Even Sam chuckled then. Talia had told him her father had a good sense of humor and seeing Sean on his knees pleading theatrically evidently was too much to withstand. When Sam started to laugh, Sean knew the older man was coming around to the idea. It might not be a smooth road, they were sure to encounter a few bumps along the way, but he'd gotten her father to laugh, at least. Humbling himself a little was a small price to pay for Talia's happiness.
Chapter Fifty-one
It had been easy for Talia to settle in at the old Victorian home. Sean really went out of his way to make sure she was comfortable, even making her meals she could keep down. It worked; she'd put three pounds back on since getting home from the hospital. Her obstetrician had been pleased that she was starting to gain weight.
She was curled up with a book in her favorite room, the library, while Sean was working on dinner for her family. He was meeting her grandparents tonight, both sets. And her mom and siblings were going to see the house for the first time. The renovations were finally finished, with the exception of the yard. They had furniture in more than three rooms. It was truly a home now.
Her father was supposed to come to dinner tonight as well and that had her concerned. She hadn't seen or spoke to him since he and Sean had it out in the hospital. He had actually laughed for a brief moment at Sean being silly and she'd thought maybe things would be okay. When she hadn't heard from her dad at all since then, it troubled her. He'd ignored her call last week, but her mom seemed positive he would come tonight.
Staring blankly at the book in her hands, the words on the page remained unseen as she lost herself in introspection. She jerked at the ding of the doorbell. She heard Sean stride up the hallway and the door creak open. It wouldn't have been fair to leave Sean alone with them all, so she rose and went to greet her family.
She walked out of the library and her entire family crowded in from the porch. Her grandmothers rushed up to give her hugs. Her grandfathers followed along more sedately, looking around the house. Karly and Zane barreled their way in past the slow-moving grandfathers blocking up the entry. Her parents were the last to enter the house, with her dad looking reluctant.
Sean introduced himself to her grandfathers with ease; smiling at both men, he made sure to shake their hands. Her mom patted his arm in greeting before sliding past to where Talia stood with the two elderly women. Turning to her dad, Sean offered his hand for a handshake. Talia remembered her dad leaving Sean hanging at Zane's, but Sean was clearly trying to be polite. Her dad eyed him suspiciously for a brief moment before sticking his own hand out to shake. It was the shortest handshake in history perhaps, but it was an improvement.
"Well, y'all come on in. Talia, you want to show them around? I need to check on dinner," Sean told them as he closed the door and headed toward the back of the house.
"He cooks?" one of her grandmothers asked.
"Oh yes, he's pretty much done all the cooking since I moved in because almost everything makes me queasy to smell it. He ran me out of the house cooking the meat for the lasagna tonight. I had to sit on the porch waiting for the smell to dissipate."
"Oh, honey, I was that way with your mama, and your aunt Carol too. I couldn't cook anything beyond beans and vegetables. Even seeing meat made me sick."
"My girls made me sick too. I bet you're having a girl. Helen, didn't you have more morning sickness with the girls than when you were carrying Zane?"
"How about you show us around this big old house, pumpkin, and stop talking about sickness and babies. Looks like he's done a good deal of work to this place recently," her grandpa interrupted.
Chapter Fifty-two
Sean looked over as the men trekked into the kitchen.
Sam spoke up then. "Yeah, my company did it, actually. He didn't realize that Richland was my company, since he dealt with Johnny. I didn't realize that the big remodel we took on was Sean's place. He did a lot to it though, new kitchen and baths, refinished all the floors, new roof, new windows, uh…."
"Paint, redid the porch, the steps and walkway. The yard and landscaping still needs work, but I ran out of money. That will come a little at a time. I got it cleaned up some at least."
"Well, you'll get it. You got the big stuff," the grandfather who'd introduced himself as Grandpa Joe told him. Sean figured Grandpa Joe was Helen's dad since Grandpa Martin looked like an older version of Sam.
"Yeah, it's just going to take a little time. Did Talia take the ladies upstairs?"
At their nod, he smiled and started up the stairs himself. The men followed him, having poked around the downstairs already. They found the women in the room above the library in the turret that Talia had earmarked for the nursery. Sean chuckled when he saw her showing off the little baby clothes she had bought earlier that week.
Turning at the sound of the men's voices, Talia swayed on her feet. Sean was swift to sweep her up into his arms. "Are you dizzy again, sweetheart? You wanna go lie down?"
"I turned too quickly, that's all. I don't need to lie down. It could be that I'm hungry too. You think dinner is about ready?" Talia asked as she snuggled into Sean's embrace, laying her cheek against his shoulder.
Holding her against him with one arm, he used his free hand to brush the hair from her face. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he assured her that dinner was ready to eat whenever they were ready.
When Sean moved toward the stairs still carrying Talia, Sam called out to him, "Hey, Sean, you do know that my daughter has legs, don't you? You seem to be making a habit of packing her around."
"Dad, he's had those legs wrapped around him at least once or she wouldn't be pregnant. So, I'm pretty sure he knows she has legs."
Everyone shouted, "Shut up, Zane." Except Sam who looked irate, and Talia who couldn't seem to stop laughing.
Whispering in her ear, Sean said, "Will you think it's funny when your dad starts screaming? That vein is bulging out again. I think I can hear it throb." Her only reply was to pull against his neck so she could kiss him on the cheek.
Wisely, Sean continued down the stairs and into the dining room. Seating Talia at the table with care, he busied himself with getting the food on the table as the others trickled down the stairs still fussing at Zane. When Sam stomped up to him, everyone held their breath. His spine stiffened and he rose up to his full height. He glanced over to where Talia sat and she looked nervous too.
"Can I ask you something?" Sam's gruff voice was surprisingly calm. At Sean's nod, he asked, "After we eat, think you can step outside so we can have a private conversation?"
"Sam?" Helen called in a concerned tone.
"What? I'm not going to punch him. If I was going to do that, I would've done so that morning he smirked at me at the diner, or at the hospital when he got in my face telling me she was pregnant. I want to have a man-to-man talk with the fellow my daughter plans to marry. That's all."
"Should we frisk them first?" Karly joked. The smile slid off her face when Sean pulled a good sized pocketknife out of his jeans and tossed it in her lap.
Seeing the expression on her face, a burst of laughter barreled out of Sean's chest. "What's wrong, little one? Didn't think I'd have a weapon?"
Everyone laughed—even Sam—as they sat down to eat. Talia ate the lasagna with gusto. He'd offered to make her something else, but she wanted lasagna. Sam even complimented the food, which astonished everyone, Sean most of all. The conversation flowed freely and while Sam was quiet, he didn't appear angry at that moment. One of Talia's grandmothers asked Sean about his family.
Well, here goes.
He opened up and told them everything. He started with his mom, her drug problems, and the endless parade of men in and out of her life who were often cruel. Several years in poor foster care in elementary school added a few more scars to his back. His voice broke and he had to take a moment to collect himself when he told them how his brother shot him just to watch him bleed. Talia had tears in her eyes when he told them how his mother got him
hooked on heroin before kicking him out at sixteen and how that led to his time in prison.
He slid out of his chair to kneel beside her, wiping the tears from her face with a shaky hand. "Don't cry for me, sweetheart. Those things all made me the man I am. You wouldn't want me if I was different, would you? I might not have ended up at Garden to pull that asshat off you that first night. Hell, I might have been an asshat myself." He laughed as she shook her head violently, telling him no way could that have happened. His laughter stilled when her lips pressed to his.
Having finished eating, everyone started to make their way into the library to give the young couple a moment of privacy. When Sean and Talia got up to join the rest of her family, Sam indicated with a jerk of his head that he would like to speak to Sean outside, so Sean followed him outside with a sigh. His emotions were ragged right now after he'd bared his soul to Talia's entire family. The last thing he wanted was another argument with her dad.
Sean glanced toward the swing, but dropped down to sit on the steps. He expected Sam to start yelling again any time. He took a deep breath, stared out at the grass, and waited. Sam surprised the hell out of him when he laid a hand on Sean's shoulder and sank down next to him on the wide steps. He choked down the hope that foolishly rose in his throat. After everything, could Sam be coming around?
"You were right, Sean. I never did give you a fair shake. And that's all you ever wanted from me. I'm sorry about that. I got hung up on your job. Then when I found out you had a record, well, I just couldn't get past it."
He opened his mouth to speak, but Sam held a hand up to silence him. "No, hear me out. Please. You were right when you said if I cut Talia out of my life I'd be the one hurting. I was too damn stubborn to hear it at the time. These last couple weeks, since she got out of the hospital and moved in with you, I haven't seen her or talked to her. And you were right, I was the one hurting."
Sean was the one hurting now. He'd seen how much not seeing her dad hurt Talia. To know he was at least partly to blame for that gnawed at him. "I never wanted to come between you and Talia. Hell, I'll make myself scarce if you want to spend time with her without me. Just don't cut her out of your life because of me."
"Aww, hell." Sam wrapped his arm around Sean's shoulder and pulled him in for a one-armed hug. "I don't want you to make yourself scarce. I don't know how this is going to work out. But I know I have to try to get to know you so I don't lose my daughter. I can see how she looks at you. And I know her well enough to know that if she thinks I'm being overly mean to you, she won't let me around. And I don't want to cut her out of my life. I was mad and I didn't think before I spoke. Bad habit that, but you will learn it happens to me a lot."
Sean chuckled at the self-deprecating comment.
Sam continued, "Now, I'm not saying that we're going to be best friends. I'll try to do better though. Just be patient with me. And for God's sake, try not to be feeling her up too much in front of me."
Sean nudged him. "I'll try, but she's persistent, you know. I really did try to stay away from her. When I couldn't, I tried my best to convince her that we couldn't be more than friends. Well, that didn't last either. I'm hoping that she doesn't get tired of me."
"Nah, she's too much like her mama for that. Helen was the same way with me. And Lord, her daddy hated my guts. That man in there actually spat on me when I asked him for permission to marry his daughter. He didn't warm to me until Helen was pregnant with Talia, and my business was finally taking off. Helen used to have to take Zane and go visit her parents without me for years. I don't want that for you and Talia. I'll try to behave myself. As a father now, facing down daughters getting married, I see why he was so angry with me. We were poor as dirt those first few years. I had nothing, wanting to take his daughter into my little bit of nothing to live." He squeezed Sean's shoulder tight then.
"At least you have a decent place for my daughter to live now. I can't use that excuse against you. Tell me you can afford the mortgage on it though, please."
"Don't have a mortgage. I had enough saved up to buy it outright. The check I wrote to Johnny last week when they finished up, that was the last of my savings though. We had talked about getting a crew out here to do the yard and add a deck on the back. But I'd have to get a loan for that, and with the baby coming, I don't want to do that. So it's going to have to wait a few months, maybe 'til after the baby comes. I'm not sure yet."
"This place is paid for?" Sam's mouth hung open in disbelief.
Nodding, Sean said, "Yeah, my club brings in a good income. I know it's not what you want to tell people that your daughter's husband does but being a 'damn bartender' has been a good living for me."
Sam was the one laughing then. "I guess I don't have to give you the 'If you can't pay the mortgage, don't you dare send my daughter to ask me for money' lecture then?"
"No, sir. Sure don't."
"Then we're done now. Let's go back in and see how many of them expected us to come back bloody."
When they walked in to the library, all conversations stopped. Everyone's eyes focused in on the two men. When Sean looked over at Sam and made eye contact, both men roared with laughter. Talia stood and gave Sean a quick kiss, asking if everything was okay.
"That man-to-man chat didn't last nearly long enough. Did it, Joe?" Sam's dad called over to Helen's.
"No, sir, I don't think so. Sam, you didn't have time to handle all that a man needs to know to marry your daughter in, what, twenty minutes. See, now this is why—"
"We covered everything you covered with me, Joe. Well, I take that back. I skipped the 'You better not knock my little girl up, you worthless piece of shit' part. Wouldn't do me much good now, would it? We covered 'You better not send her begging for mortgage money if you can't afford to pay it'."
"Sean doesn't have a mortgage, Daddy."
"Which is exactly why we got through it so fast." Sam laughed, pulling her away from Sean to give her a big hug. Sean smiled when he heard Sam's words. "I'm sorry. He's growing on me. Don't expect miracles though."
"You don't have a mortgage? How the hell did that happen?" Grandpa Martin started fussing.
"I lived in a cheap apartment hardly bigger than this room for six years. I was able to save a decent amount," Sean stated.
"Thought you said he was a bartender?" Grandpa Martin asked, confusion lining his wrinkled face.
"I am a bartender. I own the club that I work at though, and it's the busiest club in town. I make a good living there."
The little nods of approval pissed him off. He wasn't good enough until they knew he made decent money. He clenched his teeth and faked a smile. They'd finally accepted him and he wouldn't fuck that up.
One grandfather started making noises about a wedding. "I want to see my granddaughter get married before she's showing. You should have been married before she got pregnant," he grumbled as he whacked his cane down hard on Sean's foot.
"I know, sir. I would marry Talia tonight if that's what she wanted. I just need to know when to be where," Sean responded. His toe throbbed, but he bore the abuse from the elderly man with a smile plastered on his face.
All four grandparents were looking at Talia. "Well, what's it going to be then? You want a big wedding or you want the courthouse? You need to be deciding, girly."
Talia grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the library for a little private chat. Sam joined the family's laughter as she led him outside. Sam called after them, "You've created a monster, Sean. You don't stand a chance now that she's got her confidence back."
Chapter Fifty-three
Leading Sean over to the porch swing, Talia pushed him to sit first so that she could snuggle into him. While the days were still warm, the nights were starting to be chilly. Summer had reached its end. Not having thought to grab a jacket, she nestled in tighter to Sean's body for warmth. He pulled her in close as he brushed his lips against hers.
"So, are we making wedding plans out here? Or avoiding your grandpar
ents for a little while?" His chest rumbled beneath her as he spoke.
"A little of both?" She laughed.
"Okay, sweetheart, you want a big wedding? I don't really have many people to invite, so that wouldn't be my preference. But if that's what you want, then we'll do it."
"No, I'm thinking something small. You know what would be great? If we could get married at Garden Falls. My grandparents couldn't take the hike though."
"Well, we could always do a garden somewhere and have it outside. Have to do it soon before it gets too cold though. Speaking of cold, we should go back in. I don't want you to get chilled."
She wouldn't let him up until they had one last kiss, a true kiss, not the mere whisper of his lips crossing hers. She couldn't get enough of his kisses. He pulled her so that she was sitting across his lap, his hands holding her close. Yanking his shirt free of his pants, she ran her hands up his sides. Sean trailed kisses down her jaw and began to nibble on her earlobe. He held her tight against him and she leaned into him. By the time she broke away, Talia's face felt heated and the brisk evening air was refreshing on her heated skin.
They headed back into the house with Sean trailing behind her shoving his shirt back into his jeans. Settling into the only free chair in the library, Sean drew her down onto his lap.
"Dad! Talia's sitting on Sean's lap again!" Zane shouted. Then in a false whisper, Zane leaned toward her, "Pssst… Dad doesn't like it when you sit on that man's lap, don't you remember?"
"Now, Sam. Is it that you don't like for her to sit on my lap, or can I just not tickle her while she sits on my lap?" Sean asked the older man with a smile. He knew he was taking a risk, cracking a joke with her dad. But he hoped it would be okay.
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