31
KADE
I stood in my parents' living room with Lainey's hand in mine, and watched both families settle onto the couches. My mother looked tense; Dad looked skeptical. Lainey's parents looked confused about why they'd been summoned here after everything that had happened between us.
"Thank you for coming," my mother said in a tight voice. She sat properly on the edge of her seat and pursed her lips. Everything about her posture was stiff; I could see how uncomfortable she was in every rigid line of her body.
"We weren't sure we should," Lainey's father replied, "given the circumstances."
"The circumstances are about to change." I squeezed Lainey's hand. "I wanted everyone here because I have something to say and I'm only saying it once."
My father leaned back in his chair and grumbled, "This should be interesting." It annoyed me but I ignored him. This was a happy day for Lainey and I—whether our parents liked it or not—but I truly hoped they were okay with what we'd decided.
"I'm not going through with the annulment." I looked directly at him. "Lainey and I are staying married, and we'll have a wedding for real this time."
My father didn't look surprised at all. "We assumed that after your television spectacle." His scowl wasn't surprising, either. But the fact that he'd come into this meeting with the knowledge that I was serious about this woman meant he had already found some sort of acceptance. Otherwise he'd never have shown up.
It was a start.
"Good." I kept my voice level. "Then we all understand where I stand."
My mother rose from her seat and crossed to Lainey. She took both of Lainey's hands in hers and looked her in the eye. "I owe you an apology," Mom told her softly. "I said terrible things to you on the phone. I was out of line, and I feel just awful... I'm so sorry, Ms. Rowan."
Lainey was so gracious, more so than I would ever have been. "It's Lainey, really, and thank you for saying that."
My father stood as well. "We did handle the entire situation poorly." He looked at Mr. Rowan and his shoulders dropped. "Please forgive us."
The tension in the room eased slightly. Lainey's parents exchanged glances and her father extended his hand to my father. Seeing that tiny act felt so healing. Lainey and I jumped into this with both eyes shut, so I knew how jarring the whole thing must've felt to our families. But seeing them get along meant everything to me, and probably to Lainey as well.
"Let's have lunch," my mother suggested. "We have a lot to discuss."
We moved to the dining room and sat down to eat. The conversation flowed easier than I expected. Mom asked about wedding plans and Lainey was eager to talk venues. Lainey's father asked about the bakery's business model, so I leaned on Dad's expertise there. And when Lainey's mom casually mentioned needing space for a baby, my mom and dad went completely silent.
The shock on their faces was total. My mother actually swayed in her seat and gripped the table, while Dad's chin rose a few notches and his face went white as a sheet. But surrounded by family who already knew, the news settled into excitement, snuffing out the shock and surprise evident in my father's wide eyes and gaping jaw.
"A grandchild?" my mom whispered, and she was crying.
Dad eventually recovered and retired to his study with Mr. Rowan to talk business, and all in all it was a pretty good success. Awkward, but we knew it would be that way when we set it up.
After lunch ended, I pulled Lainey into the hallway while the families continued talking. I had to steal a few kisses and make sure that she remembered how much I loved her.
"That went better than planned," I growled against her lips. Mom and Dad were happily distracted, and after giving up my keys to the kingdom, I had no place to go but the bedroom I grew up in.
"I was so surprised... and your mom will really pay for the whole reception?" she asked, gawking. My eyes were focused on her lips, which I kept peppering with kisses, nipping with my teeth.
"Don't worry about that right now. We have time to plan, and you'll have your dream wedding. Even if that's just me, you, and a justice of the peace at a Vegas Casino," I joked before attacking her mouth again.
Lainey's hands grabbed the sides of my shirt as she deepened the kiss hungrily. "You think I'm letting you off the hook that easy?" she mewled, and it was her turn to bite my lip. She sucked it into her mouth, then nibbled, and slid down my jaw to my pulse point where she sucked.
"I don't know... I'd do anything to get you into my bed though." I grabbed her butt hard and she yelped in surprise. "Come to my room?"
"Mr. Kingston, your parents are here?—"
"You never did anything risky in your life?" I asked, knowing the can of worms I was opening.
She smiled against my skin and whispered, "I've been known to do a few insanely wild things now and then."
Grinning, I took her hand and backed away, pulling her up the hallway away from the chatter of our parents' conversation. "Then prove it. Let me spread you open and devour you like a twelve course dinner, and we'll see just how wild you can be."
