"I really don't mind, Sam. What Iwouldmind is your children thinking I'm after your money."
"I'm outnumbered on this, aren't I," he muttered.
"Not necessarily," Chase mumbled in return. "Depends on Ellen. I think I believe her. Lola, I mean. I mean, Idobelieve you, Mrs Brown?—"
"Lola is fine."
"—it's just that this is a lot."
"Imagine how I feel," Sam said almost indignantly. "This time yesterday I didn't even know Lola was still alive!"
"Well, and that's the point, Dad! She's come out of nowhere and the story is romantic and everything, but?—"
"It's not just romantic. She's my mate, Chase. I told you that. I've known since I was eighteen."
Chase's jaw dropped open and he blinked at his father. "Your mate?"
Lola's own jaw had dropped, although she felt a little silly. Sam had mentioned he'd taken in shifter children. Somehow she hadn't quite put it together that that meant Chase must thereforebea shifter.
"Didn't I tell you that last night?" Sam asked incredulously. "I mentioned it to the others. Oh." He groaned. "No, I told so many people yesterday, including Lola, that I just assumed I'd told you, too."
Chase hadn't yet collected his jaw, though his gaze bounced to Lola, then back to Sam. "No, you didn't tell me that! Well,jeez.Ellen's not going to need a prenup, then.Jeez, Dad!"
Sam looked genuinely sheepish, shoulders hunched and his face scrunched up. "I thought I'd mentioned it! I couldn't figure out why you were being so stubborn!"
"Well, I couldn't figure out why you were being so crazy! Sorry," Chase added to Lola, who widened her eyes and waved a hand.
"No, no, that's fine, I get it. I—sorry. Everybody knows about fated mates? All shifters, I mean?"
"Ellen and Tony both found theirs years ago, so I knew it was real, even if Dad and me and Steph never found anybody like that." Chase slid down in his chair like a considerably younger man. "Or me and Steph, I guess. Jeez, Dad!"
"You said that," Sam said fondly. "Can we have breakfast without causing anybody indigestion, now?"
Chase made a spluttering sound of agreement, and Sam, chuckling, raised his voice a bit to call out to the kitchen. A moment later, a young man with a restaurant-style platter came out to dish food out to everyone, leaving Lola to eye the kitchen and shake her head.
She'd known Sam's house had a breakfast bar and that he employed a chef and house staff, but she'd never eaten there before. Having someone standing around waiting for tension to fade so they could bring breakfast out would take some getting used to, Lola thought. Around the first meltingly-good bite of omelette, she said, "For what it's worth, my daughter had more or less the same reaction, except I couldn't tell her about fate and mates and shifters. Parents probably really shouldn't spring revived teenage romances on their unsuspecting kids."
"No!" Chase said emphatically. "No, they should not! But I am happy for you," he added more quietly. "It still might take some time to get my head around it, but I'm very happy for you." He took a deep breath, held it, then let it out. "Do either of you know Zane Bellamy?"
Lola hesitated. "The fashion designer? I know of him. He's very popular in Hollywood, isn't he?"
"That's right. Somehow he got wind of the crash wedding and called me this morning to offer to make you a dress, Lola."
Lola stared at him. "I don't care how good he is, he can't possibly make a wedding dress in under six hours. Not even a not-very-fancy one, which I don't need. I mean, I don't need a fancy one."
"He apparently thinks he can. You have an eleven a.m. appointment, if you want to keep it."
"I feel like I'd be a fool to say no, but…" Lola turned to Sam. "But in that case, what areyougoing to wear? Because I can't have a dress and be all fussed up and you show up in jeans!"
Sam looked profoundly offended. "I never wear jeans."
"It's true," Chase chimed in. "Not even when we were wrestling outside when we were kids."
"You used to wear jeans!"
"I'll start again," Sam offered. "Just for you. But not for the wedding. I do own a tux or two, Lola."
"Oh. Of course you do." Lola eyed him to make sure he knew most people didn't own tuxedos, and from his chuckle, assumed she'd gotten her point across. "Well, all right, then."
