by Claire Adams
“So, Katherine knows that this place never looks perfect,” I told her, looking pointedly at the table. “I mean, it's a beautiful house, but it's not as though I have a caterer come by to set the table or make the dinner.”
Lexi looked sheepish. “Sorry,” she said. “I'm just nervous.”
“I know,” I said. “But for the hundredth time, you have nothing to be nervous about.”
“That's easy for you to say,” Lexi said, rolling her eyes. But she moved away from the table and came to sit at one of the barstools, watching me put the finishing touches on the dinner casserole that I'd been assembling. She picked at a loose thread at the end of her sleeve. “What if she thinks I'm just some gold digger trying to extort you?”
“Katherine would never think that,” I promised. “Even if she were capable of thinking something like that, she wouldn't tell you if that's what she thought of you. She's nice to everyone.”
“Great, so she'll be nice to me to my face, but then she'll tell you to break up with me in a few days?”
If anything, Lexi looked even more panicked.
“Of course not,” I said, abandoning my cooking utensils and moving around the counter until I was standing next to her. I put a hand on each of her knees. We were almost the same height like this. “Just be yourself. Katherine is going to love you.”
“How do you know that?” she whispered.
“Because you make me happy,” I told her simply. “And Katherine likes seeing me happy.” I leaned in for a quick kiss and then went back to the casserole, putting a few last touches on it and then sliding it into the preheated oven.
“So, do you always cook when Katherine comes over?” Lexi asked curiously. She paused. “I didn't realize you ever cooked, actually. I thought that was Janice's job.”
“Every once in a while, I like to cook,” I said, shrugging. “And while Katherine loves Janice's cooking, she appreciates when I put in the effort to cook for her. Plus, this is one of our mother's old recipes. I know how to make it better than Janice ever could.”
“Don't let her hear you say that!” Lexi said with a laugh.
I grinned at her and got to work on salads for each of us. In actual fact, I hadn't been planning on cooking that night, but it had been the only way to get Katherine to agree to come over for dinner rather than going out to lunch with the girls. The closer it had gotten to my sister's return, the more nervous I'd gotten about the idea of letting them meet without my supervision. I wanted to make sure Katherine realized how special Lexi was to me.
Katherine arrived not too long after that, and she immediately swept both Lexi and Emma into hugs. “It's great to finally meet both of you,” she said warmly. She knelt down next to Emma and held out a small present. “I brought you something from Paris. I hope you like it.”
“What do you say?” Lexi asked.
“Thank you, Aunt Kat'rine!” Emma chirped, beaming at Katherine.
“'Aunt Kate' is good, and probably easier to say,” Katherine said.
“Aunt Kate,” Emma agreed solemnly. She looked down at the present, her fingers clearly itching to tear the wrapping off it. But she paused, looking towards Lexi for permission. Lexi nodded.
Emma shrieked with delight when she saw the beautiful doll that her aunt had gifted her with. I saw Lexi's look of discomfort and moved towards her, lightly squeezing her hand. She relaxed noticeably, smiling over at me.
“I would have loved to have a doll like that when I was her age,” Katherine said, straightening up and turning towards us. Her smile was sheepish. “I'm sorry if I'm overstepping, I just couldn't help myself.”
“She's beautiful,” Lexi said.
There was a moment of silence. “So, the two of you seem to be settling in nicely here,” Katherine finally said, looking between Lexi and me.
“Yeah,” Lexi said, glancing over at me. “Andrew's been really great.”
“You guys are easy,” I told her, kissing her gently on the lips and hoping that would calm her down a little, too. “Emma especially.”
Lexi laughed. “She's a good kid,” she agreed.
“Any luck on the job front?” Katherine asked. “Just, Andrew said that you were looking.”
“Nothing yet,” Lexi said, a faint blush staining her cheeks, and I inwardly cursed Katherine for bringing up the job situation. But Lexi forged ahead. “I had a couple interviews recently that I'm hoping could turn into something, though. We'll see.”
“If not, it's fine,” I said.
“I know that,” Lexi said.
“I was just wondering because we might have an opening at my job,” Katherine said, sincerely sounding apologetic. “I work as a nanny, so it wouldn't pay much, but it would at least be something. I think the work's really interesting, too, and you're really making a difference in people's lives. Of course, what you'd be doing would be more like basically administrative work, but I suppose that does help us make a difference in people's lives since if the paperwork didn't all get done, we wouldn't be able to function! Plus, if I had to do all the paperwork myself, I'd cry.”
Lexi laughed again. “Thanks for the offer,” she said. “I'll look into it.” Then, she grinned. “So I guess you're the nice one, and Andrew's the gruff one, is that it?”
Katherine snorted. “I guess you could say that,” she said. Her expression turned introspective. “Andrew's always been more cautious than me,” she finally said, shrugging. “He can't help it. He's the older brother, and he always felt that he had to protect me from the world.”
“Andrew would like it if you would stop talking about him as though he wasn't here,” I said pointedly, but I couldn't help smiling.
I was glad that the two of them seemed to be getting along with one another. I hadn't been too worried, but they were two of the most important people in my life, and I wouldn't have known what to do if they hadn't liked one another.
We all watched Emma in the living room as she colored a picture and chatted away to her new doll.
“I actually didn't know what to expect from you,” Lexi piped up, cocking her head to the side as she stared at Katherine.
My sister rolled her eyes. “Don't tell me, Andrew filled your head with all sorts of strange stories.”
“Actually, he didn't tell me much of anything,” Lexi admitted. “He told me that you were really nice and that I'd like you, but that's about it.”
“Andrew,” Katherine chided, but her eyes were sparkling with amusement.
I was spared from responding by the sound of the oven timer going off. I pulled out the casserole and set it on top of the stove, waving away the smoke. “That just needs to cool and settle for a minute, and then we can eat,” I told them.
“Good,” Katherine said. “Smells delicious, by the way.”
“Thanks.”
Katherine turned back to Lexi, and with some weird sixth sense, I could tell before she even opened her mouth that I wasn't going to like what she was about to say.
Sure enough: “Well, I'm glad you're getting all settled. I think you'll make a nice addition to the family.”
I scowled at her. “Can I have a word with you in the other room?” I asked.
Katherine raised an eyebrow at me but followed me out of earshot. I whirled on her. “You can't just say stuff like that,” I hissed, mindful of my volume even though there was no way Lexi would be able to overhear us.
“Stuff like what?” Katherine asked, genuinely looking confused.
“That she'd make a nice addition to the family!” I snapped. “You basically just implied that I was going to marry her.”
“And?” Katherine asked. She shrugged. “You're the happiest that I've ever seen you. And I've never seen you this charming and thoughtful with a woman before. Anyway, there's Emma to think of. You and Lexi have a child. Don't you think it would be best for everyone involved if the two of you tied the knot?”
I stared at her. “I can't believe you,” I finally said in disgust. “I invite
d you over here so that you could meet the woman that I'm dating. Dating. Not planning an engagement to.”
“I can't believe you,” Katherine retorted. “What, are you holding out for something better? Or are you still just so afraid of becoming Mom and Dad that you're not even willing to give Lexi a chance?”
“I am giving her a chance,” I snapped. “But we're not at the point where we're swearing undying love to one another or anything even remotely close to that. Just watch what you say around her.”
“If you were going to get rid of her, you missed your chance,” Katherine told me. “You know you can't just kick them out now, not now that Emma's grown attached to you.”
“No one said anything about kicking anyone out,” I said peevishly. “Not that any of this is any of your business. You're here to meet Lexi and Emma. Not to give me opinions about how to handle my relationships and live my life.”
Katherine rolled her eyes, but she didn't say anything else. Instead, she stomped off to the kitchen. I closed my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. I loved Katherine, and I knew she wasn't really trying to meddle. She just wanted to see me happy.
For a second, I allowed myself to entertain the thought of it: a wedding with Lexi. Emma would make the most adorable flower girl, and I could already picture Lexi in her dress, a simple but elegant affair that did nothing to hide her curves. She'd grin demurely at me, and when we kissed–
I shook my head, breaking off the thought. I couldn't think about that now. As I'd said to Katherine, Lexi and I were still a long way off from marriage. Anyway, I should get back to the kitchen, before Katherine let slip some other meddling line.
But throughout the meal, despite the fact that the conversation moved miles away from my relationship with Lexi, I couldn't help tossing the idea around in my mind.
A springtime wedding to Lexi. It was an idea, anyway.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Lexi
Dinner with Katherine had gone well. There had been a couple weird comments here and there, but that was to be expected. It had been fun. I liked Katherine. She reminded me of Misty in a lot of ways. I could see us becoming friends.
If Andrew let us, that was. Katherine had mentioned that she'd originally planned to take Emma and I out to brunch one morning but that Andrew had changed the plan to dinner at his place at the last minute. She hadn't said it in a pointed way. She'd just wanted to invite us to do that some other time.
But it made me wonder why Andrew hadn't said anything about that plan. Was there a reason he wanted to be present while Emma and I hung out with his sister?
Of course, it was one thing for Andrew to commit to dating me. It was another thing entirely for him to introduce me to his family. That was a much bigger step. Maybe he was suddenly getting cold feet about this whole thing.
Whatever this thing between me and Andrew was. No one seemed to know what Andrew and my relationship was, and that was part of the uncertainty at dinner.
I watched Andrew wipe down the already-clean countertops in the kitchen. My brow furrowed. “Are you okay?” I asked.
He glanced up at me and smiled, but the expression didn't quite reach his eyes. “Why wouldn't I be?” he asked, a little extra vigor in his cleaning.
I stared at him for a long moment and then shrugged carefully. “You just seem tense,” I said. “Just figured I'd ask if you were all right.”
“I'm fine,” he said in a clipped tone.
“Okay,” I said. I finished putting away the leftover food and then paused in the doorway of the kitchen. “Tonight was fun, but I guess I'm going to go to bed, then. Have a good night.”
“Wait,” Andrew said, as I started to retreat. He tossed the rag in the sink and turned towards me, raking a hand back through his hair. “I'm sorry. I'm just distracted.” He paused. “What did you think of Katherine?”
“I liked her,” I assured him. “She's very nice, just like you said. I'm not sure that I'll take her up on the admin job because it's probably better suited to someone with experience in the non-profit field, but it was nice of her to offer. And the doll she brought for Emma is gorgeous.” I smiled. “Actually, Katherine reminds me a lot of my friend Misty.”
“Good,” Andrew said, but he still seemed distracted. I waited, wondering if he'd say anything else. But when he spoke again, his words caught me off guard. “Come to bed with me.”
I blinked. We'd had sex a couple times now, but I still spent most nights alone in the guest bedroom. I knew he was probably horny, having gone from sleeping with multiple women per week to sleeping with nobody after he broke up with Renée, but he'd been very good about keeping his hands to himself.
The fact that we'd just had dinner with his sister made this seem like something more, maybe. Like he wasn't just asking for sex.
“Okay,” I said simply.
Andrew glanced around. “I want to finish up a couple more things down here, but I'll see you up there, okay?”
“Okay.”
I walked slowly upstairs, dragging my hand along the banister in an attempt to ground myself. For the first time all night, I allowed myself to think of some of the comments that Katherine had made, the hints that she'd dropped.
I wasn't stupid. I knew that Andrew had dragged her into the other room so that he could tell her off for hinting that our relationship had a future. But maybe she knew something that I didn't. Maybe he'd only been telling her off for spoiling the surprise?
But Andrew didn't seem like he was ready to propose, and to be honest, I didn't know what I'd say if he did. I wanted to get my feet back under me before I thought about marriage. We weren't even saying that we loved one another yet. Getting engaged already would feel too hurried, like we weren't thinking things through. Like maybe he was acting out of guilt rather than love.
You couldn't build a solid relationship based on guilt. And I had no desire to have a loveless relationship like my parents.
Andrew came up to bed a few minutes after I'd lain down. He stripped, his eyes on me the whole time, and then crawled into bed next to me, pulling me into his arms.
“I'm glad you liked Kate,” he said quietly.
“I hope she liked me,” I mumbled. “I know how important her opinion is to you.”
Andrew laughed. “I'm sure she liked you. And she was absolutely smitten with Emma, of course.”
“But?” I pressed.
Andrew was quiet for a moment. “Katherine's not the most tactful person in the world. I know that she just wants me to be happy, but she might have said a few things that put undue pressure on our relationship. I hope you weren't bothered by them.”
I pulled back so that I could look up at him. I wondered how to answer that. Clearly, he was more freaked out about the whole commitment thing than I'd realized.
“I don't think she meant to put undue stress on our relationship,” I finally told him. “I think she just wasn't sure exactly what point our relationship was at. To be honest, I don't think that we really know either. We haven't defined it in so many words.” I paused. “If anything, I think she was just trying to figure out what point we were at. But I wasn't bothered by any of it.”
“Good,” Andrew said, sounding relieved. He pulled me back toward his chest, probably so that he wouldn't have to look me in the eyes during his confession. “I do want to get married at some point, to someone. But I'm not ready to consider that just yet. Not with anyone. And things have already moved so quickly with us, with you moving in here and having Emma, that I just want to enjoy your presence for a little while longer before we start talking about anything more serious.”
“Is that what this is about?” I asked teasingly, dragging my fingers along the skin of his torso. “Me being here in bed with you? We're enjoying one another's presence?”
Andrew chuckled. “Well, I should hope so.” He caught my wrists and rolled us over so that he was on top of me. “Of course, if you're not enjoying my presence just yet, I
suppose I'll have to do something about that.”
“Like what?” I asked challengingly.
He growled wordlessly and bent down to kiss me. The kiss was bruising and sensual, much more than a simple meeting of the lips. He rocked his hips down in time with the movements of his mouth, letting me feel how hard he already was, waking an answering desire in me.
He maneuvered my wrists so that he pinned them with just one hand. Then he brought his other hand down and slid it beneath my shirt, caressing the soft skin of my breasts. He pulled away for a moment and just stared down at me, an unreadable expression on his face.
I raised an eyebrow at him and then slowly removed my shirt, revealing my naked body beneath. Andrew hummed a pleased noise and then bent to trail his lips across my skin, making goosebumps rise in waves. I trembled, burying my fingers in his soft hair as he began to lick at my breasts, sucking the nipples until they stood sharply against my skin.
He repositioned himself so that he hovered over me again and dragged his fingertips up my sides. It seemed like there was something that he wanted to say, but he wasn't sure how to word it.
I groaned impatiently. “Are we fucking or talking?” I asked.
Andrew cleared his throat, sounding awkward. “I'd like you to sleep in here,” he said.
I rolled my eyes but caught his hips, trying to get him to resume what he'd been doing. “So glad you're not kicking me out,” I said sarcastically.
Andrew blinked and then shook his head. “That's not what I meant,” he told me. “I meant, I'd like you to sleep in here, from now on. I don't want you to sleep in the guest bedroom anymore. Unless you really want to. But I like the idea of waking up with you every morning.”
I stared at him for a long moment, sure that he was kidding. But he looked as serious as I'd ever seen him. “Okay, I’d like that,” I said simply. “Now can we continue?”
Andrew snorted at my impatience and kissed me again. It was gentler this time, although just as steamy. His tongue delved into my mouth and drew out lewd whimpers from me.
