The Brides of Purple Heart Ranch Boxset, Books 1-3 by Shanae Johnson

Author:Shanae Johnson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Those Johnson Girls

Chapter Fifteen

"Are we gonna change our last names? Or will you?"

Fran glanced in the rearview mirror at Rosalee. The kid was filled with questions since the ceremony yesterday.

She was strapped into the back seat of his truck in another new shirt and matching skirt set. She hugged her backpack to her small chest. Brown, inquisitive eyes stared back at him in the glass reflection.

"Only Eva changes her name," Carlos answered his sister.

"When my friend Lisa got a new dad she changed her name, too. It was hyphenated."

Carlos considered that.

"Her stepdad adopted her," Rosalee continued to press.

"Rosie, Fran isn't adopting you," said Eva.

"That's something we can discuss," said Fran.

Eva's mouth gaped at the pronouncement. Her pupils flicked rapidly, left to right like she was trying to read between the lines. Like always, there was nothing hidden in his words. Fran said what he meant.

"I'd like to hyphenate," said Rosalee. "So we have a piece of mom and dad and a piece of Fran."

Eva turned back and faced forward. From her profile, Fran saw her throat work. She was holding back emotion.

"Yeah," said Carlos. "That sounds good to me. After the adoption, I'll hyphenate too."

"What will you do when you have kids of your own?" asked Rosalee. "I guess they'll be DeMonti."

Now Fran faced entirely forward, eyes on the road, hands gripping the steering wheel. They hadn't addressed much of the truth of their marriage with the kids. Rosalee and Carlos hadn't even realized that Fran and Eva hadn't slept in the same bedroom last night.

They'd waited until after the kids had gone to bed to slip inside their respective rooms. It hadn't been just a slip inside. Fran had walked Eva to her room. He'd tried not to stare at her. She was still dressed in the sundress from the ceremony but her feet were bare on the hardwood floors. He'd found himself staring at her pink toes.

When he'd lifted his gaze, he was met with the curves he'd been trying to ignore all day. A little higher and there was her beautiful face, still flushed from the day's excitement. They'd laughed until they were hoarse, danced until they were sore, and ate until they were glutted. It was the best day Fran had had all year, in many years.

As they stood at her bedroom door, Eva's hair was loosened from the do she'd worn earlier. Her hair was a halo around her face, making her look like a sleepy angel. Fran itched to push a strand back behind her ear.

He clenched his fist instead. Like he'd done when instinct drove his fingers to hold her hand while they sat side by side at the picnic table. Like he'd done when impulse put his lips next to her ear to whisper something funny while they danced. He'd pulled his hand away before taking hers in his. He'd turned his head to the side before confiding in her.

He had to constantly remind himself that this wasn't a real marriage, it wasn't a love relationship.

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