I set the bread down and took her hands in my own. “You must be the beautiful Winnifred,” I greeted, and placed a quick kiss on her cheek. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”
Winnifred blushed, “You flatter me. Call me Winnie, young man. You must be Rome, Bec’s new boyfriend?”
I laughed at the comment but didn’t correct her. I didn’t mind the term, despite it being fake. Truthfully, it was an honor to have people assume Bec would settle for the likes of me. What I didn’t notice was that Bec didn’t correct her mother either.
“The one and only! Thank you so much for inviting me tonight; I feel like a member of the family already,” I gushed.
Will rolled his eyes and pushed me away from his mom and stood by her side at the stove, where the two prepared dinner together. “First my wife, then my sister, and now my mom? Can you try and keep it in your pants for like ten minutes?”
I just shrugged and moved to Bec’s side, where she was leaning against the kitchen island. I bumped my shoulder into hers. “How am I doing?” I asked in a whispered voice.
Her brow furrowed in question, “Hmmm…”
“Am I winning over my future in-laws over there?” I asked, pointing towards Will, Jackie, and Winnie. All three of whom heard me based on Winnie’s laughs and Will’s rolled eyes. Maybe tonight wouldn’t be too bad.
Bec smiled widely. “You still have some work with my brother. Maybe buy him a drink or something?”
“Maybe stop flirting with my wife,” Will called over his shoulder.
“Oh come on,” I complained. “Look at Jackie, I can’t help myself.”
Jackie smiled and curtsied, “Why, thank you, I understand completely. You’re not so bad looking yourself,” she ended with a wink.
Which I, of course, reciprocated.
Winnie laughed as she watched the interaction. She sighed happily and wrapped her arms around Will’s waist in a maternal hug, “My kids needed people like you.”
“Hey!” Both Will and Bec protested.
Winnie laughed, “Oh come on, I’m your mother, and let me tell you both… you needed some light in your lives. These two,” she pointed between Jackie and me, “they have that light.”
Jackie flipped her hair over her shoulder, clearly proud of herself. “That we do, Winnie. And I agree, Rome is exactly what Bec needs.”
Will groaned and Winnie laughed, yet Bec still didn’t argue.Strange.
I smiled at myself and draped my arm over Bec’s shoulder, “Wanna give me a tour of this place? It’s about time I see how therichy poosof this city live.”
Bec rolled her eyes but pulled me along with her as she made her way out of the kitchen. She directed me through more rooms than I could keep count of. There were guest rooms, offices, andtwo libraries. I couldn’t fathom how a brownstone could be so large. Most New York City homes were cramped and overfilled–at least the houses I knew.
After working with Bec every day, there were moments when I forgot how wealthy she truly was. She probably didn’t bat an eye at the size of the home, assuming it was normal.
“My mom wanted a big family home,” Bec explained. “She convinced my dad to buy the neighboring units on each side and convert them into one massive house.”
“When did they do that?” I asked as I refrained from knocking into anything. I had a feeling that every piece of decor was more expensive than me.
“Ummm,” Bec racked her memories, “I think I was five, maybe six?”
“Do you remember it at all?” I asked with a smile.
She shook her head, “Nope. But I’ve heard about it from Will. We had to share a room for a few days, and it was apparently complete hell. That man really prefers his own company.”
I stuffed my hands in my pockets and rocked back on my heels. “He’s all but moved Jackie’s entire family onto his property. He must be somewhat over his aversion to people.”
Bec chuckled lightly, “Oh no. He hates it… but he loves Jackie more. And I think somewhere in his heart, he loves her family.”
I raised a brow, “Think he secretly loves me?”
This time, Bec laughed with her whole body.Rude. “Keep on dreaming.”
