Jasper Vale (The Edens)

This dinner was either going to be incredible or an incredible disaster. I was betting on the latter. Regardless, even if this was an epic failure, I wasn’t sorry for pushing Jasper to come.

“Turn off up there,” I told him, pointing to the gravel road that teed into the highway ahead.

Jasper slowed and took the left without so much as a nod. He was as silent now as he had been all day. Hell, other than a few groans, he’d barely made a sound when we’d had sex this morning.

Still, no regrets.

My family was a huge part of my life. He was my husband. At some point, the two had to learn how to play nice. Besides, it was only for a couple months.

The ranch’s open gates greeted us as we rolled down the gravel drive. My stomach, already in knots, twisted tighter as we passed the log archway emblazoned with the Eden ranch brand—an E with a curve in the shape of a rocking chair’s runner beneath.

“That’s our brand,” I told Jasper.

Not even a hum of acknowledgment.

Why was he so against this? I still didn’t understand his resistance. It was just dinner.

Last night during our argument—if that counted as an argument—I should have pressed for more of an explanation. But the moment he’d agreed to come to dinner, I’d dropped the subject entirely.

While he’d made dinner, I’d changed into sweats. Then the two of us had shared a quiet meal before we’d retreated to bed, doing what we did best.

Each other.

“Thank you for coming.”

He nodded. Progress. Though his eyes stayed locked on the road ahead.

I studied his profile, letting my gaze wander down his forehead to the bump on the bridge of his nose. To the soft lips and stubbled jaw that had woken me this morning as he’d kissed my neck and slid inside my body.

Was it such a crime for me to ask for this meal?

I wanted my family to know Jasper. To remember him. I wanted them to see the man who’d shared this wild, reckless adventure with me. The man who’d only be in my life for a short time but whose memory would undoubtedly last for years.

Forcing this issue was probably silly, considering this was all just a charade. But with every passing day, this felt less and less like a mistake. And if they knew him, then maybe they’d realize why I’d married him that night. Maybe they wouldn’t hold it against me.

And I wanted Jasper to know my family. To see the best of them.

Here on the ranch, we were all our best.

This was home.

Spring weather in Montana, especially in May, was always unpredictable. It could snow one day and be sunny and seventy degrees the next. But for Jasper’s first visit to the ranch, the scene through the windshield couldn’t have been more picturesque.

Barbwire fences bordered the road. Beyond them, the meadows were a lush, vibrant green as they stretched beneath tall evergreens toward the foothills. Mountains, capped with snow, towered in the distance. Their jagged peaks kissed the brilliant blue sky.

It was magnificent. I’d lived my whole life in Montana, yet it never failed to steal my breath.

“Griffin and Winn live on the ranch,” I told Jasper, pointing out my window in the general direction of my brother’s house. “You can’t see their place from here but it’s that way.”

Not that Jasper had asked for that information, but this silence was only making the nerves fluttering in my belly worse. If he wouldn’t talk, then I would.

“Griff runs the ranch now. It’s one of the largest in the state.” That wasn’t a brag. It was simply pride in my family. For generations, the Edens had owned this land, expanding it when possible, adding more acreage and more cattle. “It runs along the mountains for miles.”

Normally, I offered to take visitors on a tour, maybe even spend a Sunday riding horses along the path that tied one end of the ranch to the other. That was, if they showed any interest in this place.

But Jasper just kept driving, not even bothering to look my way. And by the time the trails dried out enough so we wouldn’t be riding in the mud, he’d be gone anyway.

I swallowed down the lump in my throat. “Griff and Winn have two kids. Hudson and Emma. Knox and his wife, Memphis, have two boys, Drake and Harrison.”

Did Jasper want kids? I couldn’t picture him with a baby in his arms. Though until my brothers had become fathers, I hadn’t been able to imagine them as dads either.

It was hard to remember what these family dinners had been like before the babies had been born. When I thought of Griffin, I saw him wearing his scuffed cowboy boots and faded Wranglers, Hudson perched on one arm and Emma on the other. And Knox wasn’t Knox without Drake toddling behind him, an adorable shadow with blond hair and a smile that would thaw even Jasper’s icy indifference.

I was counting on those kids. I was counting on my brothers and sisters, Mom’s cooking and Dad’s bellowing laugh to win Jasper over tonight.

My hands began to tremble so I slid them beneath my legs.

Ahead, in a clearing of the trees, my parents’ log house came into view. “That’s Mom and Dad’s. My room was that first window on the second floor.”

Jasper shifted his grip on the wheel, but otherwise, he gave nothing away. He was as unreadable as a piece of blank paper.

“Penny for your thoughts?” I asked.

He blinked.

“Apparently I’ll have to pay more,” I muttered. “Are you going to be like this all night? Brooding and, well . . . grumpy?”

Jasper glanced over, his jaw ticking, as he arched an eyebrow. Finally, a reaction. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Are you?”

This wasn’t the Jasper I’d been living with for the past month. Or maybe it was. Maybe I’d gotten used to filling the silence. Maybe I’d forgotten how rare it was to earn a smile because I’d been winning them more often.

“Never mind.” I shook my head, dismissing the subject before it caused a fight. Then I sat a little taller, once more talking to battle my nerves. “My grandfather built the barn behind the house. Dad was the one who put in the shop and stables.”

The enormous buildings, together with Mom and Dad’s house, formed ranch headquarters. There were three Eden Ranch trucks parked in the open lot, employee vehicles left for the weekend. Four more vehicles were lined up in front of Mom and Dad’s place.

Which meant we were the last to arrive.

Jasper eased into the space beside Foster’s truck. It had been quiet on the drive, but the moment he shut off the engine, I could hear my heart pounding against my sternum.

My hand trembled as I reached for the door, but before I could touch the handle, Jasper’s hand settled on my thigh.

“Here.” He popped open the console, taking out a square, velvet box.

A ring box.

“What’s that?” Dumb question, Eloise.

“We’re married,” he said.

“So you got me a ring?”

Was that where he’d gone this morning? I’d assumed he’d left after breakfast for a workout. But he must have stopped downtown and bought me this ring.

The jewelry store owners and their clerks were horrible gossips. But if they thought it was strange for Jasper to buy me a ring now, after we’d been married for a month, I didn’t care.

I flipped open the box’s lid and my jaw dropped.

A round diamond, at least two carats and utterly flawless, sat atop a platinum, jewel-studded band. Beneath it was a wedding ring made entirely of diamonds. It was dainty. Elegant. Exactly what I would have picked out for myself.

“Jas. This is . . .” Too beautiful. Too expensive.

Too real for a fake wife.

I couldn’t find the right words, so I just stared at the diamonds through blurry eyes, wishing I could parse the emotions swelling inside my chest.

Jasper plucked the box from my hand, taking out the set. Then he took my hand, pulling it across the console to slide the jewelry onto my finger. A perfect fit.

“I didn’t buy you a ring.” My gaze whipped to his as panic rushed through my veins. “I should have bought you a ring.”

“I don’t wear rings.”

“Oh.” Why not? Was it because he trained with Foster? I guess if it came down to wearing a ring or losing a finger, I’d rather he not wear a ring either.

“Okay. Well, thank you.” My gaze dropped to the ring again, mesmerized by the gleaming jewel. I soaked in the glitter and sparkle, then leaned across the console.

The moment I pressed my mouth to Jasper’s, his hand cupped the back of my head, pulling me closer. His tongue licked at the seam of my lips, sliding inside when I opened.

I sank into the kiss, the languid strokes of his tongue and the soft press of his lips. It was slow and unhurried. Different than the way he kissed me in bed.

What was this? Affection? Intimacy? An apology? Or just another form of foreplay?

Before I could figure it out, the sound of a door slamming filled the air.

Jasper and I broke apart as Griffin came striding across Mom and Dad’s wraparound porch with Emma on his hip.

“Thank you for the ring,” I told Jasper.

He nodded, then opened his door.

I did the same, climbing out and walking to Griffin.

“Hey.” Griffin gave me a hug, then held out Emma so I could kiss her cheek. But she didn’t want me to carry her. She was content with her daddy. When he let me go, he extended a hand to Jasper. “How’s it going?”

“Good.” Jasper nodded, shaking Griff’s hand.

That was a good thing, right? No angry glares or scowls.

“Everyone is in the stables,” Griff said, jerking his chin that direction. “One of the horses had her foal this morning.”

“Aww. Cute.” I fell in step beside my brother, reaching back for Jasper’s hand.

He took it but he didn’t hold it. Not the way Dad would hold Mom’s hand. Not even the way Jasper would hold my hand at night while we were having sex, with our palms pressed together like he wanted to fuse them together.

Jasper’s grip was too loose as we walked. His fingers barely clasped mine. All it would take was a quick flick, and he’d be free.

Fine. If he wouldn’t hold tight, then I’d do it. I laced my fingers through his. If he wanted to escape, he’d have to work for it.

The earthy scent of hay and horses greeted us as we walked into the stables. When my eyes adjusted to the dimmer light, I saw my entire family clustered around a stall, heads peering past the door. At the sound of our footsteps, everyone turned.

“Hi.” No one paid me any attention. All eyes were on Jasper. So I held up our clasped hands. “Everyone, meet Jasper. Jasper, this is my family.”

I hadn’t expected him to smile but he didn’t even wave. Didn’t nod. Didn’t say hello. Seriously? Why was he acting like this? Even Foster gave him a sideways glance.

Jasper said that he struggled with family. Um . . . understatement.

Dad walked over, standing in front of us.

When he extended his hand, I had no choice but to let Jasper’s go.

“Harrison Eden.”

“Jasper Vale.” He shook Dad’s hand.

Thank God. Otherwise he would have been known for eternity as the only man I’d brought home to snub my father.

Mom joined us, standing at Dad’s side. “And I’m Anne.”

“Nice to meet you both.” Jasper dipped his chin. “Thanks for having me for dinner.”

He sounded like this visit was a one-time trip. Maybe it was.

“Hey.” Lyla came over with that too bright, too friendly smile on her face. “How are you guys?”

“Good. You?”

“Great.” Her gaze flicked to Jasper for a split second before it dropped to the ground. Except on its downward path, it landed on my left hand. She tensed when she saw my ring.

We hadn’t talked about her crush. But I should have forced it. I should have gotten the awkward over with before a family gathering. How could I have not realized she’d been into Jasper? I was such an asshole. Worst sister ever.

“Heard we have a new addition,” I said, desperately wanting the attention to go anywhere else.

“A colt,” Dad said, leading the way to the stall.

Inside was a black foal with a white star on his forehead.

“Isn’t he handsome?” I smiled. It was as fake as my marriage. I knew without turning around that Jasper hadn’t followed us over. That he was standing apart.

Dad’s arm came around my shoulder, pulling me into a side hug.

I looked up, meeting his blue eyes. They were full of concern, probably because Dad always saw what his children were trying to hide. Not all of it, but enough.

“Well, now that you’re here, we can name him,” he said.

“No planets,” Knox said from where he stood beside Memphis. She was holding baby Harrison while he had Drake in his arms.

“We’re out of planets anyway,” I told him.

Years ago, Dad had bought eight horses. At the time, I’d been doing a school project about the solar system, so I’d asked to name the horses after planets. My horse was Venus. Her stall, three down, was empty, probably because she was out grazing in a meadow with the others.

Jupiter, Griffin’s horse, was at his house. But otherwise, the other seven lived here. Mars belonged to Knox. Saturn was Mateo’s. Neptune and Mercury were Lyla’s and Talia’s. Mom and Dad had volunteered for the least desirable planet names.

Ever since those horses, I’d been naming our animals. The dogs. The milk cow. The kittens. Whenever a creature needed a name, they came to me.

But it was time to pass the torch.

“Let’s let Kadence name him,” I said.

Foster’s seven-year-old daughter stood on her tiptoes beside Mom, her eyes locked on the foal. At my suggestion, her gaze whipped to me, then Dad.

“Really?” she asked. “Can I?”

Dad nodded. “He needs a name.”

“What should I pick?” she asked.

A deep voice filled the air. “Anything other than Earth or Uranus.”

Mom gasped.

We all turned as a man strode into the stables.

Mateo.

“W-what are you doing here?” Mom rushed toward him, pulling him into her arms.

She blamed her recent gray hairs on the fact that her baby was flying planes in Alaska. That, and Mateo hadn’t been great about visiting.

“Hey, Mom.” He swept her into his arms, looking bigger than when he’d left. Grown up, like Griffin and Knox.

When Mom stepped aside, Dad claimed him next for a back-slapping hug. “Welcome home, son. This is a surprise.”

“Good to be here, Dad.”

Something settled. Something clicked. With all of us on the ranch, it was like being hugged by home. I glanced at Jasper, wondering if he felt the love too.

His arms were crossed. He stared blankly at an empty stall.

My good feeling dimmed.

Matty got mobbed with hugs and handshakes. He became the center of attention, and I breathed a sigh of relief, moving to stand beside Jasper. Maybe we’d survive tonight after all.

“Hi.” Mateo walked over, pulling me in for the last hug, keeping me tucked against his side as he held out a hand for Jasper. “You must be the husband. Jason? James?”

“Matty.” I elbowed him in the ribs.

He chuckled. “Kidding. Nice to meet you, Jasper.”

“You too,” Jasper said, shaking Mateo’s hand. It was the first genuine sentiment I’d seen from him since we’d arrived.

“Congratulations.” Mateo glanced down, pinching my cheek like he used to when we were kids.

“Don’t.” I swatted his hand away. “What are you doing here?”

“Can’t I come home?” he teased.

“How long do we have you?” Mom’s voice was cautious, like she already despised his answer. “What’s your plan?”

He shrugged, letting me go to drag a hand through his hair. It was longer now than I’d ever seen it, like he hadn’t cut it in months. “Well, first I was hoping for dinner. Then I’m going to find an empty bed and sleep for two days. After that, whatever. See who needs help around here.”

“Me.” My hand shot in the air. Griffin had his mouth open, like he was about to offer Mateo work too, but I pointed my finger at his nose. “Don’t even think about it. I called dibs first.”

Griff chuckled. “Fine.”

Matty, like the rest of us, had spent his teenage years working here on the ranch and at the hotel.

“Even if it’s just for a few days, I’d love some help,” I told him. “Thank you.”

“How about if it was for more than a few days?”

“Wait.” I blinked. “What do you mean? What about Alaska?”

“Alaska’s great. But it’s not Montana.”

“Does that mean you’re home?” The hope in Talia’s voice was written on every Eden face. “For good?”

He nodded. “For now.”

Mom coughed, clearing her throat. She had tears in her eyes. “I need to get started on dinner.”

Without another word, she turned and walked out of the stables. She’d retreat to her kitchen and shed a few tears of joy. Then she’d fuss over Mateo the moment he crossed the threshold.

Everyone trickled out behind her, one by one, heading for the house.

Except Jasper.

He walked toward the stall, peering inside to look at the foal.

I took the space beside him, but I didn’t look at the baby. I stared at his profile, waiting for him to look my way. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.”

Liar.

He’d told me last night he wasn’t one for family functions. Why? What was I missing? What was his family like? Maybe I shouldn’t have pushed so hard for this. Part of me wanted to beg, to plead with him to just . . . try. Instead, I told him what was in my heart.

“I don’t want them to hate you when this is over,” I whispered.

“Don’t you think it’s easier that way?”

“What do you mean, easier?”

He lifted a shoulder. “They don’t need to know me to hate me.”

“But I don’t want them to hate you.” My heart twisted. Why would they hate him?

“I don’t care if they do.”

“Jasper.” My voice cracked. “I do.”

Was that how he saw us ending? With hate in our hearts? Part of me wanted to hug him. The other part wanted to throw a handful of horse shit in his face for being such an idiot.

“I don’t want them to curse your name,” I said. “To talk about you for years as the bad guy who broke my heart. I don’t want them to think of you that way, because it’s not how I want to think of you.”

He sighed, snagging my hand and pulling me into his arms. He kissed my hair. Then together, we walked to the house.

But nothing changed.

Through dinner, he hardly spoke. He only answered questions that were directed at him.

Yes, he was quiet normally. But this was different. Tense. Even when Foster engaged with him, he gave the shortest answers possible. Until people stopped trying. Everyone gave their attention to Mateo instead, while I fought the urge to cry.

Jasper seemed determined to be the villain.

Maybe he was right. Maybe that would make it easier. Maybe it didn’t matter what anyone thought of my husband.

This was just a lie anyway.