His thoughts whirled over recent events. Everything was happening so fast. He had to pinch himself sometimes to convince himself he was going to be a father in six months.
The plane landed, and he waited impatiently for his chance to disembark. He stood hunched over his seat andconsidered his approach to his mother. No matter how many times he went over things, he had a hard time believing he could convince either of them to accept his lovers after what had happened at Thanksgiving. When it was his turn, he moved slower than he had planned. Each step was taking him closer to something permanent. Finally, he reached the jetway and had to speed up to keep from having the other travelers trample him. Chris was happy with the view his height gave him as he followed the crowd through the terminal and past the security checkpoint. He looked anxiously around for his mother. Instead, the first face he recognized was his father’s.
Someone bumped into him from behind and let out a frustrated expletive; Chris muttered an excuse and resumed walking.
He separated from the crowd to join his father and saw his mother there, too. He allowed her to pull him into a hug and slowly straightened to make eye contact with his father. “Dad, I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
Eyes like his own looked back from under bushy eyebrows. “Ever since you left the house at Thanksgiving, your mother has been telling me I was too hasty. When she said she’d convinced you to come, I had to be here, too.” Although the words weren’t hostile, his father’s tone was brusque.
They shook hands awkwardly, and Chris turned to see his mother was crying. Chris wondered how he could enjoy making submissives cry, but it killed him to see his mother like this. “Mom, thanks for coming. I thought we were going to talk first.”
“You’ll have to forgive me for jumping the gun a little.” His mother lifted her chin defiantly. “It didn’t seem like there was any point in waiting. Why don’t we find somewhereto sit so we can talk?” She herded them toward a scattering of chairs.
As soon as they were settled, Chris explained his plans for marriage and the future while his parents listened, their faces strained.
“So, you’re going to marry the blond girl, but the both of you will also have a relationship with the redhead because the women are bisexual?” His father still didn’t sound too pleased, but at least he wanted to talk and seemed interested in Chris’s reply.
Chris decided on a bit more of the truth when he answered. “I’ve been in love with Kate since the moment I met her, but she has needs I can’t fulfill.” He scrubbed the back of his head. “When I met Yvonne, my attraction to her confused me, but after we all three got together, it clicked.” He shrugged. “Yvonne is the missing puzzle piece that connects us. It’s hard to explain. Without Yvonne, there isn’t a Kate and me, but without Kate, a relationship with Yvonne would always be lacking, too.” Chris shrugged and looked his father in the eye. “I love them both very much.”
His father stayed silent and narrowed his eyes.
His mother shuffled in her seat. “We were in shock at first.” She held up a stern finger. “You should have talked to us about this before bringing both of them here at Thanksgiving. I was so looking forward to a daughter-in-law. Like in a marriage, not this modern living together you young folks do. You can’t marry them both.” She sighed. “And I really want grandchildren, Chris.”
His father shook his head and addressed his mother. “Didn’t we discuss how we would give Chris some time and space to sort things out with the women?” He pulled his wife against his side and kissed the top of her head. “There you go talking about marriage and babiesin the first five minutes.” He looked at Chris again and held out his hand, which Chris took gratefully. “I’m sorry, boy. I reacted badly, but all I wanted to do was protect your mother.”
She huffed. “Like I need protection from life.” She turned her attention to Chris. “Would I rather you have a traditional relationship? Of course. But what I want the most is for my only son to be happy. Are you happy, sweetheart?”
His eyes and throat burned. “Yes, Mom, Iam. And you would make me the happiest man in the world if you would come to Kansas City for my wedding next weekend.”
His mother’s incredulous, “What?” didn’t prevent Chris from hearing his father’s sucked-in breath.
Chris allowed himself his first genuine grin since he’d entered the airport. Everything would work out with his parents, and he couldn’t wait to tell them about the baby. But first, they would come for the ceremony.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Valentine’s Day arrived clear and bright, and Yvonne leaned at the windowsill in the bedroom. It had been cold and dreary for weeks, and she basked in the sunrays stroking her face even through the glass. She hoped the sunny weather was a predictor of the day. Her future in-laws had arrived the day before, and they had all had dinner together. Although there had been less tension than Thanksgiving, she still wasn’t sure about them. They had kept looking from her to Kate and back again as if something about them would change if they only looked hard enough. Or maybe they were afraid they would tear off their clothes and start an orgy. Yvonne giggled.
She stepped away from the view and stroked her belly, pleased her morning sickness seemed over. She’d had a solid breakfast every day for the past week without any nausea. Her belly grumbled; breakfast sounded good.
Lazily, Yvonne left the bedroom. She wasn’t in a hurry. The wedding would be at two in the afternoon, with a small reception at The Sweet and Savory Table afterward. She hadn’t wanted to take advantage of her friends, but Suzieand Sonja had insisted. Yvonne looked forward to the wedding, but even more so to their evening plans. They were going to Club Indigo, and Kate had been mysterious about it. She hadn’t shared her intentions with either Yvonne or Chris.
Out in the kitchen,TanteWilma had a typical Dutch breakfast for her last day at the house. She had already moved her things to Kate’s, but everyone had insisted she had to spend the night before the wedding with her aunt and uncle. Apparently, there was some American superstition about the groom not seeing the bride before the wedding. She kissed her aunt on the cheek and thanked her for the gesture. There were even chocolate sprinkles for her bread. “Hagelslag?” Yvonne exclaimed in surprise at the typical Dutch spread.
“Of course, Yvonne. It’s your wedding day. I wanted you to have all your favorites. I keep a small supply for special occasions. Cameron ate already. Have as much as you like, dear.” Like usual, when alone, they spoke Dutch. “I want you to know how much we appreciate your coming to help out these last months. It’s made a real difference in Cameron’s recovery and taken a huge load off my mind when I had to be elsewhere. And now you’re leaving, but you’ll be close, and I love that, too. I hope your American marriage will work out as well as mine has.”
Yvonne hugged her aunt, who now seemed more like a mother to her. When she pulled back, they both had tears in their eyes.
Yvonne accepted a tissue. “I hope so, too. Your support has meant so much to me since I’ve been here and with my complicated relationship.”
She sat at the table and buttered two slices of bread.Aunt Wilma placed a steaming mug beside her plate, and Yvonne inhaled the bergamot of Earl Grey tea.
“Now eat,” Wilma urged. “Can’t have you fainting at your own wedding.”
Yvonne chuckled and added the chocolate sprinkles to her breakfast. While Yvonne ate, they continued discussing the past few months and her aunt’s hopes for her future.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Kate arrived at 12:30 to help her get ready for the ceremony. She appreciated the attention and was glad she could have her Mistress as maid of honor, since Els hadn’t been able to come for the wedding. Still, she had family here, too, and it would be all right. Wilma had created dresses for them both for the ceremony, Yvonne’s in traditional white, with a design that completely hid her baby bump. Yvonne hadn’t cared about it, but it seemed to matter to Wilma, and Yvonne let her do what she wanted. Kate’s dress was a deep jewel green that matched her eyes and complemented her hair. Wilma herself looked stunning in a dove-gray ensemble with soft pink accent that went well with her gray hair and complexion. Yvonne was happy to see her aunt in one of her own beautiful creations.
