“That’s understandable,” Mel said to me, but her gaze was locked on Elsie. “You must be the special lady friend in our Taydom’s life.”
I cleared my throat. “Yes. This is Elsie.”
“It’s so good to meet you, darlin’.” Mel gave her a hug too, which seemed to startle Elsie, but she patted her back and released her. “You’re a pretty one. Oh, I bet you two are going to make the most adorable babies.”
“Babies?” My heart skipped several beats. Shit. Of course, they would assume I was bringing a girl home I was that serious about. She was the first woman I was ever bringing home.
The question was how to get out of the situation without fucking it up on either side. I let out a good-natured chuckle. “We’ll have to see about that.”
Mel carried on for a few more minutes, also treating me like some kind of celebrity, before Sonny dragged her away. He mumbled his goodbyes and we waved after them.
I turned to face Elsie, mind racing as I tried to come up with a plausible way to explain that. Her face was as white as a sheet. “Shit, baby, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said absently, but her wide eyes and the lack of any color in her cheeks gave her away.
I went to stand in front of her, placing my hands gently on her shoulders and bending my knees to be at her eye level. “Bullshit. It’s not nothing. Is it about what they said about babies? If it is, ignore them, babe. You know that generation. Everything is about babies to them.”
“Yeah, I, uh,” she stammered. “I know. I’m fine. I just need something to eat.”
“Okay.” I took a deep breath. I knew this was about more than hunger, but once again, I’d have to wait her out. Because once again, I wasn’t telling her everything either.
Fuck, I’m getting sick of this.
This was the week. I was telling her everything while we were here and I was hoping she would do the same. If she didn’t, it was fine.
My choice, however, was to come clean this week. If she needed more time, so be it. At least then, I wouldn’t always have to be careful of pushing her for fear that she would push back.
“Let’s go eat.” I wound our fingers together again and we walked the last few yards to the diner in silence.
Elsie eventually relaxed again as we worked our way through our massive burgers, but that only lasted until we drove onto the farm. She was visibly tense as we rolled to a stop, with the gravel drive crunching under my tires.
Before I could reassure her again, though, my mother burst out of the front door and called my name. She also clapped her hands and sniffed before making her way down the rickety wooden stairs in front of the house.
It was showtime. I just had no idea how the hell to put the show on.
Chapter 33
Elsie
Dogs barked and rushed off the wraparound porch winding around the farmhouse. Dusk was just starting to fall and the scene that greeted me looked like something out of a painting.
The house had two stories and seemed to be in need of some aesthetic repairs, but a warm glow emanated from the inside that made the place look like a real home. Towering trees surrounded it, but on both sides of the gravel driveway, there were only fields as far as the eye could see.
The fields and trees were dark, but with the sky painted in various shades of pink and orange, the darkness of the vast empty spaces didn’t seem scary. In fact, it all seemed welcoming.
Everything and everyone here were nothing short of welcoming. Except for that one lady who had brought up having a baby with Taydom in the first minute that I’d met her.
Of course, given my current predicament, she might have been more correct than any of us at the moment. It had been a stark and very unexpected reminder of the secret I was possibly carrying.
I hadn’t been prepared for it at all, and her words had hit me like a sucker punch to the gut. I had been able to tell that Taydom hadn’t believed my excuse, but I would have my answer soon enough, and then he would understand. Whether the test came back positive or negative, he would know why the question had thrown me off.
A figure appeared in the doorway suddenly. The warm light from inside threw her face into the shadows but highlighted her silhouette enough for me to know that it was definitely a woman. Taydom’s mom.
It had to be her. A wave of nausea rolled through me again, but this time, I was ninety-nine percent certain it was just nerves. I was about to meet the woman who had raised Taydom—and who could possibly be a grandmother right now without even knowing it.
The prospect of meeting her was daunting, to say the least. Taydom, on the other hand, suddenly didn’t look nervous at all anymore.
All day, I’d had the feeling he was more anxious about this visit than he was trying to let on, but he couldn’t hide it from me. I knew him too well by now. All the little nuances that gave him away were burned into my brain. It felt like I had known him forever and like all those little things were simply a part of my DNA.
When his mother started down the stairs, his entire demeanor changed. His shoulders came down, a radiant grin tugged at the corners of his full lips, and it was like his guard slipped away.
Turning to face me in the near darkness of the SUV, he planted a quick kiss on my lips. “Come on. Let’s go say hi to Mom.”
Yep. He’s definitely excited about this. “Okay. Yeah. Let’s go.” I smoothed my dress out and hoped that most of the sweat that had been gathering on my palms was now on the fabric.
It turned out I needn’t have worried about my palms. The woman had no interest in shaking my hand. She hugged Taydom like she hadn’t seen him since he was a baby, then did the same with me.
“I’m so glad you two are finally here. I’ve been looking forward to this for too long.” The words came spilling out of her. I detected the faintest hints of a midwestern accent, but I had gotten used to hearing it throughout the day.
“Yeah, Mom. I’ve missed you too.” Taydom laughed and motioned toward me. “Mom, meet Elsie. Elsie, meet my mother, Gwen.”
Gwen stepped back from us and landed in the pool of light streaming out from inside. It was the first time I could properly see what she looked like, and it immediately became clear who Taydom had gotten his coloring from.
Her skin was so tanned, she was almost golden, and long chocolate-brown hair tumbled in soft waves past her shoulders. Curious hazel eyes peered back at me, seemingly conducting the same onceover as me.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am to meet you, Elsie,” she gushed before drawing me into another hug. “You didn’t tell me how pretty she was, Taydom. So pretty.”
I felt my cheeks grow warm, especially when Taydom didn’t respond. Gwen’s body was soft as she gave me another impossibly hard squeeze, her shoulders only an inch or so above mine.
Guess the height comes from his father then.
She let me go, but I felt her eyes on me even as her lips kicked up into another smile. “Let’s go get your things. Then we can get you settled.”
“Riley and I can get them later, Mom.” Taydom brushed a kiss to her cheek when he passed her on his way to the stairs, but she wouldn’t budge.
“Nonsense. You get your own and I’ll help Elsie with hers. Your brother’s just gotten in from—” She cut herself off and shook her head. “The point is that he’s enjoying a cold drink. Let the man sit for a minute.”
“Funny, I don’t remember ever hearing that from you before,” he joked but started moving back toward the fancy black SUV he had rented. “But okay, if you insist.”
Taydom ended up with both our bags, refusing to let me carry a thing. His mother shouldered my backpack, despite my protests for doing it myself, and she grumbled about how Taydom would never let her do anything.
They bantered as we made our way back up the driveway and to the house, while I tried not to get my heel stuck in the gravel. It had seemed like a good idea to put on heels, like it would help make a good impression on his parents.
Having now seen
his mom’s simple faded blue jeans and plaid button-down shirt, I was pretty sure heels weren’t the way to go if I wanted to make a good impression. Even so, I was wearing them now, and making it into the house without faceplanting seemed vitally important in the whole making a good impression thing.
I listened to them as I carefully watched my step, and their banter put a smile on my face. It was easy to see how close they were, and I liked it.
Taydom groaned as we reached the top of the stairs. Then he abandoned the luggage to hug his mother again. “Roasted chicken and potato puffs? You’re the best, Mom.”
She chuckled, but his words had brought my attention to the smell hanging in the air, and I felt the onset of another wave of nausea. I drew in a deep breath, regretted it almost immediately, and pushed my hand to my stomach.
Dear God, please not now. I cannot get sick on their porch the first time I meet them.
“You okay out there, Elsie?” Gwen asked. “Come on in, sweetheart. Let’s get you settled.”
I nodded and forced a smile. I seemed to be doing a lot of that these days. “Yeah, I’m all good. I was just taking a moment to soak in the fact that we’re finally here.”
My answer obviously pleased her. She gave me a soft smile and ran her fingers through her dark hair while her eyes stayed on mine. “I can relate. Now come on in so we can introduce you to Riley and have a drink before dinner.”
“Dinner?” I gave Taydom a pointed look. Sure, it had been a couple of hours since we’d had lunch, but I certainly hadn’t expected to have to eat again today. My appetite really wasn’t what it used to be.
“Of course,” she said, exchanging a glance of her own with her son. “What did you do?”
“I might have taken her for a burger at The Station.” He gave her the most adorable sheepish grin, and I nearly melted at the sight of it.
His mother didn’t seem to think he was being cute at all. She swatted his shoulder and shook her head. “Well, I’ve made your favorite and you’re going to eat.” Her gaze swung to me, softening once again. “You don’t have to eat anything if you’re not hungry, honey. You can just sit with us if you’d like.”
“Thank you.” I remembered what he’d said about using manners and felt my cheeks turn beet red as I remembered what I’d used them for on the flight over here.
Taydom caught me red-cheeked and winked when his mother turned to lead us into the house, obviously knowing exactly what I was thinking about. Thinking about it made me acutely aware of the slight ache between my legs that had been left behind from his earlier antics, but before those thoughts could turn me on, Taydom grabbed my hand and led me inside.
“Stop it,” he chided me, humor glinting in his dark eyes as he leaned down to speak near my ear. “If you keep thinking about it, I’m going to keep thinking about it. Since it won’t do either of us any good right now, let’s just agree to try to meet up later.”
I arched a brow, but before I could ask what he meant by meeting up, his mother spoke up again. “Riley, honey? Your brother and Elsie have finally arrived.”
“Coming,” a rich, deep voice said from within the depths of the house.
It was only then that Taydom released me and caught up to his mother, leaving me with a minute to really take a look around the house. Everything in there had seen better days, but it was the homiest place I’d been in since I’d last been to Mom’s house.
Faded and threadbare rugs covered pocked hardwood floors. The couches in the den looked lumpy and were covered in colorful throws that seemed to have been straightened just before we’d arrived.
A staircase with a smooth wooden banister led to the second story, and a blue carpet that was shiny with age covered the stairs themselves. The area opened up to what I instantly knew was the heart of their home: the kitchen.
The scent of lemon, garlic, chicken, melting cheese, and a few other things was stronger in here, but my prayer seemed to have worked. No nausea threatened to knock me off my feet. Instead, the opposite happened. My stomach grumbled softly and I frowned at myself.
What the heck is going on with my body?
The disturbing thought was interrupted when a large figure rose from behind a long mahogany table in the kitchen. The man was as tall as Taydom, but he was broader and stockier. His muscles bulged, as opposed to Taydom’s leaner build.
Since he was definitely too young to be his father and much too alike in appearance not to be related, I assumed this was the brother. He confirmed my suspicion a moment later when his glittering dark eyes widened in surprise.
“Elsie, huh? I gotta say, I wasn’t convinced you existed. I’m mighty glad you do, though. I’m Riley. It’s a real pleasure to meet you.”
Taydom rolled his eyes. “Knock it off, Riley. I told you she existed.”
“Yeah. Doesn’t mean I believed you.” He chuckled and pushed his chair back to give his brother a back-thumping hug and to shake my hand.
“It’s a real pleasure to meet you, too,” I said.
His palm was rough against mine and his grip firm. Pretty sure even his calluses have calluses.
Any woman who liked ‘em rough, rugged, and hot would swoon over this guy. He moved with the same confidence his brother did, an almost cocky swagger. He looked a heck of a lot like Taydom, too.
Somehow though, he didn’t do anything for me. I didn’t even have the vaguest desire to check him out, no matter how good looking or alluring he was.
It had been becoming increasingly obvious to me that my feelings for Taydom ran so much deeper than I’d thought, but this just confirmed it once again. I’d tried justifying my incredible lack of interest in any other man by trying to convince myself that it was just because Taydom was one of the best-looking men I’d ever seen in my life.
Now here was a guy who was as close to his twin as I could get, and still nothing. I’m in trouble. Big. Motherfucking. Trouble.
But now wasn’t the time to dwell on it.
Taydom motioned for me to take a seat at the table and Riley dropped back into his. He picked up his beer and went back to sipping it.
“Where’s Dad?” Taydom asked after glancing down at the settings on the table. “Isn’t he coming down for dinner?”
Gwen flashed him an apologetic smile and shook her head. “He’s already turned in for the evening, baby. I’m sorry, but you know how he likes to rise before even the rooster does. You’ll see him in the morning.”
“Great,” he muttered, then thanked his mom when she brought him a beer. “Is there anything I can help with?”
“Not a thing. You two just relax a bit. You’ve had a long day.” She planted her hands on her hips and pointed at Riley. “Now you, on the other hand? I need something from. Pour your mama and Elsie here a glass of Chardonnay.”
“I’m fine,” I said instantly. “I’ve had a cold recently and I’m still taking the medication, so I can’t have alcohol.”
She nodded. “Good to know that you’re responsible. Just the one glass of Chardonnay then, darlin’. What will you have?”
“Just some water,” I replied.
“Got it,” Riley said, getting to his feet once more and leaving the kitchen as Gwen disappeared to somewhere else.
“What did you mean earlier about trying to meet up?” I whispered to Taydom as I turned to face him.
He shrugged, but I saw an apology and was disappointed in the way he looked at me. “This is a three-bedroom house, which means there’s only one free. I told you they were old school, so I’m taking the couch.”
A laugh burst out of me. “Really?”
“Really.” He smirked. “But I know where the creaky floorboards are. I can avoid them.”
“No, don’t.” I leaned forward to give him a quick kiss before his family got back. “I like this. Besides, it’s only a week.”
The smirk turned into a pout as his eyes filled with disbelief. “Really?”
“Really.” It was my turn to smirk. “Think about how m
uch fun we’ll have on the plane ride back.”
If there even was a plane ride back together. The test results would probably come in tomorrow, and I had no idea what was going to happen with us after that.
Chapter 34
Taydom
The bitter scent of freshly ground coffee percolating roused me from my sleep. Covering a yawn with my hand as I stretched out on the couch, I opened my eyes to see my father filling his thermos at the kitchen counter.
His back was to me, a faded denim button-down shirt hanging loosely on his frame. I hadn’t seen him for some time, but he sure had lost weight since the last time I’d been here.
Riley and I had inherited our dark hair from our mother. My father’s used to be blond, but you wouldn’t be able to tell anymore. It had turned completely silver, not a hint of gold remaining.
I was willing to bet that when he turned around, he was going to have deeper lines on his face as well. Clearing my throat as I sat up, I watched as he seemed to realize he wasn’t alone. His shoulders came up, and I saw the scowl settling on his features when he pivoted and spotted me.
“What are you doing on the couch?” he asked gruffly. His dark eyes—my eyes—narrowed as he took me in. “Were you still asleep?”
“It’s still dark out, so yes, I was. It’s good to see you too, Dad.” I dragged my hands through my hair and linked my fingers behind my neck. “How are you? I’m great. Thanks for asking.”
He rolled his eyes at me and held up his mug. “Want some?”
“Sure.” I walked toward him, hoping we would get a chance to talk before everyone else woke up, but he spun on his heel and called to me over his shoulder.
“Then get it your damn self. I have to get to work.”
My fists clenched at my sides, but I took a deep breath to calm myself down. Getting into it with him first thing after we got here wouldn’t do me any good. “Don’t you want to meet Elsie before you go?”
“No. I’ll be back later. Like I said, I have work to do.” He said all this without turning back to look at me, and the screen door slammed shut behind him immediately after he’d said his last word.
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