by Layla Hagen
"Chloe, Lucas, anything wrong?" I ask, my heart clenching.
"Can we be grandkids?" Chloe asks quietly.
"Don't they have to be like Mom and Dad's parents?" Lucas continues.
"Wh-huh…." I draw blank, taken aback by their questions.
"Of course you can be their grandkids," Christopher answers for me.
"But we're not related," Lucas insists.
“You don’t have to be related by blood to be family,” Christopher says.
“Are you just saying that because Chloe and I are adopted?” Lucas asks boldly, and my chest tightens.
“No, I’m saying it because it’s true. For the record, my family always referred to close friends as adopted Bennetts. But you’d be grandkids. That means you can do as many pranks and shenanigans as you want.”
Several seconds of silence follow, and then Lucas and Chloe start talking at the same time.
"We'll have grandparents?"
"We never had grandparents before."
"Do you think they'll let us eat sweets before dinner?"
I sink in my seat, smiling broadly. Christopher grins as he slows down, coming to a halt at a gas station.
"Pit stop. Tank is almost empty," he explains before getting out. Seizing my last chance to talk to him alone before we make it to his parents' house, I tell the kids, "Stay inside. I'm just going to be at the back of the car for a few minutes."
With that, I climb out of the car and join Christopher, who's filling the tank.
"You were very sweet in there. But why are you encouraging the kids to do shenanigans?" I inquire.
He looks up from the pump. "Because that's what kids do. Mom always said to worry if kids are silent, not if they’re loud. I was a loud kid who couldn't stand still for more than ten minutes at a time, and look how smart and charming I turned out."
"But that doesn't mean you should encourage them to—"
He cups my cheek with one hand. "I don't want any of you to stress out. You're already all tied up in knots. Why?"
"I'm nervous about all this. Meeting your parents. Can you give me pointers? I really want them to like me."
Kissing my forehead, he says, "I know they'll like you. But here are a few pointers regarding my siblings. Don't trust Blake. For that matter, Max either. And whatever you do, don't let Pippa rope you into a conversation if the two of you are alone. She'll make you spill all your secrets."
"You make it sound like Pippa has some kind of truth serum."
"She does." Though his expression is serious, I know he's barely suppressing laughter. Why my jitters amuse him so much, I have no idea.
"I know Pippa, remember? I decorated her house."
"And she never asked you personal questions? You never had the feeling you're saying more than you should, but you couldn't stop yourself?"
"Hmm… a few times."
"Aha!" He points his forefinger at me, raising his shoulders. "And that was nothing. She was still assessing your potential at that point, so she wasn't grilling you too hard. Now however…."
"You're confusing me. Lots of don'ts here. Anything I should do?"
Christopher takes his time placing the nozzle back in its socket and closing the lid to the gas tank before focusing his attention on me. "Now that you mention it, it might be a good idea to profess your undying love for me. That'll win everyone over instantly."
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you’re fishing for a love declaration."
"Nah! Just giving you pointers, as you asked. On second thought, don't do that. Then they'll start nagging me about proposing and babies."
"Your family sounds suspiciously like Chloe."
"In many ways, they are."
"Can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"Why do you almost choke every time you say ‘proposing’? For the record, I'm not fishing for a ring."
"Just like I'm not fishing for a love declaration." He chuckles, but as I shift from one leg to the other, I take in the subtle way his expression changes. "I proposed once."
Oh crap. "It didn't go well?"
"Exactly. She said no, explaining she needed to find herself and couldn't do that with me. I was blindsided. She'd never said anything like that before."
Unzipping his jacket, I sneak my arms around his waist, resting my head against his chest, seeking to comfort him. My heart hurts for him, even as a pang of jealousy shoots through me.
"Does it make me a bad person that I'm glad she said no? I wouldn't have met you otherwise."
"It makes you a terrible person." His chest rumbles with laughter, and it's damn contagious. With the greatest regret, I peel myself off him, zipping his jacket back up. We really should get going, but I can't help asking one more thing.
"Did you love her?"
"I used to think so." He levels his gaze at me, emotions warring in his eyes. "Now that I’ve met you, I think I didn't know what love was. All these feelings I have for you… I didn't even know they existed."
"Back at you." I bounce up on my toes, planting a quick kiss on his chin, then step back to get a better view of him. "How do you always find new ways to make me swoon?"
"Special talent." One corner of his mouth lifts. "Possibly inherited."
Chapter Twenty-Six
Victoria
Lucas and Chloe are unusually quiet once we arrive at the Bennett house. Christopher parks the car in the driveway, and then all of us are on the way to the house. Christopher leads the way, Lucas walking quietly beside him. I take Chloe in my arms, rubbing my palm up and down her back. She sighs loudly, her nose scrunched.
"What is it, sweetie?" I whisper to her. She merely shrugs, shaking her head. Right. I'll get to the bottom of this later. Christopher pushes the door to the house open, and we all step inside. A whirlwind of voices resounds from deeper inside the home, mixed with laughter and colorful exclamations.
"Mom, Dad," Christopher calls out loudly. As if waiting for the signal, a couple steps into the corridor, hurrying toward us. Ah, and now I can see where Christopher gets his height and build. His father is just as tall as he is, with broad shoulders and an impressive physique. He is a giant with kind eyes and a friendly smile. Mrs. Bennett is petite, and warmth radiates from every pore of her face. Looking at Mr. and Mrs. Bennett, I can't help but be reminded of Mom and Dad. They have that closeness and care for each other that I've only seen in my parents before.
Sienna greets his parents first, and then Mrs. Bennett steps in front of Lucas, who says, "Hi, Mrs. Bennett, I'm Lucas. Very pleased to meet you."
“Pleased to meet you too, Lucas.”
I do a mental fist pump that my boy sounds all grown up.
"And you must be Chloe," Mrs. Bennett says.
Chloe, who is still in my arms, extends her small hand to Mrs. Bennett.
"Yes, ma'am. How do you do?"
What the heck. How do you do? That's so unlike her… or any four-year-old, for that matter. Mrs. Bennett shakes Chloe's hand.
Then she turns to me and says, "Nice to finally meet you in person, Victoria."
"Likewise, Mrs. Bennett."
"Call me Jenna." She kisses my cheek, and then I shake hands with Mr. Bennett. "Let's go to the living room so you can meet everyone."
"Wow," Chloe whispers when she sees the large group.
"Prepare for your head to spin as I introduce you to everyone," Christopher says. We do a round of introductions, after which my head truly spins. It helps that I already know Alice, and Pippa and her family, though this is the first time I'm meeting the two lovely additions, six-months-old Mia and Elena.
Things become even more blurry when we proceed to his brothers. I might have met Blake, Logan, and Sebastian, but I struggle to keep up with whose spouse is whose, and I hope I won't mix up the brothers' names. Speaking of mix-ups, the most memorable of the introductions is the one to his identical twin, Max. I just can't wrap my head around the idea of two Christophers running around.
; "Ah," Max exclaims. "Your girl got all tongue-tied in front of me, brother. I still got game."
I grin at him, realizing I just got a partner in crime to give shit to Christopher. Besides Blake, of course. That one seems to be game for anything anytime.
"I heard all about you kissing his girl in high school," I inform Max. "Such bad form."
"Christopher's no saint," a beautiful blonde exclaims, appearing next to Max's side. "I'm Emilia. And that one"—she points to my man—"tried to pass himself off as Max with me."
Emilia winks at me, and at once I know that I have an ally. Sometime in the near future, she and I will plot against these two.
"Say, I heard a rumor that you and Daniel"—I point to Blake—"are the party brothers, while these two"—I turn my thumb in Max and Christopher's direction—"are the serious brothers. Care to enlighten me? They don't seem to understand the concept of serious."
Blake shakes his head. "I know. Blatant discrimination."
The next hour is somewhat of a blur. Sienna is entranced in a conversation with Logan's wife, Nadine, and Lucas is talking Blake's ear off about soccer. Chloe sticks to Jenna the entire time. When Mrs. Bennett announces dinner is ready, we all move into the dining room.
***
After Thanksgiving dinner, I finally seem to have lost some of my jitters. The delicious stuffed turkey helped, and the wine too. We eat dessert in the gazebo outside.
As we move the party back into the living room, Sienna accosts Nadine again, and Chloe and Lucas gravitate around Mr. and Mrs. Bennett. I finally inspect the place in detail. It’s more spacious than a regular living room in a house this size. I suspect part of it used to be a separate room, and the Bennetts tore down a wall. Aside from the enormous couch on one wall, there are several groups of armchairs and ottomans spread around the room. The setup is perfect for large gatherings such as this one. Having everyone sit on or stand around the couch wouldn't be pleasant. It would result in too many simultaneous conversations, which would be hard to follow. As it is, one can choose to sit in one of the armchair or ottoman groups and carry on a conversation, while being able to cross over to the larger group in no time.
"Chloe is adorable," Pippa exclaims, appearing at my side. She sits on the nearest armchair, holding one of her daughters in her arms. I sit on the opposite chair, watching the large group from afar. Christopher is in his element with his siblings, winking at me from time to time.
"Yeah, and she's glued to your mother."
"Oh, don't you worry. Mom loves it." Pippa rocks her daughter in her arms, cooing at her.
"Motherhood suits you," I tell her.
"I love it, even though I do wonder if I'll feel less like a zombie anytime soon. The girls don’t always sleep through the night, and I'm one of those people who takes ages to fall asleep. It's difficult to concentrate on work."
"Oh, you go into your office?" I inquire, worrying she's biting off more than she can chew.
"I mostly work from home, but a few times a week I do go into the office."
"Wow, I have no idea how you do it with two small children."
"It's all a bit of a mess, if I'm honest. I love my job, and I love my kids and my husband. But right now, I feel like I'm failing everywhere. Mom says I'm doing fine, and she helps me a lot, but…."
My heart squeezes, and I have the overwhelming urge to comfort her. I'm not exactly in her position, but I'm close. At the very least, I'm painfully familiar with the feeling of permanent failure. What surprises me is that even with her mother by her side, she still can't shake off that feeling. Talking to Mrs. Bennett on the phone all those months ago helped me a lot. Then I realize what Pippa needs: for someone outside the family to tell her she's doing just fine. After all, I never took Aunt Christina's assurances at face value. Sometimes you can't help feeling your own family is cutting you slack just because they love you.
"You're not failing, Pippa. It's normal to need a transitioning period. Be prepared for it to last a long time. You're doing a great job."
She smiles up at me, straightening her shoulders. "Thanks for the encouragement."
As if on cue, her husband steps in. "I just put Mia to sleep. I'll take Elena too."
"Best if they don't miss their nap time," she explains to me while placing her daughter in her husband's arms.
Once he's out of earshot, she says, "Watching my husband with a baby in his arms…. Maybe I'm still high on baby hormones, but I find him adorable and hot at the same time."
"It's not hormones," I assure her. "My heart somersaults every time Christopher carries Chloe in his arms."
"He does have a knack for kids, doesn't he?"
"Absolutely. They all worship him and love having him around. I love having him around too. Being with him is…. I've never felt for anyone what I feel for him. If I'm honest, it scares me."
"He's head over heels about you, and the kids. I've never seen him like this. And it's a good sign that you're afraid. You know it's real when it scares you."
It's only when I notice the twinkle of triumph in Pippa's eyes that I realize Christopher's warning has come to fruition. This woman definitely has a truth serum.
"I knew you'd be good for my brother since we worked together. That's why I recommended you to him."
"Ah, and I foolishly thought you were impressed with my decorating skills."
"Those too, don't worry. But my matchmaker sensor was in hyperalert when I met you. I had to do something about it."
"Completely understandable." We both start laughing until Sebastian and his wife, Ava, join us, and we slip into an easy conversation. Matchmaking isn't brought up again.
***
Hours later, as we're preparing to leave, I notice Chloe seems to be out of sorts.
"Everything okay, pumpkin?" I whisper, even though it's just the two of us in the foyer. Lucas, Sienna, and Christopher are already outside, and everyone else is still in the living room. She nods, huffing softly as I slide her jacket on.
"I can tell there's something up with you," I insist.
"Do you think Mr. and Mrs. Bennett like us?" she asks, surprising the hell out of me. I've been so busy fretting over my own anxiety at meeting the family, I haven't stopped to think about hers.
"I think they do."
"I really want them to like us," she insists. "Then it'll be like we're having a mom and dad again."
My throat constricts, words escaping me. I blink rapidly, trying to subdue the tears threatening to spill.
"I thought you wanted them to be your grandparents."
She frowns in concentration. "No, grandparents have white hair everywhere, but Mr. and Mrs. Bennett only have a little white hair, like Mom and Dad did. They can't be grandparents."
"I love you, pumpkin." I wrap my arms around Chloe, smothering her cheeks with kisses. "Mr. and Mrs. Bennett love you, and they can be whatever you want. Come on, let's go home."
"What are you two smiling about?" Christopher asks once we're in the car.
"We had a great time today," I answer.
"I love your family," Sienna chimes in from the backseat.
"Yeah," I add. "They're a great bunch. Now I see why you turned out okay."
"So my family is great, but I'm okay? I’m a little offended here."
Glancing in the rearview mirror, three large grins greet me. The kids love the banter between us.
I smack Christopher lightly with my elbow. "Can't help it if you're oversensitive."
***
Christopher
I spend the night at Victoria's house, which feels more natural than going home to my apartment. For years I was used to going home to an empty space, which often felt quiet and lonely. I had no pets because I was gone too long. I tried keeping plants, but they had a tendency to die—forgetting to water them would do that to a plant—and plants don't talk or bark, so they didn't really help with the issue of the deafening silence. Despite all those drawbacks, I grew accustomed to having my space. Now my s
pace feels like an empty shell without Victoria and her siblings.
After the kids go to sleep, I plan to seduce Victoria, but she seems to have some plans of her own. Taking my hand, she walks us to her room. I drink in the way her hips sway in front of me, her dress clinging to her curves. She ditched the tights once we got home, which means I'll get easy access to nirvana.
"What are your plans, mighty temptress?" I ask her once we're inside.
"You're such a flirt, Christopher."
"It’s my duty. You're mine."
"Yours, huh?" Turning around, she tilts her head to one side, a teasing smile making an appearance. "What gave you that idea?"
With my hands on her hips, I back her up against a wall, and she molds her sweet curves against me instantly.
"This. The way you look at me." I place one thumb on her cheek, dragging it down to the corner of her mouth. "The way you push yourself against me." Her hips are flush against mine, her breasts pressing against my chest. "The way your body responds to my touch." Victoria exhales sharply, tugging at her lower lip with her teeth, and then she pushes me to sit on the bed. She moves her fingers across my chest, heading downward. When she runs her palm over the bulge in my jeans, I groan.
That only fuels her further. She undoes the button of my jeans and then pulls at the zipper. I get rid of my jeans as she lowers herself to her knees, settling between my legs. After freeing my hard-on, she swipes her tongue over the tip. My balls tighten instantly. My fingers tug at her hair, anticipation zinging through my veins.
"Victoriaaaaa." My grip on her hair tightens, and she takes me in her mouth, closing her fist at the base while moving her mouth up and down. She's a wet dream come true. "You're so sexy. So good." With her other hand, she reaches farther down, cupping my balls. I thrust my hips up. When I feel my tip at the back of her throat, I nearly blow before pulling out completely. I'm a fucking jerk for losing control like this. I need to know if she's okay, if she wants it.
