Bad Bridesmaid (Billionaire's Club Book 11) by Elise Faber (important books to read txt) 📕

her. Right. Her dad, she could understand. Keeping track of a schedule wasn’t his strong suit. But her mother . . . she was organized, she knew what was coming.

She just expected Heidi to always drop everything and be available.

“Oh, that’s great,” Brad said. “I’d love to meet him. Are you two free later? My family is in town, and we’re having a big dinner with my brother’s wife’s family. Actually, I’m sure you guys probably already know Kate’s parents, huh?” He glanced at Heidi. “Since you guys have known each other since college.”

Heidi shrugged. Yes, her parents had met Kate’s. And it had gone . . . well, about as well as a nuclear explosion. Kate’s parents were . . . nice. Which wasn’t a fair assessment to her dad, she knew. He was a decent person, if not a bit detached from anything that wasn’t the science in his brain.

It was just that her mom was . . . her mom.

“Actually,” she began.

Meanwhile, Brad was still talking. “It’s always a good time, and I’m sure they’d love to have you—”

Her mother daintily picked up a fork, cut off a truly miniscule bite of pancake, and ate it. Then shuddered.

For fuck’s sake.

“—if you’re available and—”

“I’m sure they’re busy,” Heidi blurted. “My father’s conference schedule is always hectic, and he’s usually tired after—”

“Kate McLeod?”

Brad smiled. “She’s a Huntington, now, but yes, she was a McLeod.”

Her mom’s eyes widened, hunger inside them. The very same hangers-on hunger she’d had the first time she’d met Kate’s parents. The same hunger that had Heidi promising herself she would never, ever bring their two families into contact again.

“They’re busy,” she said quickly.

“Actually,” her mom said. “No, we’re not. We’d love to come.”

She tried another way. “It’s impolite to add guests—”

“It’s fine, sweetheart,” he said. “My mom is always happy to welcome more, and I know Kate’s mom feels the same.”

Because, of course, they did.

Because the Moms were both wonderful.

Unlike hers.

“Great,” her mother said. “Then it’s settled. Your father and I will join in on the dinner.”

Twenty-Five

Brad

He’d fucked up.

He’d realized that after Heidi’s mom, Colleen, had left to “go get ready” and he’d finally seen Heidi’s face.

He’d known it when her parents had shown up in the rental car, her dad in jeans and a polo that would fit right in with the Huntingtons and McLeods, and her mother in a cocktail dress.

With pearls.

She looked beautiful.

She just didn’t look like she was ready to go to a casual family-style dinner.

Fancy eight-course meal? Yes.

BBQ chicken on paper plates? No.

But he hadn’t realized exactly how much he’d fucked up until dinner.

When Colleen had latched onto Kate’s mom, Marabelle, like a limpet, asking her all about her cosmetic business and how much money she’d made and then approaching practically every item in the large ranch-style house and expounding on how expensive the built-in cabinet must be, and—oh look—that TV was huge, it must be super pricey, and what about the outdoor kitchen? That surely must have cost an arm and leg, especially with that glass tile backsplash.

It wasn’t so much that she was complimenting Marabelle’s style choices . . . it was just . . . all so insincere.

Over the top.

Disingenuous.

But that still wasn’t the moment when he’d realized the extent of his fucked-up-ness.

Nope.

That came from the way she’d treated Heidi.

The way she was still treating Heidi. And look, his own mom had taught him to treat people with kindness and respect, but she’d also taught him to stand up to bullies.

Colleen was a bully.

He didn’t know why she was a bully, but he just knew that she must have been that way for a long time, long enough that Frank, her scientist husband, and Heidi hardly seemed to notice the barely veiled barbs, the disapproving looks.

But as the wine flowed and the dinner went on, the barbs became more obvious.

And the hold on his temper grew decidedly tenuous.

“Tell me what you’re working on in your lab,” Marabelle said. Then chuckled. “Well, tell me whatever you can that’s not top secret, that is.” She glanced over at Colleen. “Isn’t it amazing that your daughter runs her own lab? I heard her last paper was peer reviewed in The Journal.”

For the first time, he saw Frank perk up, lifting his head from his plate of chocolate cake and reaching across the table to pat his daughter’s hand. “It was a fantastic article.”

“But she’s still over thirty and unmarried.”

All eyes at the table turned to Colleen.

Then went back to Heidi—who was gorgeous in an emerald blouse, loose-fitting jeans, and minimal makeup that didn’t hide the red stain on her cheeks. “Lucky for me, there’s more to life than wedding bells.” She smiled at Kate. “No offense to my newly-married friends.”

Kate smiled sympathetically. “None taken. God knows, I spent plenty of time being over thirty and unmarried.”

“Except—”

“Enough, Mom,” Heidi said.

Colleen’s jaw tightened. “Well, even if you don’t care enough to give me grandchildren, the least you could do is go easy on the sugar and carbs so you can fit into a nice wedding dress.” She sniffed. “That is, if you can even get Brad down the aisle.”

Kate gasped.

Heidi’s eyes slid closed.

And he lost it.

He slammed his hands on the table as he shot to his feet, his chair tipping over backward and hitting the floor with a loud thwack. “Where in the hell do you get off treating your daughter that way?”

Primly, she turned in his direction. “Excuse me?” she asked archly.

“No, you’re not excused,” he snapped. “Your behavior is atrocious. Your daughter is the most wonderful woman I have ever met, and I’m lucky enough to love her. And yet you treat her like she’s not worthy.” He slammed his hands on the table again, making several people jump. “You don’t fucking deserve to breathe her air.”

“How dare—”

“How dare I?” He stepped back from the table, straightened his chair. “Is that what you were going to say? How dare I stick up for your daughter? How dare I