“What’s she doing here?” his mother asked curtly.

Dane forced himself to do something he had never done. Bite his tongue. “Allyson’s here to help. I asked her to. Don’t you appreciate the extra help, Mom?”

It was a sleepy Saturday and Dane was at his parents’ Manhattan townhouse, helping his father settle back in. They rarely used the townhouse since they usually stayed at a suite at the Prescott Hotel whenever they were in town, but his father needed a home environment. Plus, his father didn’t feel strong enough yet to head all the way back to their home at Prescott Hill in Rhode Island.

Dane draped his father’s arm over his shoulder while his mother held on to the other as they helped him up the steps to the townhouse. Allyson was busy grabbing stuff out of his luxury car. Earlier today he’d gone with his mother to the hospital to pick up his dad, while Allyson had taken Dane’s car to pick up medicine and some supplies. They’d all arrived at the townhouse at the same time, giving Dane little time to prepare his mother for Allyson’s arrival.

“I’m glad she’s here,” his father said with a smile.

His mother merely harrumphed.

They walked into the townhouse and made their way to the living room, where they set his father down on one of the antique sofas.

“You two really didn’t need to help me up those steps,” his father insisted. “I’m fine. Honestly, I’m almost fit as a fiddle.”

“Yes, but I don’t want you to get stressed out, dear.” His mother began fluffing pillows and checking things in the room.

His father gave a hearty laugh. “You call this stressful? Try living with you two for thirty-plus years and I’ll tell you about stress.”

Allyson appeared in the doorway of the living room, carrying a bag full of medicine in one hand and a rolled-up yoga mat. In the other, she had a few bags of groceries. “Good to see you’re home, Mr. Prescott. I thought you might want a mat since you mentioned at the hospital about getting into yoga for some exercise.”

“My goodness, aren’t you thoughtful?” His father smiled, the corners of his brown eyes crinkling. “I always wanted a daughter, you know. Let me tell you something, Allyson: sons are overrated.” He rolled his eyes but there was a sparkle in them.

Dane laughed, glad that his father seemed to be getting back to his old self. He was thinner, frailer, but he was still the same mischievous but good-natured man he typically was.

“Come on in.” His father motioned to her. “Don’t be shy, Allyson. Our home is your home. Especially now that my wife tells me you’re seeing Dane. We’re going to have to have a welcome celebration for you when I’m feeling stronger.”

Dane’s mother grumbled under her breath as Allyson stepped closer. Dane grabbed the things out of her hands and set them down on the large table in front of the fireplace.

“Thank you, Mr. Prescott,” Allyson said.

Dane’s father waved his hand. “None of this ‘Mr. Prescott’ business. Call me Alfred. I’ve said that before, haven’t I? Back when you two were playing at being married? What a story! You’re going to have to explain how you two shacked up for real.”

“Before we do all that, Allyson and I are going to make sure the townhouse is in order,” Dane interrupted. His parents hadn’t been living in the place for months. Even though they had a caretaker who checked in on the townhouse occasionally, the place still needed some cleaning. Especially since they hadn’t been able to hire any servants on such short notice. His parents would get settled in a matter of days, but right now they had to fend for themselves.

He cringed inwardly at how pompous something like that would sound to Allyson. She cleaned and cooked all the time. Now that they were engaged, though, he swore to himself that part of her life would soon change. Once they were married, she was never going to lift a finger to cook or clean ever again.

Almost as if she was reading his mind, Allyson said, “I know you guys don’t have much help around, but I can help with the cooking. I brought some recipes with me in the car.”

His father’s eyes lit up. “How kind of you. I haven’t had a home-cooked meal in ages.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want to put Allyson through too much trouble,” his mother said.

“It’s no trouble at all,” Allyson said brightly. “I want to help.”

“Oh?” His mother pursed her lips.

“Yes, I can cook lunch,” Allyson said. Her tone was chirpy, like she was making a deliberate point to ignore his mother’s less-than-welcoming attitude. “Dane, you’re going to help.”

Before he could protest, Allyson nudged him out of the living room.

“I can barely boil an egg,” he admitted. “Don’t you think it would be better if I just started cleaning the backyard?”

“We can clean later,” she said in a businesslike tone.

He groaned. “I’ll get the rest of the stuff from the car.”

After he brought the rest of the shopping bags into the large kitchen, Allyson started unpacking them. He rubbed his hands together. “So, what are we serving?”

“A fruit salad, chicken and broccoli casserole for the main course, brownies for dessert, and red wine.” She grabbed the apron that hung from one of the hooks on the wall and started to put it on.

“Sounds complicated,” he said. He was ready for the wine now, and almost admitted that the wine wouldn’t be good for his dad. He doubted the excuse would work on her, though. He grinned at the thought.

“Well, the brownies will be from a mix so that cuts down on time.”

He breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief. “Lucky me.”

She laughed. “Oh, come on, you’re not that bad. I’ve had your grilled cheese.”

“That’s all the cooking talent I’ve got.”

“Today you’re going to learn some more.” She smiled, and started opening the kitchen cabinets until she got her hands on a large pot. “I haven’t cooked for this many people in a while, so I need your help.”

“We could always order food,” he suggested.

“Cooking isn’t that bad,” she said as she started filling the pot with water. “Cooking for someone can be an act of love. You heard your father; he hasn’t had a home-cooked meal in a long time.”

“He’s been eating mostly hospital food. The guy will probably eat your arm if you burned it.”

“That’s disgusting,” she said, and laughed. “Besides, I’m making fruit salad as dessert for your dad, and I made sure I got a heart-healthy recipe that I double-checked with Monica.”

Her sister, Monica, was a respected cardiologist, but it must have been stressful for Allyson to check in with her older sister now that things were so strained between them. It amazed him that she was so thoughtful and considerate of his father’s health despite her troubles with her own family. “You asked Monica?”

He focused his gaze on her as she set the pot on the stove. She was always thinking of others. Worrying about them and wanting the best for them, even if they didn’t deserve it. Earlier, in the living room, she could have said something harsh to his mother. Instead, she offered to help. Watching her right now, he knew that he really was the luckiest man in the world to have found her. And now that she had agreed to marry him, he knew he was one step closer to never letting her go.

“Yes,” she said finally. “My sister and I aren’t in the best place, but I texted her and she agreed to answer all my questions. Since she’s a doctor, she’s always willing to help people who need it. Even if she doesn’t like them.”

Suddenly, she seemed withdrawn. Sad.

“You don’t think she dislikes you—”

“She tried to sabotage my job and my relationship with you because she’s jealous,” she interrupted. “Of course, she dislikes me.”

He frowned. “Did you tell her we’re engaged?”

She shifted uncomfortably, her entire body tensing up. Her reaction was like a punch to the gut. When he proposed in the jewelry store two days ago, she had seemed much like she seemed now. Anxious. But she had also seemed genuinely happy, and that confused him.

He had been so elated that she had said yes that he had shoved her obvious anxiety to the back of his mind. The moment she said ‘yes’, he had felt an intense, almost insane happiness. Usually he was a rational man. Reckless sometimes, but never so happy that it actually made him feel like he might actually be crazy. Now that some of the craziness had cleared, it was obvious to him that something was wrong. “Are you all right?”

Allyson turned to him, her huge green eyes flashing in surprise. “Of course, I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You seemed anxious when I mentioned the engagement.”

“Yes, well, I’m nervous about telling Monica.” She grabbed the packets of broccoli and mushrooms and headed over to the kitchen island. She coughed and lowered her voice, “Plus, we haven’t told your parents yet.”

He retrieved some bowls and utensils from the cabinets and approached her. “Is that all you’re nervous about? Because you seemed tense after I proposed.”

They hadn’t seen much of each other since he had proposed. He had been focused on helping his father while she had been focused on helping her new boss at work. Dane tried not to let jealousy rear its head now that Allyson was working for that unscrupulous ass, Nicholas Handel. Surely that couldn’t be the reason she seemed to have reservations about their engagement.

“I just had some jitters, is all.” She headed over to the sink to rinse the broccoli and the mushrooms.

“I thought that’s what it was,” he said. “But I plan to make you happy. Very happy.”

She headed back to the island with the mushrooms and broccoli. Putting her hand on his arm, she said, “You do. It’s just that things are so tense with our families, and work, and the press.”

“We’ll figure it out.”

She bit her lip. “I just worry that we’ve been so distracted by other people that we haven’t had the time to work more on us.”

His insides were turning into molten lead. The thought of Allyson getting so fed up with all the stress of his world of wealth and privilege that she left him set him on edge. This wasn’t how he wanted them to start their lives together. He meant what he had told her the day he had proposed. She was his family. And he was determined to do whatever it took to get rid of the people who stood in the way of her happiness. “We’re going to have to tell my mother soon. Let’s see how she reacts. She’s our biggest obstacle.”

“She’s not an obstacle, Dane.” Allyson took some cheese out of its package and started grating it. “She’s your mother.”

“I only kept my mouth shut earlier as a courtesy to you,” he said. “But I won’t have her treating you like hired help. If she can’t respect you we can’t have her at our wedding.”

“I doubt she’ll want to go,” Allyson said glumly. “Could you chop the vegetables?”

He nodded, grabbed a knife, and started chopping at the broccoli as best as he could. “Then she won’t be there.”

“Wouldn’t it hurt you if your mother wasn’t at your wedding?” she asked. “I don’t get along with Monica, but the thought of my own sister not being there would hurt me.”

The prospect of his mother not being at his wedding hurt like hell. Truth be told, he had never given much thought to the details of his wedding, but after watching Allyson’s mother get along so well with her daughter-in-law, Holly, at her son’s wedding in Greenville, he suddenly felt a painful pang of bitter disappointment. It was one thing to be cavalier about cutting off his mother. Actually going through with it was a different and more complicated matter.

“See?” Allyson continued. “You don’t want to shut your mother out.”

“I don’t want to,” he said, “but she’s forcing my hand. I can’t have her disrespecting my fiancée. My wife.” Imaging Allyson as his wife gave him more happiness than he could ever describe. This woman was the center of his whole life. She was his first and last thought every day. Every day for three years. One day very soon she was going to be his wife, and it was his duty to protect her. Even from his own mother.

“Let’s just give your parents a chance to take everything in before we make any hard decisions,” she said. “But first, let’s get through this afternoon.”

“Here’s hoping I don’t ruin the meal with my tragic cooking skills,” he said with a grin.

She laughed. “I think getting you through this lesson is either going to be hilarious or a complete disaster.”

* * *

After the cooking lesson, they worked on the finishing touches for the meal. Then, Dane got to work setting the dining table while Allyson ushered his parents into the dining room.

They all sat down to eat, Dane’s father sitting at the head of the table and his mother sitting beside him. Dane sat opposite his mother, Allyson by his side. Nobody had said anything and it already felt like they were at odds. He clenched his jaw, preparing himself to deal with whatever conflict came up.

“This looks wonderful, Allyson,” his father said.

“Thank you,” she said. “Dane helped. And my sister is a cardiologist so we’ve made sure the casserole and the fruit salad are heart-healthy.”

“Well, thank you. How thoughtful.” His father took a bite of the chicken casserole and his eyes lit up. “This is absolutely delicious.”

“Thank goodness,” Dane said, clutching his chest in exaggerated relief.

Allyson and his father both laughed.

“Do you cook every day, Allyson?” His mother dug into the casserole and took a bite.

“Not every day,” she replied. “A few times a week, though. Or as much as I can. Work keeps me busy...”

“I don’t think Dane’s ever dated a woman who cooked that frequently,” his mother said, her tone disapproving.

“When we move in together Allyson won’t have to cook anymore. We’ll have a chef to do it,” Dane muttered in annoyance.

His mother raised her eyebrow. “Move in? You can’t have been together for that long. Why on earth would you be moving in already?”

Dane exchanged a glance with Allyson. Damn it, he’d said too much before they had prepared his parents for their news.

“It’s okay,” Allyson said softly. “You can tell them.”

He hadn’t wanted to do it today, with his father recovering. But they had planned on telling his parents as soon as possible. If he broke this gently, maybe his father could handle it. His mother was likely to be a different story.

Screw it. Taking a deep breath, Dane said, “Allyson and I are engaged.”