The Cherished Wife

"A bunch of people already know about me and Charles, and it seems like we can't keep it a secret much longer. We never really planned to keep it under wraps anyway!"

"You're thinking of making it official?" Sean grinned. "That's awesome. I won't have to play third wheel to you lovebirds anymore. You don't know how tough it's been, getting an eyeful of your lovey-dovey act all the time. It's so cringe!" "Cringe?" A playful glint appeared in Rowena's eyes as she leaned in and teased, "Mr. Smith, you're familiar with that word? I didn't know you were so hip with new slang."

Sean arched an eyebrow. "I know way more than you think, kiddo. Did you really think I was out of touch?"

Rowena laughed and settled back into her seat, trying to piece together what had happened. "So, you pretended to be in a relationship with Mr. Smith to throw people off? But I'm still confused. Who's Andy? Why did Winter look so scared when his name came up? I've never heard of someone like him in Brookville, but he sounds like someone you wouldn't want to mess with."

Noelle bit her lip. "You're asking a lot of questions. Which one do you want me to answer first?"

me about Andy," Rowena decided after

"Is it related to the

paused, a bit surprised, then nodded. "Yeah.

second son, but is using their name like this appropriate? What if they find out? It could be awkward, especially since that Andy guy is actually from Cascade City!" Sean glanced at Teresa with new interest. "No

knowing Sean was just being polite. After all, her Saunders family wasn't the same as the

in Brookville, while Teresa's family was just comfortably middle-class.

Andy guy is Sean's actual brother, and we're using his name because he told us to.

nodded in agreement. "We've got your back. We won't spill the beans about you and Charles until you're ready to

talking, they