkey. Chad looked around and spotted Felicia. “Could you have Joseph bring Megan’s things to the main house? Since there’s apparently no room in a twenty seven bedroom house for her, she can share my room.”

The knots in her stomach unfurled a bit when he took her hand and urged her to stand. Her brain was on a continuous loop, recycling the words “she can share my room.” While she understood the make-a-statement ground he’d chosen, she couldn’t imagine them sharing anything, much less a room.

A bed.

Heat spread swifter than a brush fire in July at the thought. He squeezed her hand and headed toward the exit. She followed, realizing at least that option got her away from his grandparents. A chair scraped behind her, but she didn’t stop.

“Meg,” Chloe called.

Dread sank razor-sharp claws into her skin, but she stopped and turned. She alternated between confident their friendship would survive the Vegas debacle and thinking her best friend hated her guts for marrying her big brother.

Chloe reached for Hunter. “Hey, big guy, why don’t you and I crash together tonight? We’ll stay up late, pig out on popcorn and watch movies.”

Surprise spread across Chad’s handsome face as he handed his son over to her. “What’s up, sis?”

“Look, I was a bitch, Megan. Dodging your calls was a childish move. Whatever the hell happened in Vegas isn’t my business and we’re solid. Okay?” She did an awkward half-hug with Meg, which squished a giggling Hunter between them.

Chloe ticked her nephew as his laughter echoed through the hall.

“I love you,” Megan whispered to her friend.

“Right back atcha.” Chloe looked at her, then at her brother. “I’m thinking you two need some time to work things out, have a chat. Now that the shock has settled in, you can really figure things out. Just promise me you two won’t let one stupid drunken decision wreck years of friendship.”

“I’ve already told Spaz we’re in this together,” Chad said. “Thanks, sis.”

Chloe disappeared down the hallway before Megan realized she was really leaving her alone with Chad. Her husband Chad. The man who’d just called her his wife in front of his entire family.

Okay, that was more for effect and out of anger, but still. Warmth seeped into the awkwardness and dissolved the worry as she looked up into his intense green gaze. He’d changed clothes to make her feel comfortable. He’d taken her side against his grandparents.

“Come on, wife. Let’s get to bed.” He lobbed the statement so it landed in the dining room behind them with the concussive force of a flash bang grenade.

Laughter peeled from her as he wrapped an arm around her waist. Shrieks commenced when he hoisted her up into his arms and headed down the hall.