Claimed By My Pretend Boyfriend: Blackwater Pack Book Six

by Liam Kingsley

  Tripp

  It was as bad as Decker said it would be. Dinner had started off fine, with Deck's parents chatting with Nona and asking about her health. They were stiff but courteous and Deck's father, Dylan, complimented Nona on her cooking, saying how much he had missed her signature roasted veggie lasagna.

  “Thank you, sweetheart. I do love to cook it for you. If only you visited more often, I'd have a reason to make it more often!” Nona smiled but her message was sharp. As she looked back down to her plate, I saw not just rage but pain in her eyes. She clearly missed her son even though she disagreed with his life choices... mainly his marriage to that queen bee, Charlotte.

  Dylan, meanwhile, looked at his mother with a face full of regret. Charlotte soon snapped the moment of tenderness in half with her characteristic snarl.

  “Well, you never seem to understand how truly busy Dylan is,” she growled at Nona. “Running a successful surgeon's practice is easier said than done. I mean, it's not just about actually performing life-saving operations. There's the reception staff to handle, industry conferences to travel to, medical journals to read, research to supervise, and hospital board meetings to attend. It doesn't leave much time for visits to Blackwater.”

  Nona looked at her with daggers in her eyes and both hands clamped tight around her knife and fork. Even if Nona's dining utensils didn't pierce Charlotte's icy exterior, her look alone could have. Charlotte, though, seemed immune. Anger was bubbling out of Nona faster than the sauce bubbled out of the lasagna when it was done. I was surprised that Nona didn't spontaneously combust with rage right there at the table.

  Charlotte suddenly remembered that her son, another target of her ire, was also at the table.

  “So, Decker, what have you been up to? Besides pumping iron?” she said with a metallic smile.

  Decker cleared his throat and wiped his mouth with his napkin, probably buying time. I put my hand on his knee and squeezed it for reassurance. He reached down and I felt a surge of warmth for one moment when his fingers touched mine… Until he removed my hand off his knee and placed it back in my own lap. My heart fell.

  “The football season is swinging into gear so I'm planning our playbook and running daily practice matches and drills,” he said, like he’d rehearsed it in his head a thousand times. “And I've recently gotten some inquiries about new personal training clients so I'm trying to figure out how to fit them into my schedule as well. I'm already pretty busy with my existing regular sessions. Plus keeping up with my channel uploads, live Q&As...”

  Decker spoke in a measured, almost robotic tone but I could hear the small glimmer of hope that a child has for their parent's approval, even when it had been denied again and again. It broke my heart thinking about him trying so hard to make this dinner go smoothly when Charlotte was doing all she could to start a riot. Even though the pretext of Decker's stable, enviable lifestyle was the reason for Decker and I getting to know each other these past few weeks, I could tell he was suffering and I wished I could alleviate it. But Charlotte had already made her disapproval of my clownish behavior evident so lightening the mood didn't seem like an option.

  One of the potential new clients Decker was referring to was actually a well-known actor. I remembered the day Decker got the DM. He was so excited, gushing about how he couldn't believe that someone famous actually followed him, let alone wanted to do private sessions. Having had my own fair share of celebrity clients and yoga students, I knew that Decker was downplaying what a big deal it was. He might have been too humble to say it, but I sure wasn't.

  “One of those potential new clients happens to be a very famous actor,” I cut in. “Of course Decker can't say who he is, for confidentiality purposes, you know how it is in the entertainment business. But I happened to see a photo of him and I can say you'd recognize him. He does great work actually. I'm just so proud of my man. Decker's business deserves more high-profile recognition and I'm glad he's finally getting some. It's about time, he's just so good at what he does,” I gushed.

  Unfortunately, my efforts didn’t do much to impress the queen bee. Charlotte sighed somberly. Decker wouldn’t return my gaze.

  “You had so much potential, Decker,” she said, resting her elbows on the table and clasping her fingers loosely in front of her while gazing at him coldly. She went on, “You do know sports medicine isn't the same as real medicine, don't you?”

  Decker put on a plastic smile. “Well, my degree does say sports medicine on it, so I would say it actually is a type of medicine.”

  “You know, my friend Darla's son, Lawson, just got his doctorate in biomedical engineering,” Charlotte went on. “He's already gotten multiple lucrative job offers, all from Fortune 500 companies and Ivy League universities. His research is saving people's lives. Your father might even start consulting with him. Now that's a career that actually makes a difference in the world —”

  “You should be proud of your son.” I said it before I had a chance to even think. But what I blurted out was true. I hadn't intended to interrupt her, but seeing Decker's gorgeous jaw clenching so hard and looking like it was about to crack under pressure was too much for me to bear. I had already rolled my eyes, not that anyone had noticed, and now that I had actually spoken, Charlotte was shocked, her mouth still open mid-critique. I seized the opportunity to continue.

  “Decker inspires so many people. Not just the ones that he trains one-on-one or the team that he is shaping from fledgling athletes into formidable varsity football players. Millions of people watch his videos. Do you know that?” As it turned out, I felt more strongly about this than I originally comprehended. I sighed as I savored the experience of speaking up for Decker as his boyfriend… and pushed away the feeling that he was pulling away from me in this conversation..

  I showed him what kind of boyfriend I would really be by adding, “You should honestly go to his channel and read some of the comments that his followers leave. They are inspired to go outside and exercise because of him, despite whatever struggles they may be going through. His positive and effective approach to training is really rare. Decker is strong, motivated, and inspiring - to me and to millions of other people. And he teaches kids good values so they become better adults, not just athletes. You're lucky to have a son like him.”

  By the end of my speech, I was no longer spitting venom but glowing with love and pride for Decker. I actually felt bad for Charlotte that she couldn't understand just how amazing Decker was. Me, feeling bad for Charlotte? I thought to myself. That's a trip.

  A hush fell over the table. Hearing what I said echo in the quiet, I got a reality check. I realized how clear I had made it to everyone there that I had very deep feelings for Decker. Nona's face said it all. She was smiling at me mischievously over a forkful of salad and gave me a subtle thumbs-up from slightly below the surface of the table. I returned the gesture.

  It warmed my heart that Nona saw that what I said came from pure intentions. But the silence from the parents was downright icy. Not to mention the silence from Decker. I picked up my fork and started stuffing food into my mouth in order to prevent another outburst. Then I heard a rumble. My wolf felt even more strongly about Decker than I had expressed. Hot blood began to rise to my face and I looked over at Decker to gauge his reaction. I found him staring straight down at his food, refusing to look at me. My wolf whimpered.

  It was his father, Dylan, who broke the silence. “So Tripp, I don't know much about your life or career since high school. What have you been up to?” he asked with an upbeat tone that made me wonder if he’d been completely checked out during the last five minutes of conversation.

  I swallowed a bite of food gratefully and explained, “I work in a similar field to Decker but I mainly teach yoga and Pilates and post video classes online. Oh, and some self-defense classes too.”

  “Self-defense? Do you do martial arts?” Dylan inquired, his interest piqued.

  “Yeah, my grandfather signed me up for tae
kwon do after I started to get in trouble for my pranks. Some guys didn't have the best reactions…” I trailed off and looked at Deck pointedly. Deck threw up his hands in innocence.

  “How did you expect me to react to you putting itching powder in my jockstrap? I scratched so much my teammates thought I had crabs!”

  Nona and I cackled at the memory and Dylan joined in with a low chuckle. Decker gave a half-hearted smile. I wondered if I’d truly blown it with him.

  “Such crass language,” muttered Charlotte, stabbing at a carrot violently. She shot a glare at Dylan, too, for laughing along.

  “Anyway,” I said in order to cut off anything further from Charlotte, “it started out of necessity but it turned into something I really enjoyed. It's philosophical in many ways, just like yoga. I've learned a lot from it and it's really cool to pass that on as part of my channel now.”

  “So have you had any brushes with celebrities like Decker has?” Dylan asked.

  “I have, as a matter of fact. I've had quite a few professional dancers in my classes and I've consulted with them on injury recovery and prevention. I'm leading a wellness retreat later this year in Arizona for some high-profile students of mine too, which is very exciting.”

  “Tripp is a celebrity, Dad,” Decker insisted. My heart beat a little faster as he came to my defense, “A sportswear brand just reposted one of his Pilates sequence videos to their channel. It's not just his followers who are paying attention now. And all his yoga classes are always full. I was lucky to get to attend one, and it was really amazing.”

  I beamed at Decker. Of course it benefited his situation to rave about my accomplishments, but I appreciated him mentioning my yoga classes. I wasn't sure if he still thought yoga was beneath him.

  “I was lucky to have you in my class,” I replied with a sassy grin. “You're getting much better. We'll have you loosened up and bending like a rubber band pretty soon.”

  Dylan laughed at the image of his son contorting his limbs. “You've been to a yoga class, son?”

  “Yeah, it was interesting. I was expecting it to be like a post-workout recovery, stretching sort of thing. But it was a workout in itself. I was so relieved when we got to the relaxing stretches and meditation at the end,” he said, but still wouldn’t look at me.

  Dylan chuckled again and looked back to me. “I'm glad to hear you've gotten Decker out of his comfort zone. Do you like football, too?” he asked me.

  “Playing football? No, not my thing,” I giggled. “I prefer sports where being a lightweight is an advantage, rather than having to risk being snapped in half by a pack of burly guys in helmets. But I do like to watch, and I follow Blackwater High's team. I think they have a real shot this year, if they can tighten up their defense.”

  “That's wise of you,” Dylan nodded. “I've seen plenty of football injuries in my medical practice. Seems like there's a new one every month. I can't say I've seen many tae kwon do casualties, though, now that I think about it.”

  “There you go!” I agreed. “I'm glad my logic checks out with your professional expertise. And I'm glad that Decker wears the coach's jacket now instead of pads and a helmet. You don't see many football coaches come through the operating room, do you, Dr. Savage?”

  “You can call me Dylan, Tripp. No, I don't. And I'm glad we don't have to worry about Dylan too much either now that he's not doing much tackling.”

  We managed to finish the meal with no further incidents, but I made a swift exit as quickly as was appropriate.

  “Time for me to go, I’m afraid,” I sighed, rising from the table to help Nona clear the plates.

  “Oh, so soon?” Charlotte asked in an emotionless voice.

  “Mm, so sorry. I’m sure we’ll see each other really soon,” I smiled sugarly at her.

  “That would be wonderful,” she said, fakely as fuck.

  “Pleasure to meet you, as an adult,” Dylan stood and shook my hand.

  “And you, Dylan.”

  Nona took the plates from my other hand, and gave me a goodbye kiss on the cheek before whispering, “Run, run while you still can. These people are evil!”

  I bit down a laugh and kissed her cheek back.

  “Can I walk you out?” Decker offered, putting his hand on the small of my back.

  “Please do,” I cooed. As we walked out of the room, I called back to his parents, “T’was a pleasure!”

  We closed the front door behind us and I locked my arm in his as he walked me to my car. As gravel crunched under our shoes, he apologized. “Sorry for the way my mom was acting.”

  “It's okay,” I said, letting out a sigh of relief that he was still into me.

  “I know I kinda prepared you for it, but it still sucks.”

  “Decker, it's okay.”

  “I hope it wasn't too horrible.”

  “It wasn't. She is nasty, though. Wow. But I'm telling you. I've handled much worse than Charlotte.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked, his brow adorably furrowed with his thick eyebrows framing his blue eyes perfectly.

  “I'm just glad nothing exploded and no plates of food were even thrown! Although you know I could have handled it if it had come to that.” I puffed out my chest and flicked my hair behind my ears. Deck smiled. “Good thing I mentioned my self-defense skills so she knows not to mess with all this.” I motioned up and down my body and struck a defensive pose. “Plus, now that that's over, she's not here for much longer. We can get back to real life.”

  Deck leaned in and kissed me. I felt myself weightless for a moment and my head entered the clouds as his lips moved over mine. He nearly knocked me off my feet, until I shuffled my heels back and caught myself, landing with my hands on his chest. I pressed my lips deeper into his one more time and he rested the tip of his tongue on my mouth. I sucked on it gently and we both moaned. Then I pulled back to steady myself.

  “I'd like to see you tomorrow,” Deck said. I felt my heart start doing somersaults. My ears were ringing. Could this be the answer to my question? Does he actually want to be with me now that the charade is over? I thought to myself.

  I bit my lower lip at an attempt to keep it from trembling. Something welled up in my throat. I swallowed loudly and tried to save myself from breaking down with humor.

  “I'll be there with bells on,” I managed to say softly without sobbing.

  Deck laughed like I’d hoped he would. I gave him a quick peck and said “Good night,” before I collapsed with hopeful relief. I hopped in my car and drove home feeling like I was high. Driving through the moonlit streets of Blackwater, watching the shadows of tall trees cast dark stripes across the road, I had a feeling this was the start of something new, something real. It was something I’d wanted for so long. Now that it was sitting right in front of me, I felt a strange mix of peace and anxious anticipation. I hummed along with a love song on the radio and felt the turbulent mix of emotions churning away even more. I decided to get some of it out and belted the song at the top of my lungs all the way home.

  13

  Decker

  All I wanted to do was follow Tripp home. I watched as he left and I felt my wolf pawing desperately at my chest to chase him. I took a sharp breath and pushed down the instinct in favor of doing the right thing. I headed back inside to face my parents with the weight of dread on my shoulders, while my heart felt like it was full of butterflies doing backflips. It wasn't exactly a comfortable combination.

  I found everyone sitting in silence with drinks in their hands. I glanced at Nona, who rolled her eyes then gave an exaggerated yawn. My father cleared his throat, and my mother stared silently at her glass. I sighed and poured myself a whiskey from the small bar Nona had set up. The moment my ass hit the chair, my mother began to speak.

  “Well, Tripp is a nice boy, isn't he?” she said in a dismissive tone. It wasn't so much of a question as a statement that didn't ask for a response, so I didn't give one. No one did. No one had to. I knew that she'd keep talking no matter
what.

  “It's nice that you're met someone,” she said, her eyes still fixed on her drink. “Not exactly the caliber that we were led to believe you were dating...”

  “Caliber?” I heard myself say, and quickly muffled myself with a sip of whiskey. It was too late – my mother looked up and locked eyes with me.

  “Your grandmother did suggest that you were dating a celebrity.”

  “Tripp is a celebrity,” Nona chimed in. “Thanks for implying I'm a liar, though.”

  My mother completely ignored her and reached over to squeeze my hand. “We just want you to date someone who is worth what you have to offer.”

  My spine stiffened. My wolf growled a low, protective warning. “There is no one more worthy than Tripp,” I said through gritted teeth.

  My mother let out a short barking laugh and withdrew her hand. “Well, it's a shame that you can lie to yourself so easily.”

  “I think it's time for you to stop, Charlotte. Don't you think so, Dylan?” Nona asked my dad. He glanced between the two of them, shrugged and looked up at the ceiling. My mother laughed again and let out an overly dramatic sigh.

  “You must see how ridiculous this all is. We flew all the way here –” she started.

  “It's a two-hour flight, don't give yourself too many points for that effort,” Nona grumbled.

  “We flew here to meet a celebrity. And you bring out this small-town troublemaker who got lucky – doing what? Going on the internet?”

  “Remind me again what you do?” Nona chided.

  “Don't be so disrespectful,” she snapped.

  “Take your own advice,” I growled.

  My mother pulled back and her lips pursed. It was the look she always got when she was about to change tactics. Sure enough, her mouth fell into a sad scowl. It was so exaggerated that it was almost comical, and I would have laughed if I didn't know what was coming. Sure enough, the fake concern kept pouring out of her. “I just want what's best for you. I want you to see that you're worthy of someone who will love you like you deserve to be loved. I want what's best. I am your mother, after all.”