She stepped aside and Kyle was left facing Richard for the first time as Jamie’s fiancé and not just his subordinate. His eyes were the same color as Jamie’s, but where Jamie’s gaze had always been warm and inviting, Richard’s was more reserved. He still extended his hand to Kyle, grip firm when Kyle took it.
“I understand my son is going to marry you,” Richard said.
“More like I’m going to marry him because someone needs to keep Jamie in line when Katie isn’t around,” Kyle replied evenly. “He should consider himself lucky.”
Jamie snorted. “I do.”
Richard raised an eyebrow at their exchange, but didn’t say anything more than, “Welcome to the family, Kyle.”
Whether or not he meant it, Kyle didn’t know and didn’t care. Richard didn’t impress him. Maybe one day he’d respect the man, but that day would be a long time coming. He’d witnessed firsthand the stress Richard and Charlotte had inflicted on Jamie’s life. Kyle wasn’t willing to forgive them for that so easily.
But he could play nice.
“Thank you,” Kyle said politely.
“Shall we move into the dining room?” Charlotte asked the group.
Everyone filtered out of the parlor and headed for the dining room. Kyle took one look at the intricately set place settings when they arrived and inwardly sighed. Charlotte’s idea of a family dinner was more like a high-end dining experience.
Jamie caught Kyle’s eye and quirked an eyebrow at him as they took their seats. Kyle refrained from making a face, but just barely. He much preferred the easy meals with Alexei and Sean they’d been enjoying over the past five days or so to this. But food was food, and Kyle was hungry.
The four-course meal consisted of soup, salad, the entrée, and dessert. Why they couldn’t serve it all on one plate and at the same time was one of those mystifying things about rich people Kyle assumed he’d have to get used to when visiting. He was just glad Jamie preferred piling his plate high with all the food when they were alone or eating with the team. No one cared much about manners when they were starving.
At least Charlotte’s chef was aware of how much metahumans could eat. While her plate, along with Richard and Leah’s, held normal portions of food, his and Jamie’s contained double portions. The food wasreallygood, especially the steak. He could have done without the conversation though.
“I understand you proposed over Thanksgiving, Jamie,” Charlotte said as she daintily cut into her filet mignon. “Have you thought about a wedding date yet?”
“We’ve been a little busy, Mother,” Jamie said tactfully.
“I’m well aware of how busy you’ve been, but you have time now. You should really think about planning your wedding. One of the ladies I lunch with, her daughter got married last autumn. The wedding planner did an outstanding job. I can ask for a referral, if you want.”
“We didn’t anticipate getting married this year due to Father’s campaign.”
“I assume you didn’t think about getting married at all in the near future due to the secretive nature of your relationship,” Richard added.
“That, too,” Kyle said before Jamie could open his mouth. “We still planned on serving in the MDF together for as long as we were able. A wedding didn’t seem important.”
Richard held his gaze, but Kyle refused to back down. “My understanding is that Alpha Team has been benched for the foreseeable future.”
“The internal investigation into my actions is wrapping up,” Jamie said coolly. “I’ve made my case to the director regarding my team.”
“And that would be?”
“Not your business at the moment, Father.”
Richard didn’t push, probably because of the warning look Charlotte shot him across the table. Kyle dragged a piece of steak through the garlic mashed potatoes and popped it in his mouth.
It really was good steak.
Conversation steered away from the wedding that Kyle and Jamie hadn’t given much thought to since getting engaged to more innocuous subjects. Charlotte was adept at reading a room and tailoring talking points accordingly, even with her family. Kyle couldn’t help but compare Jamie’s family to his own, noting the care, but lack of warmth, the Callahans expressed. But they were going to be his in-laws, so Kyle made an effort to join in.
Still, when dinner was over and they’d said their goodbyes, Kyle was glad to leave. He wasn’t comfortable around Jamie’s parents yet, and wouldn’t be for a good long while.
“They’re a lot to take in,” Jamie said apologetically once they were back on the road.
“Ihavemet them before,” Kyle drawled.
“Not as my fiancé.”
