“We’ve always felt guilty about him,” Lydia said with a sigh. “Your father keeps saying Oliver’s distant because we failed as parents. He’s not wrong.”
She smiled at Patricia. “We used to worry he’d never want to get married. Thank goodness we have you, Pattie.”
When they got back to the Padilla house, the guests were still around. The sound of the front door caught their attention, and they stood up from the sofa as Lydia walked in. “Ms. Phipps,” one of them called out.
Lydia greeted them with an easy smile.
Someone glanced over at Patricia. “Is this your new sister-in-law?”
Oliver reached for Patricia’s hand. “Come here.”
He introduced her to everyone, and Patricia nodded politely at each name. When they finished, Oliver put his hand on her waist. “We need to talk about something. Want to go upstairs and rest for a bit?”
Patricia nodded. “Okay.”
The moment she left, the men on the sofa couldn’t hold back their comments.
Derek grinned. “Oliver, how did you land someone so sweet and well-behaved? You’re one lucky guy.”
Oliver laughed. “Getting tired of the wildcat at home? Should I record that and send it to Jenny?”
Jenny was part of their group too. She and Derek were childhood friends who got married at twenty-five. Now, seven years in, they were stuck in a rut. Problems kept piling up, but they stayed together for business and a bit of old affection. Divorce wasn’t really an option. They were at the stage where they were just tired of each other.

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