by Starla Night
Nicole scooted forward and handed over his cell phone. "Hope your fiancée sees it the same way."
Yes, he hoped Amber did too. "You had my phone?"
"I found it in the tote behind me. If you'd been on my side instead of shushing me I would have told you." Nicole skipped into the house.
He swiped to call Amber and saw a text chain open to her giving her the house address and suggesting a housewarming gift. How thoughtful of Nicole.
Nerves twinged in his belly.
Despite what he'd just said to Nicole, he wasn't an idiot. Yeah, a grown man bunking with the parents looked childish, especially since his mom ignored his protests and still did his laundry.
He didn't think about it too often, but the few times he'd made efforts to leave, his mom had cried like he was contemplating suicide. She'd begged him to reconsider, so he had. Why make anyone miserable? His parents wouldn't be around forever. And who cared what other people thought? Living at home saved him money and made his mom happy.
But, he'd always shared Nicole's fear that he was fooling himself.
After living alone in college, he could have continued. He'd been saving to move to a new city, find a good job, and launch from the nest. But after he'd been convinced to move back home, the business had needed his help. He'd fallen into the old patterns of getting up, helping his dad for just one more client or just one more quarter, and eventually, he'd stopped putting out his resume. Then, Amber had landed only twenty minutes away (with no traffic) and he'd had no desire to leave.
Living at home and working for his dad wasn't his first choice, but he still loved his family, and he got along with everyone, so it wasn't the worst choice, either.
Until a moment like now.
He clicked on the text chain to contact Amber and put his mind at ease.
"Darcy? Darcy!" Mom's voice summoned him. "I need the van unpacked tonight, Darcy!"
He pocketed his phone composing nothing and gathered up the things his mom needed, carting them into the house.
Nicole sipped a tumbler of ice water and smirked. "Ever the helpful boy."
"Someone has to be," he muttered as he swerved to the kitchen. But louder, so she could hear, he said, "Let's all get along."
"Pretend, you mean," she called after him. "I'll do my part if Mom will."
"I should cancel her therapy." Mom rummaged in the bags he'd carried into the kitchen and directed him to the other rooms of the house. They'd covered every surface with fabric, paper, and wedding designs.
"You should enjoy it," he suggested. "So you can look back on this fondly when she moves out."
"She's never moving out. None of you are. Look at your oldest sister." Mom pressed a spatula to her chest. "Spouses come and go, Darcy, but family is forever."
He hoped that Amber didn't take one look and run screaming.
* * *
Amber landed in the driveway of Darcy's parents' lair.
It was a neatly kempt five-bedroom in Northwest Portland on the Terwilliger Hill with a leafy maple next to the front door.
A shiver of excitement thrilled through her. Meeting the parents. Would she regret not grabbing a spare change of clothes? Gayle had issued a formal challenge and it would only be polite to return the challenge with her full power.
But then again, Darcy's mother was a human. Amber had better suppress her dragon. She wanted no more incidents.
She squared her shoulders and knocked.
Someone thudded in the house. The door swung open. Gayle blocked the entrance, out of breath and hairs flying, a glance over her shoulder suggesting that she'd raced to beat someone else to the door. "Amber. I didn't invite you to my house."
"I did!" Nicole waved over her mom's shoulder. "Come on in. Darcy's upstairs and my dad's coming home to meet you."
Gayle's smile faded. Whatever she would say changed and she focused on Nicole. "You called your father?"
"Sure, I thought he should meet Darcy's fiancé."
Amber stepped forward. "Thank you for inviting me to your family's house." She held out the bottle of wine she'd collected.
Gayle puckered her lips. "Oh. I don't suppose Darcy mentioned that his father is a recovering alcoholic. And this is a cheap, bland table wine."
"Thanks for getting my favorite." Nicole reached past her mother to swoop up the wine. "Mom, since you won't want a glass, I'll make sure it only goes to me, Darcy, Amber, and Jackie. We'll just enjoy it ourselves."
Gayle's lips pinched. "Well, we imbibe on special occasions."
Amber's heart lifted. Her arrival in their lives was a special occasion? She hadn't even shown Darcy's mom how she could slice through a tree trunk with her claws. Humans were easier to win over than dragons.
Nicole tugged her into the house. "This is where Darcy spent his childhood. After we get him drunk, Jackie and I will drag out the photo albums."
Amber got fleeting views of bright rooms and comfortable furnishings, followed the mother through a dining room, and stopped in a kitchen overlooking the back yard. The back of the house was visible along with a lush garden, cobblestones, koi pond.
"What a gorgeous backyard and fire pit."
"Perfect for burning photos that your sisters try to use as blackmail," Nicole said.
"And for private family time," Gayle said, smiling through her teeth. "Family is my top priority and family time is so important! I've devoted my life to keeping my family together and I won't let anyone split it apart." She turned to the table. "Will I, girls?"
A woman looked up from chopping iceberg lettuce for the salad. "Hi. You must be Amber."
Nicole affixed an electronic wine opener, twirling off the cork with a pop. "Thank goodness. Jackie?"
"Yes, please." She scraped her chopped tomato into the salad, fluffed it with tongs, and then stood to shake Amber's hand. "I'm Jackie, Darcy's older sister."
"You send invoices," Amber said, recognizing her name from reconciling the ones she'd received.
"Yep. I manage accounts and payroll. Tara does web design. Nicole tries to make art."
"I make art." Nicole poured a large glass. "Not try. Do."
"Most of which doesn't sell," Jackie murmured, passing glasses to her mom and Amber.
"Most of which you won't even make prototypes of. I have to make them myself." Nicole tsked. "I am an unappreciated genius."
"As you know, Darcy does the sales and Dad's the CEO."
"And no one would be anywhere without me," Gayle finished. "The reason the family business succeeds at all is because I'm the backbone keeping us together!"
"Except for the hard times we've fallen on," Nicole muttered. "Because we're not succeeding right now."
"It's a real family business. No one takes pride in that anymore. We do. You wouldn't understand." Gayle strolled out of the kitchen.
Jackie waved a hand. "Isn't the Onyx Company owned by family?"
"My mother," Amber confirmed. "My brothers fill the officer positions."
"I thought so," Jackie said. "Not that I've ever seen you guys. Only Darcy gets that privilege. Ha, I'm talking to a celebrity right now."
"So, let me get this straight. You have a family business and you don't live in each other's back pockets? You function like normal adults with your own houses and lives and everything?" Nicole raised a sardonic brow. "Weird."
"Where's your ring?" Amber asked Jackie.
"Hm? Oh, I took it off to make a salad. Why?"
"I wanted to see the heirloom gemstone."
"It's hideous."
"Mom offered it to Amber today," Nicole said as Gayle re-entered the kitchen. "She said you wouldn't need it much longer."
Jackie flushed and glared at Gayle. "I'm still married."
"I better check on the candelabra." Their mother exited again.
Jackie huffed and then sighed. "Well, she's not wrong. As Tara's maid of honor, I'm constantly reminded of why my marriage is on the rocks."
"Her husband is the best man," Nicole sa
id.
"So I have to see and talk to him all the time. It was so much easier when he was across the country. We could just drift." She shook her head and drained her drink, then held out her empty glass and snapped. "Nicole."
"Yes, mistress."
"It's an emergency. Cut me some slack." Jackie's eyes widened as Nicole filled the glass to the rim. "Mm, thank you. That is the 'slack' I need right now."
A white long-haired cat strolled into the kitchen and hopped up on one of the breakfast bar stools.
"And this," Jackie lifted the heavy cat, "is Tara's super fluffy Persian, Miss Fluffles. Soon to be my cat because now that Tara's moving out, Miss Fluffles has been settling in my bed."
"Your bed? Heaven forbid you reconcile with your husband and move out."
"That's not happening." Jackie sighed, releasing the struggling cat with a pat. "Tara's DIY wedding is so much cheaper than mine. What does Kris have to plan? She could be the maid of honor too. But it's fine. Like Mom, I put my own feelings aside to prioritize my family."
Nicole rolled her eyes.
Jackie, who was facing away from her and couldn't have seen the gesture, sharpened. "I heard that."
"Heard what?" Amber asked.
"The silent sound of Nicole's sarcasm."
"Touchy. Amber?" Nicole offered to refill her half glass.
"No need. Alcohol doesn't affect dragons."
"You can still enjoy the taste." Nicole topped it up. "There you go. We ladies have to medicate together."
"Cheers," Jackie agreed.
Amber's eyes started prickling again. "This is my first time drinking together with other women. Thank you so much for welcoming me to the family. I've never been so touched."
Nicole rested her hip against the table. "You said that before but I'm sure Mom said something nasty to you when she kidnapped Darcy."
"She said she would never plan my wedding because I would never marry her son," Amber agreed, still blinking back her tears.
Jackie stared at her. "She said that to your face?"
Amber nodded. "I nearly cried."
"I can imagine."
"Her motherly love is so heartfelt." She sniffed. "Which is why I am prepared to prove myself worthy of Darcy by defeating her, you, and anyone else in armed combat."
Chapter Thirteen
The screams ejected Darcy from the shower. He threw on clothes and raced down the stairs.
His sisters screamed again. Then Amber. Then his sisters.
"Girls! Girls, what is the meaning of this?" Mom shouted, furious and scared.
He rounded the corner into the kitchen.
Amber was sitting at the cleared breakfast nook, elbow on the table, palm open offering her mom. "Did you want to fight?"
"No, I don't want to fight!" she snapped.
"I think you broke my wrist." Jackie rotated her hand, her wince giving way to laughter. "I can't believe I lost the best two out of three arm wrestles so fast. I used to be a rock climber. Aha ha ha... Where's my wine."
"Nicole? Another fight?" Amber asked.
Nicole put her hands up in surrender. "You defeated me hours ago. I'm on your side."
Amber appealed to Darcy's mom again. "Please."
"No! This is juvenile and inappropriate for my household."
"What's going on here?" Darcy asked Nicole, his heart still retreating to its normal temp and dampness dripping from his hair onto his neck.
"How else can I prove my worth if I can't defeat you in armed combat?" Amber asked Darcy's mom.
"She kept asking us for armed combat, so if it made her feel better, I suggested we do 'arm' combat instead." Nicole rotated her wrist. "I don't think she's even trying."
"I must prove my worth," Amber insisted to Darcy's unamused mom.
Darcy scooped Amber into his arms. "Humans don't prove their worth by tests of physical strength. Prove that you can get along well."
She frowned.
"A happy family is important to me," he explained. "How you have a good relationship with your brothers I want to keep with my sisters. And my parents. That's normal for humans. We don't 'fight' our way into a family; we earn our place with kindness and selfless acts."
Her brows cleared. "Okay, Darcy. I will prove my worth human-style and fight with kindness and selfless acts."
"As I said, you don't have to fight."
"What is the first challenge?" she asked Darcy's mom. "I am prepared to act selfless and kind."
Mom raised her brow. "Act?"
Nicole piped up, "The first challenge for an engaged human couple is meeting the parents over dinner."
Mom rolled her eyes. "How helpful, Nicole."
"That's it?"
"Then Darcy has to meet your parents," Jackie said. "Then wedding planning."
"My mother is busy with Laura and Kyan," Amber told Darcy. "We will meet her after the wedding."
He tilted up her chin. "Great. I can't wait."
"Yes. If these are the tests, I will pass and marry you on Monday."
His heart swelled painfully in his chest. The confident, clear-eyed way she regarded him, made him want to be the man she would desire for the rest of her life.
Her eyes dropped to his mouth and her delicate lips parted. Sexual heat flared.
He slanted his lips to taste—
"Dinner's ready!" Mom bustled between them, slapping a handful of forks against his chest. "Darcy put out the silverware. Nicole, napkins. Jackie, glasses."
Amber lowered her chin and linked her fingers while the dining room table transformed. Candlesticks, china, and gleaming tureens held the feast of braised pork, garlic mashed potatoes, teriyaki green beans, and fluffy dinner rolls.
Mom always put out a mouthwatering spread.
Darcy's father arrived as everyone was taking their seats. Tall, with gray-streaked hair and the same family smile, his father noted her name. "Congratulations on your excellent taste in agreeing to marry my son."
"Thank you."
His charming smile increased. "Is your company still worth five hundred billion dollars?"
"No," Amber said, while everyone spread cloth napkins and looked awkward.
"How much are you worth, then?"
Darcy cleared his throat. "Dad."
"Five hundred billion was our profit in the first quarter. During the second quarter, we've launched even higher selling products and merged with Carnelian Clothiers. Our assets have more than doubled."
Dad coughed and reached for a glass of water. "I see. Congratulations."
"Is there even that much money in the world?" Nicole asked.
"I don't know," Amber replied. "We calculate profits in Draconis coin. There's more money in the galaxy than on any one planet. Especially a planet like Earth."
"Especially a planet like Earth?" Mom asked. "What exactly is Earth like?"
"A rustic planet that has recently learned of its place in the Dragon Empire."
"And you're engaged to my son." Dad pushed out his chair and folded his napkin. "I've, ah, got to speak to our legal team."
"After dinner." Mom sat and scooted into the table. "Jackie, grace."
In the middle of Jackie's prayer for nice weekend weather, warm relations between new families, and better third-quarter revenues, Tara rushed in.
Nicole leaned over. "I thought you were spending the night with Ed's family."
"That's before I found out." She whispered loudly, "I'm so sorry, Darcy, I didn't mean to skip your engagement party."
"This is my engagement party?" he repeated stupidly.
"Mom texted." Tara frowned. "Isn't it your engagement party?"
Mom straightened. "Well, yes. You wouldn't come to enjoy your last dinner as a family so I gave you a little nudge."
Tara's cheeks flushed. She stared at her empty plate, refusing the roast.
The same heat and discomfort burned in Darcy's chest, affecting his appetite. His mother meant well, but couldn't Tara spend one night with her fiancé's family?
Amber sniffled as she ladled green beans onto her white plate.
His stomach sank. He rested a hand on her knee and leaned to murmur in her ear. "Are you okay? Do you need a break?"
"No." She sucked in a deep breath and took two extra-thick slices of roast. "No one's honored me with a party before."
Everyone stared.
"Never?" Nicole asked flatly. "Birthdays? Graduation?"
Amber shook her head, tears shimmering in her eyes. "This is an amazing day. You welcomed me with hugs and let me defeat you in arm combat."
"Yes, we 'let' you," Jackie muttered, pouring gravy over her plate.
"And now you're putting on this engagement dinner."
"Actually, every Monday is 'fancy china' night," Nicole said in her typical, tactless way. She recovered right at the end. "Which, uh, makes it a perfect coincidence that it lines up with your engagement."
Tara reached over and squeezed Amber's hand. "We'll get photos in the backyard. This was my great aunt's house and her husband built a massive turret just like a castle. It's scenic out there. Just perfect for engagement photos."
"I would love it." Amber faced his mom. "Gayle, you've accepted me so fast. Your f-family has been so nice to me. T-thank you so much for this engagement dinner..."
Mom mixed a smile and a frown. "Yes, of course."
"This is the nicest engagement dinner I could ever imagine." She leaned against Darcy.
He drew her against his shoulder with a comforting hug. She fit perfectly there and felt right. The goofy smiles on his three sisters' faces said Amber's straightforward innocence touched more than just him.
Maybe everything would turn out all right.
* * *
Amber felt shaky.
Darcy had said his family would challenge her not with armed combat but with acts of selflessness and kindness.
She could not compete.
The dinner returned to subdued normal. The clinking of silver on china sounded louder than usual. Amber tried to calm her inner emotions and enjoy the rich food set out before her. In her honor. Honor of her and Darcy's engagement. Her throat closed. She had to drink the prepared ice water.
Tara didn't take any food.
