I grabbed at Sean's tie and started to loosen it, but he put his hand on mine. "I sort of have more to surprise you with."
I laughed. "There's more?"
"Come with me." He pulled me by the hand, walking backwards toward the door.
I raised my eyebrow at him as we walked out of the suite and into the elevator. "I'm sure I'll appreciate what you have planned, but I really think I'd appreciate that big bed back in our room more right about now."
His face grew serious, and he grabbed the back of my neck, pulling me into him. I barely had time to open my mouth before he really did start devouring me. The intensity with which he kissed me, our tongues battling each other and his hands moving all over my body and against the satiny feel of my dress, made me shake with pure need and desire. When the elevator dinged, he stepped away from me.
I put my finger out toward the buttons. "We need to go back upstairs first."
He shook his head and grabbed my hand. The deep breath he took in and let it out slowly made me smile. "As right as you are about that, we can't." I let my shoulders fall and glared at him, but he just laughed. "We have the rest of our lives, and it is seriously going to take me that long to burn through how freaking turned on you have me right now, but tonight only happens once." He pulled my hand as he walked backwards out of the elevator.
"What's tonight?"
"You'll see." He was grinning again as he looped his arm through mine, and we walked toward the lobby. Staff members were everywhere, clapping for us and smiling. I felt so self-conscious and wonderful all at the same time. My cheeks were starting to hurt by the time we reached the end of the counter and walked up to the doors that led to what I knew was the large dining room. My smile faltered for a minute as I remembered the times my mom and I had stood in the lobby talking to Elsie. I wondered if they were both there with me.
Sean turned to me. "What's wrong?"
I smiled softly and shook my head. "I was just remembering my mom and her friend Elsie."
He kissed me gently. "I couldn't do this at your inn with all the photographers. But I wanted her to be with you in some way. When Cerise told me about this place, it was perfect—like it was meant to be. I called and found out that Amber is now an assistant manager here."
"Elsie's little girl?"
He chuckled. "She's not so little anymore." Amber was six years younger than me, which would make her eighteen. Time certainly flies. "She bent over backwards to help me with this."
I looked around again and still wondered where the guests were. "Did you buy out the whole resort?"
"Well, the guests they had booked were upgraded to the private cabins surrounding the inn. We're taking up almost the whole inn."
"You and me?"
He smirked. "Not exactly." He let go of me and pushed open the doors to the dining room where we were greeted with massive applause and cheers.
My hands started shaking again as Cerise rushed forward then Annalisa. To my right, I saw Petey and Fran. Rushing toward Sean were Mel and Stewie. There were people everywhere, half of them I knew, half of them I didn't.
"Oh my God, Morgan! Let me see it!" Cerise shrieked.
Annalisa put her hands up and squealed as I put my hand out. Mel came up behind me and hugged my shoulders. "Congratulations! I'm so excited for you."
The next thing I knew, I was being passed from hug to hug and smiling like an idiot. There was a photographer everywhere I looked, getting pictures of me laughing and showing my ring. It was a whirlwind that left me a little disoriented. When the adoratwins bounced into me, I nearly fell back again, but Anthony was right behind me with his hands on my shoulders, smiling. I gave the girls hugs, and they said they wanted a ring just like mine someday. Then I turned and hugged Anthony.
"Was the hunting worth it?" He had to shout just to be heard over the excited talking in the room.
I laughed and nodded, turning to hug Fran. I talked with her for a few moments but noticed Anthony didn't leave my side. When I turned around to talk to a few more family members, he stuck by me, and I finally turned to him.
Standing on tiptoes, I said into his ear, "Are you my shadow now?"
"Until your fiancé is done making the rounds, I am."
I nodded, wondering where Nathan was and why he wasn't the one with me. When I'd hugged and thanked everyone I knew for coming, I looked to Anthony, who put his head up and looked around the room. He offered me his arm, and I looped mine through his. He helped me navigate through the crowd of people I didn't know—all of them smiled at me, and I did my best to smile back, but they made me a little nervous with their appraising looks. Anthony patted my hand as he greeted many of them. Finally, I saw Sean, and the second he saw me, his smile brightened, and his eyes lit up. He stepped forward, and I walked into his arms. I saw him nod at Anthony and smile then tip his head toward the front of the room.
Sean pulled me back toward the woman he'd been talking to.
"Aunt Alice, this is my beautiful fiancée Morgan."
She put her hand out to me and gave me the kindest smile. "It's an incredible pleasure to meet you, Morgan." She surprised me by pulling me into a hug. "Welcome to the family, sweetheart."
"Thank you." I could feel myself blushing. Sean positioned himself behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing my neck softly. I felt secure in his arms even though I didn't recognize anyone in front of me.
"Murray!" Aunt Alice called to her left and a laughing man turned around. "Murray, this is Morgan."
I put my hand out, and he sweetly kissed it. "You weren't lying, Sean. She's stunning."
I was back to blushing and put my hand to my face in embarrassment.
Alice smacked him in the arm. "Don't embarrass the poor girl. She doesn't want some old man hitting on her."
He winked at me and turned to put his arms around Alice. "You know you're the only one for me, love." She laughed.
"Ladies and gentlemen." A loud voice came from speakers in the front of the room. "If you would please take your seats, dinner is about to be served."
"Sean, Morgan, we'll chat later," Alice said as Murray pulled her away.
I felt a little more able to breathe as everyone moved away from us and sat down. Sean seemed content to stand there holding me as I looked around. It was so odd to see half of my family seated around complete strangers, who I knew were Sean's family. It was symbolic, really—the melding of two families.
I turned in Sean's arms. "Are we sitting too?"
He kissed the tip of my nose. "I just want to hold you for a minute. Then I need to introduce you to my family before we sit down. It's a quick and easy way for everyone to meet you without having to have long conversations with everyone."
"Good thinking."
He winked at me. "Surprised to find that I have a brain in my incredibly sexy head?"
I smiled at his teasing, but I was too preoccupied with worrying about his family's reaction to me to tease him back.
"Morgan?" He squeezed me until I was looking up at him again. "They'll love you."
"You said that about your mom."
"My mom has toned down her hostility. You're already growing on her, and that's quite an accomplishment." He kissed my hand and pulled me toward a table.
"How did you manage that?" I whispered.
"I'll tell you later." I didn't like the sound of that, but we reached the first table, so I tried to push it out of my mind. It made it a lot easier for me to meet everyone since they were mingled with my family. I was able to shake hands and give hugs and introduce my family to Sean's family. It made me feel less on display with my side there. And it turned out to be pretty even—half of the guests at each table were mine, and half were Sean's.
While two of his cousins were a bit on the pushy side, everyone seemed to be happy to meet me. I didn't get any glares or hostility. I didn't even get any questions about loyalty or whether I was marrying him for his money or if I was good enough for him.
When we finally walked to the only empty seats left in the room, my stomach was growling, and my cheeks were in real pain from smiling at everyone. Cerise was leaned over whispering something to a smiling Nathan. Annalisa was scrutinizing the butter dishes while Stewie tried not to laugh at her, and Anthony was teasing Mel about something. Rudy however, made me really uncomfortable. He was saying something to Sean's mom, and he did not look happy. He shot Sean a look, but I didn't see any reaction from Sean. We took our seats—Anthony to my left, Sean to my right, and Rudy and Sean's parents were on the other side of Sean.
Before I'd been seated for ten seconds, Sean's dad got up and came over to my chair. "I haven't had a chance to give you a congratulatory hug." I stood up, and he wrapped his arms around me, kissing my cheek. "Welcome to the family, sweetie."
"Thank you, Mr. Wi—uh Hallowitz."
"Now, none of that—you can call me Dad."
I blushed profusely and stared down, smiling nervously. "I've never called anyone that before."
His smile fell, and he looked so sad for me. I regretted letting the words fall out of my mouth. I felt Sean's hand encase mine.
Sean's dad smiled again at me. "Well try it out, and see how you like it."
"Okay… Dad?" I giggled. It was weird and kind of made me feel warm and happy. I squeezed Sean's hand tighter.
"Quit stealing my girl, Dad." Sean tugged on my arm, and his dad stepped back. I took my seat again, and he put his arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer to him. "You okay, love?"
I smiled genuinely and nodded. "It's just—weird." I shrugged, and he smiled and pressed his lips to mine.
Tomorrow?
Dinner went by quickly. I hadn't realized how late it was or how hungry I was. By the time we were finished, it was almost nine o'clock. We moved then into the tavern next to the dining room. The nearly wall-to-wall doors opened up to accommodate more people on the deck, complete with several patio heaters. Sean and I moved toward the bar where he held out a vodka with lime for me. When I went to grab it though, he wouldn't let go.
"I'll give it to you for a kiss." I gave him a peck on the lips, and he glared at me. "That was not a kiss."
I smiled and moved my body into his, pressing my lips to his. It was quickly apparent that we should not be kissing in public because we hit the same level we had in the elevator in less than thirty seconds. He managed to keep his hands off my breasts and my butt though, which I thought showed considerable restraint.
When I heard a very disapproving throat clearing behind me, I pulled away immediately and dug my fingers into Sean's chest. He smiled at me, keeping eye contact. How could his eyes be twinkling with mischief with his mother around? "Mom, sorry, but you'll have to come back in about thirty years if you expect me to behave myself in public with this goddess in front of me." With that, he pressed his lips to mine. I did not kiss him back, though. Instead, I pulled farther away. He looked away from me and over at his mother. "Ugh. You're turning her against me."
"Good. Then maybe she has some sense after all."
I dug my fingers into his chest again and closed my eyes.
He put his lips close to my ear and whispered incredibly softly. "She's smiling, baby. She meant it as a joke against me."
I loosed my grasp on him and tried to relax. He picked up the drink from the bar and handed it to me again. I took as inconspicuous a gulp as possible and turned around, trying to look at ease.
"I was wondering if I could have a moment alone with Morgan." She didn't look angry or mean as she said it, but I was completely not okay with walking away from Sean.
Cerise came running over, laughing. "They have a karaoke machine. We are so doing the song, Morgan!" She looked at my face then at Sean's mother and stood up straighter. "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt the party here." She widened her eyes at Sean's mother. Cerise was never one to keep her opinions to herself.
Sean's mother turned to Cerise. "I'd like to speak with Morgan away from my son. Perhaps you would join us, Cerise. I can understand why Morgan might feel—"
I sucked in a breath and pulled away from Sean. "I feel fine, Mrs. Hallowitz. If you'd like to speak with me, we can go out on the deck." I didn't wait for her answer but walked away from her toward the deck. She was so not going to intimidate me. She made me nervous, but I was the center of Sean's world now, not her, and she damn well needed to start acknowledging that.
Outside, I leaned against the railing on the covered deck, watching the snow fall. I rubbed my arms, but it wasn't uncomfortably cold with the heaters everywhere. There were lanterns all over, which gave off a romantic vibe. I really wanted to be out there with Sean instead of waiting for his mother to come out and tell me how unsuitable I was. I heard her heels on the deck as she approached me and took in a deep breath, turning to face her. I was a little taller than her, but she had this formidable presence that made me feel like she was twice my size. I stood up straighter and told myself she was no better than me.
"Morgan, I want to apologize." Okay, that surprised me. "When I first met you, I thought you would break his heart. He was already so attached to you that it scared me considerably. Sean may have quite a reputation as a ladies man, but when he cares about someone, he doesn't let them go. I'm sure you've noticed that about him already, though." I nodded, thinking of the guys, and she continued. "It was scary for me to hear him say that he loved you and wanted to marry you when you'd only just met for the first time. It made me angry to see you unfamiliar with his world and how things had to be done to fit into it."
"Just because I was unfamiliar didn't mean I was incapable."
She nodded. "I can see that now. I can also see just how much he loves you. But I've still been very leery about whether or not you truly care for him." I opened my mouth to respond to that, but she held her hand up. "Please let me finish. Mel told me about your past."
I closed my eyes. Why did she have to do that?
"Please don't be angry with her. We're very close, and she wanted to talk it through with me in terms of how it related to her relationship with her husband. I think you've really helped her in a way no one else could have. You're a very strong woman. But I still didn't have a strong sense of your feelings until Sean told me about your panic attack."
I put my hand to my face and sighed again.
"He wanted advice on how to help you through them. I know he told you I have them too. Of course, I couldn't tell him anything except to be by your side. But knowing you panicked over his safety—well you can't fake a panic attack, and you don't have them unless you're really frightened by something. So I want to apologize for doubting you. I'll always want what's best for Sean, but it's becoming very clear to me that that's you."
I was stunned. I didn't even know what to say. I think I stared at her for a full minute as she looked into the distance.
She turned back to me. "You're going to be my daughter-in-law, Morgan. I'd really like to have a relationship with you, but the decision is yours."
"Mrs. Hallowitz—"
"Morgan, you can call me Mom."
"No." She gave the smallest wince, making me hurry to explain. "I'm sorry. I don't mean any disrespect, but my mom—I loved her very much. It just doesn't—it wouldn't feel right. I'm sorry."
"Oh, no. I completely understand. In fact, I respect you for that. My friends call me Jenny."
"Thank you, Jenny. I don't ever want to hurt your son. To not be friends with you would seriously hurt him. But while what you said was reassuring, I'm not easily swayed by words. Perhaps we can agree to simply start over."
She smiled at me—a genuine smile. "I think that's an excellent idea."
I put my hand out to her. "My name is Morgan Edwards, and I'm ridiculously in love with your son." I couldn't help but smile as I said it.
She continued to smile at me. "Morgan, I'm Jenny, and I'm very happy to hear that. Shall we go back in now? Your fiancé is probably about to drop dead from not having his hands on you for so long."
I chuckled. "You know him pretty well."
"That I do."
She turned toward the door, but I stayed at the deck railing. "I just need a minute alone. I'll be right in."
She nodded and walked away.
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, rolling back my shoulders. I had anticipated the worst and was pleasantly surprised at the turnout, but the stress of it all still weighed on me. I closed my eyes and tried to let it go. His dad wanted me to call him Dad, his mom wanted to be friends, and the rest of his family seemed to welcome me with open arms. It was all so much more than I was used to. I had Petey and Fran and Cerise and Annalisa, but they had their own families they often spent Christmas Day with. The last two years, I'd spent Christmas Day with Mom in the hospital, then alone, by choice. I just didn't want to pretend to be part of someone else's family. Here I was pretending to be part of Sean's. No. That wasn't right. I was Sean's family. I stared down at my ring as it sparkled in the light of the lanterns. I was his now and he was mine. He'd turned a lonely day into the anniversary of our engagement.
"Vodka for your thoughts?" Sean's arm snaked around my waist as his other arm brought a fresh glass of vodka into my hands. I took it from him and cuddled back into his warmth and his comfort. "You're arms are so cold, sweetie." He let go, and I looked back to see him tugging on his jacket.
"No." I pulled his arm around me again. "Just wrap your arms around me. I'd rather feel you than a jacket right now." He pulled the sides of his jacket around my arms, and the heat from his chest warmed my back.
"You okay?" I nodded, but he must not have been convinced. "Did she say something to upset you?" I shook my head, but he continued to push. "Morgan, I need you to talk to me."
"I think it'll be fine with her, Sean. I'm just—a little overwhelmed. It's been a lot to—to take on in one evening." I set the glass down on the wide railing and turned into him, wrapping my arms around him underneath his jacket. "I just want to go back upstairs with you and have you push all thought from my head." I expected a quick "yes" or for him to pick me up and carry me upstairs. Instead, he was quiet for several minutes. I pulled back from him. "Sean? Are you okay?"
Accidental Texting: Finding Love despite the Spotlight Page 41