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There’s a pleased grin on my mom’s lips. “No reason to strain yourself, Lennon. Just let Easton help you, honey.”
I slowly walk down the stairs, arriving right in front of my mom and my husband.
Wow. That felt weird to say, even if it was in my head.
“Is this how it’s going to be now? You two ganging up on me?”
They nod simultaneously, but Easton says the word. “Yes.”
“Easton,” my father declares as he enters the foyer, reaching out to shake Easton’s hand.
“Mr. Riley.”
“Come on, you know better, son. Call me Bruce.”
Easton shrugs. “I figured I could show you a little respect since I married your daughter without asking for permission or the two of you knowing that we were seeing each other.”
Both of my parents turn to me with surprised looks.
“What?”
My mom focuses back on Easton. “Thank you for acknowledging that, Easton. Luckily, you’ve always felt like a part of this family, so it’s not as hurtful as I thought it would be. In fact, Bruce and I couldn’t be more thrilled that the two of you figured out that you belong together.”
Well, that’s news to me…
Easton chimes in before I can. “Look, I want you to know that the last thing I wanted to do was hurt either of you in any capacity, but…” His eyes meet mine and suddenly, my body grows hot. He’s looking at me with a protectiveness that has always turned my insides into warm, gooey mush. “The only thing I was concerned about was that Lennon and the baby were taken care of,” he finishes before turning back to my parents. “And I promise that’s what I intend to do.”
My father wraps his arm around my mother’s waist. “I have no doubt. You’re adults and, as much as we wish we could have been there, we respect your decision. However, we expect to be kept in the loop from here on out. I’ll be damned if I miss anything else, especially seeing my grandchild.”
Easton and I look at one another.
I stammer. “Yeah, well…”
“Our relationship has been sort of sporadic with my work schedule,” Easton cuts in. “But my company is starting a job at the college this week, so I’ll be home for almost a year.”
“Oh, yes. I heard about that at the budget meeting,” Mom says. “There’s a lot of money going into that.”
“Exactly. I, for one, am eager to be around more, especially now that Lennon and I are married.”
My father clears his throat. “Seems like the distance didn’t prevent the two of you from…connecting, though, did it?”
I scrunch up my nose. The mention of sex isn’t abnormal for my family, but that still doesn’t mean I want to discuss my sex life with my father. “Dad, can you not?”
“Lennon, in case you’ve forgotten, we have five kids,” Mom adds. “We know how babies are made…”
I grab Easton by the hand and lead him upstairs. “Annnddd…that’s our cue to leave.”
“Why are you acting like you’re disgusted by him?” Dad calls out through his laughter. “You’re having his baby so he must not be that bad…”
Shutting my bedroom door behind us, I lean against it, closing my eyes. “Kill me now, please.”
Easton’s chest shakes with silent laughter, but then he plants his hands on his hips. “He’s not wrong, though. You can’t act like the idea of sleeping with me repulses you if we’re going to pass this off as legitimate.”
My eyes drop to his lips, thinking back to our kiss at our wedding the other day.
Yeah, I definitely wasn’t repulsed by that.
Saying that I haven’t imagined kissing Easton would be a bald-faced lie. But the reality?
