Inflame

Chapter 16

Lucy

THANKSGIVING WEEKEND comes way too quickly, and to be honest, I’m not ready to introduce my mom to Kale. Or rather Kale to my mom. While I know he’s going to charm her ass off, she’s going to freak the hell out when I break the news to her. My sperm donor did quite a number on her, and all my life, I’ve had safe sex practices rammed down my throat. She even put me on birth control before I’d even had my first kiss, telling me that she didn’t want me to end up in a loveless marriage like she had. After having grown up in a house with said loveless marriage, I didn’t argue with her.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve known what it’s like to be the product of lust, not love. At least one-sided love, because somehow my mom fell in love with an asshole named Tim Parsons, and she believed he loved her, too. And maybe he did, but once a screaming baby came along, he changed his tune and for the next ten years lamented having not one, but two balls and chains. Yeah, I didn’t get ‘princess’ or ‘baby girl.’ I was ‘a hassle,’ ‘a tie-down,’ and I will forever be thankful that Steve Dawson stepped in the first time he saw Tim knock my mom around. But that’s a long story for another day.

Let’s just say, she’s going to freak out when she finds out I’m pregnant. She knows I haven’t been seeing anyone seriously, and I’m not sure I have the heart to tell her how it happened, but she’s my mom and she deserves my honesty.

Kale comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, resting his hands on my belly, a move he’s mastered over the past two weeks since we’ve been dating. It’s weird, because like he said at the doctor’s office, it feels like we’ve been together so much longer. Maybe we have. It wasn’t official, but nothing feels different except that we have spoken labels now. All I know is I love it, and I’m so happy all our feelings are out in the open.

I smile to myself, remembering the day I snuck onto Facebook and made us social media official. He was waiting for me in the parking lot after school, a huge grin on his face as I approached him. The way he pulled me into his arms as his thumb and forefinger cupped my chin was tender, and he looked down at me with joyful eyes as he asked me if I’d hacked his account, even though he already knew the answer. Needless to say, Kale was a very happy man that day.

He nuzzles his face in my neck, kissing me lightly. “Babe, you’ve been sitting here for thirty-five minutes. We’ve gotta get moving if we’re going to make it to your mom’s in time for dinner,” he tells me, and I know he’s right.

Although it makes more sense to go to his mom’s first, my family always does Thanksgiving Wednesday night since the restaurant puts on a big buffet-style feast for tourists who are on vacation for the holiday.

I lean my head back against his chest and wish we could just stay here. “Let’s just go to Alabama. I’ll tell my mom something came up.”

His chest rumbles with laughter, and he turns me in his arms. He places a soft kiss against my lips, and I move to deepen it, but he pulls back. “Woman, stop trying to distract me. It won’t work. The car’s packed, and you can’t let my first impression on your mom be a bad one. I’m already stealing you away early so we can go to my Mom’s—a bomb that I wish you’d have dropped on her already. She’s going to kill me when you tell her you’re only staying for a day.”

I wince, and I know he’s right. She already had a million questions when I told her I was bringing someone. Mom’s made plenty of hints over the past couple of years that she’s ready to be a grandma—once I settled down, of course. Well, now she’s getting her wish. Just in the wrong order.

“Okay, okay. Let’s hit the road, but if we’re late, I’ll blame it on the baby. ‘Sorry, Mom, I had to stop to pee every ninety minutes because I’m pregnant. Oh, I forgot to tell you? Well, I am. That guy’s the baby’s father.’ How’s that?”

He chuckles and shakes his head as his hands rub up and down my arms. “Good thing we have hours to work on your delivery, because if you refer to me as ‘that guy,’ you’ll have more problems than just with your mom.”

Stepping up on my tiptoes, I give him a kiss on the cheek. “Don’t worry, Kale. You’re so much more than just ‘that guy.’ So much more.”

A slow smile spreads over his face. “Good to know. Everything will be fine, okay? I’ll be there with you the whole time. You and me. We’re in this together.”

I nod in confirmation, and my nerves settle a little bit. The butterflies in my stomach slowly fade away, and I realize that, as long as I have Kale by my side, I really do think I can get through anything.

HOURS LATER, Kale is shaking me awake. Grinning sheepishly, I apologize for dozing off, but he waves me off. “You need your rest, babe. Don’t worry about it. I’d let you keep sleeping, but we’re here and I’m not sure me carrying you into your mom’s house is the best way to introduce myself.”

As I look around, I notice that we’re in the driveway of Mom and Steve’s house. “Hey, you never know. She might think it’s romantic and fall in love with you on the spot.”

He shoots a sexy grin at me, and I want to lean over and kiss the smile off his lips. “Like mother, like daughter?”

I playfully shove his shoulder. “In your dreams, Montgomery,” I tease, and he just grins even wider.

“Oh, Ms. Dawson, you’ve starred in my dreams, but they’ve definitely been a lot sexier than you just falling in love with me. That’s just the icing the cake.”

I’m about to respond when I hear a high-pitched squeal. Looking up, I see my fourteen-year-old half-sister, Marisa, bounding down the porch towards the car.

“We’ll finish this conversation later,” I tell him and then get out of the car.

“You’re finally here!!” she says as she runs to me, wrapping her arms around my waist.

Having been an only child for the first thirteen years of my life, I was ecstatic when Marisa was born. I got to be the super-cool older sister, and with our age difference, we never fought. Even though she had the best parents in Mom and Steve, I spent my time showering her with all the love I could, all the love I’d missed in my own childhood. And she returned it tenfold.

“Hey, Riss! I’ve missed you,” I say as I return her hug.

“I am so glad you’re here. I really need your reinforcements. A really super-hot guy from school asked me to meet him at the movies this weekend but Mom says I’m too young to date. As if. It’s only the movies. I think I’m wearing Dad down, but Mom’s being stubborn.”

Laughing, I lean back and look at her, pushing her hair out of her sweet face, which is maturing way too quickly. “When did you get old enough to go out with boys? Nope, I agree with Mom. My baby sister is way too young to be meeting boys at the movies.” I’m only teasing, and I laugh when she scowls. “I’ll talk to her. She’s just overprotective and doesn’t want you to grow up.”

“Thanks, Luce!” She pauses and her eyes grow wide as Kale rounds the car and stands next to me. “Holy crap. Who’s the hunk?”

Kale lets out a laugh and wraps an arm around my waist. He holds a hand out to Marisa and she shakes it. “I’m Kale Montgomery. Lucy’s better, but not better looking, half.”

Marisa wrinkles her nose and sizes him up before looking back at me. “Dad’s going to love him,” she informs me before turning back to Kale. “I’m Marisa, Lucy’s sister. See, Dad always says that phrase, too, which usually causes Mom to slap him on the ass with a towel.”

“Okay, Marisa. That’s more than Kale needs to know about them. Let’s go inside, shall we?”

Kale grabs our bags, and we listen as Marisa starts telling us all about her first semester as a freshman in high school. It’s endearing, and part of me wishes I could go back to when life was simple like that. But then I feel Kale’s fingers at my waist, rubbing slightly, and I bring a hand to my stomach and realize that I wouldn’t change a thing.

Mom’s at the door when we step onto the porch, and she throws her arms around me. Kale steps back, allowing her to engulf me in a hug.

“I’ve missed you, sweetie,” she says in my ear before releasing me. “Sorry. Marisa wanted to be the welcoming committee, and I had to get the green bean casserole in the oven. I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Missed you, too,” I reply before turning to Kale. “Mom, I’d like to introduce you to Kale Montgomery. My boyfriend.”

Kale holds an arm out to shake her hand, but she waves him off and pulls him in for a quick hug before she lets him go. “Kale, it is so nice to meet you and I’m so pleased you could join us for the holiday. I’m Marcy.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too, ma’am,” Kale says, and Mom grins.

“Oh, don’t be silly with that ma’am nonsense. Call me Marcy. Now come on in, you two. Dinner will be ready in a couple of hours. Lucy, your room’s ready with fresh linens if you two want to go get settled or get in a quick nap.”

I gape at my mom, not sure if she’s actually insinuating that it’s fine for Kale to stay in my room. Kale must be thinking the same thing because he clears his throat.

“Ma’am—Marcy, I mean—I can take the couch for the night.”

Mom looks around, presumably to see if Marisa is gone—which she is. “You’re both grown adults. If you sleep in the same bed for a night or two, I won’t be offended. Just…sleep, okay?”

I’m in complete shock, and Kale has to nudge me to get me to stop staring at her. “Mom, umm, are you sure? I mean, we’ll just sleep, but I don’t want to disrespect you if you’re uncomfortable with it.”

“Lucy Dawson, he’s at least six feet tall. What kind of host would I be if I made the poor man sleep on the couch?” I have to admit she has me there. She points a knowing finger at me then at Kale. “Like I said, to sleep only, got it?”

I nod and Kale chuckles as he holds up his stupid fake Boy Scout hand gesture. “Scout’s honor, ma’am. Sleeping only.”

Mom gives him a wide smile then looks at me. “I love this one already, sweetheart.”

I don’t say it out loud, but the thought runs through my mind. I think I might, too.

LATER THAT evening, we’re all sitting around the large, solid oak wood table in Mom and Steve’s dining room. I’m not surprised that Kale fits right in with everyone. He’d honestly fit in anywhere, and he’s spent the past fifteen minutes playfully arguing with Steve and Jared, my stepbrother from Steve’s previous marriage, over Chevy versus Ford cars. Mom, Marisa, and I ignore them as I try to get Mom to see why the movies wouldn’t be such a big deal, and Marisa squeals when she finally relents with the condition that she’ll both drop her off and pick her up.

There’s a lull in the conversation and Mom seems to decide that it’s the perfect time to pounce. I’ve been waiting for it all night—dreading it, really.

“So, Kale, how did you and Lucy meet?” she asks, not so coyly directing the questions at him.

I hold my breath, waiting to see how he’s going to respond.

Kale

MARCY’S LOOKING at me innocently as she waits for me to answer her. I can feel Lucy staring at me, and I can sense her apprehension. With my eyes locked on her mom, I grab her hand under the table and give her a reassuring squeeze. I’m not sure why she’s so nervous. The story of how we met is actually a pretty sweet one. Sure, what happened after might be a little scandalous for her mom, but she didn’t ask about that part.

“It’s kind of a long story,” I start, and then hear Lucy cough as she tries to mask a choking sound. Again, I squeeze her hand before continuing. “About a year and a half ago, one of my best buddies was deployed. He’s a single dad, and his daughter was staying with her grandma while he was gone. I checked in on her a couple times a week. I’m her godfather, you see, so I tried to play the male figure in her life whenever Xavier’s gone. She was having a Bring Your Dad to School Day and asked if I’d come. She might not be mine, but that little girl has me wound tightly around her fingers and I couldn’t say no.”

I pause as Marcy interrupts the story. “That is so sweet for you to be there for her, Kale.”

Nodding in appreciation, I continue the story. “I thought I was running late, but when I got to the school, her classroom was empty, so I wasn’t sure it was the right room. When I walked in, the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen was sitting at the desk, looking so peaceful. She almost knocked me on my ass. Then I interrupted her and, well, actually knocked her on her ass.”

Steve chuckles, and when I look at Lucy, I can see her blushing. Marcy’s looking back and forth between us, and I know she wants more of the story. “Long story short, Ms. Lucy Dawson turned out to be exactly who was I was looking for. And the rest is history. We became best friends and eventually it led to more.”

“So you two have known each other for quite a while then?” Steve asks.

“Yep. It took me a while to wear her down, but somehow I was finally able to get her to admit that she liked me. She’s kind of stubborn,” I tell him, and he laughs knowingly.

“Trust me. She gets that from her mom,” he replies to Marcy’s protest.

The whole time, Lucy’s sitting beside me quietly, and I wish I could read her mind. I know how nervous she is to tell her mom about the baby. I only hope that I’m doing a good job to show that I care about her without going over the top. She thinks her mom’s going to flip when she finds out about the baby, but I’m not so sure. She’s fine with letting us share a room, even if we were given a strict ‘sleeping only’ warning. Then again, Lucy knows her mom better than I do.

Jared, Lucy’s stepbrother, breaks up the relationship talk by asking about my career, and Lucy lets out a sigh of relief. The conversation turns to that, all of them asking questions and wanting to know what Afghanistan was like. I humor them and tell them stories much like I did in Lucy’s classroom. I don’t miss the way Marcy’s eyes widen at some of my tales, so I dial it back in order not to freak her out.

“Kale, where is your family from?” Lucy’s mom asks once all the war questions end.

“They’re in Gulf Shores, Alabama. We’re actually going to be leaving here tomorrow and heading there,” Lucy says before I can respond. “Kale missed last Thanksgiving with his family, and since we always do ours on Wednesday, I told him it was okay if we went there.”

“You’re only going to be here for a day?” Marcy asks her, looking astonished.

“Mom, I know it’s not what you expected. We just wanted to meet each other’s families, and well, I don’t want him to miss another holiday with his,” she says, and I watch as Marcy’s face softens. She might not like the idea, but I know she’s not going to argue with her daughter. “Plus, I’ll be back for a week at Christmas. It’s not that far away,”

What? I know she gets a two-week break at Christmas time, and well, I was kind of hoping I could spend that time talking her into moving in with me and setting up a nursery in my house. I know it seems fast, but we already spend nearly every day together, and it just makes sense. And in June, when Lucy gives birth to our child, I want them both under my roof. I didn’t even think about her coming back to Florida for the holiday, even though it should have crossed my mind. I don’t want to bring it up in front of her family, so I decide to ignore it for now.

“I understand that, honey. It’s just that we’ve missed you and I was hoping to get to know Kale a little better. I guess I’ll have to be the annoying mother and cram it all in tonight.”

Leaning forward, I interject. “I don’t mind, Marcy. Always been an open book. Fire away.”

“Well, let’s start simple. Tell me about your family.”

Easy enough. I quickly tell her about my mom and my sisters but try not to go into too much detail to where I bore the entire table. Marcy frowns when I tell her Dad left us when my sisters were babies, but I brush it off.

“My uncle was always around, and he was more of a father figure than my old man ever was. Trust me. It was better for all of us when he left. It’s long past and water under the bridge,” I say, meaning it.

Marcy gives me a weird look but quickly covers it with a sympathetic smile. “Well, that’s a nice way to look at it, Kale. It sounds like you had a good childhood regardless.”

As I nod, Steve interrupts the conversation. “All right, woman. Let the boy eat. He’s been answering questions left and right all night and his plate’s still practically full.”

Lucy gives him an appreciative smile while Marcy glares at him. “I’m sorry, Kale. I’m not trying to be rude. I’m just trying to get to know my daughter’s boyfriend. I might’ve known more if she’d ever decided to tell me about you on any one of our numerous phone calls.”

“Mom…” Lucy begins, but Marcy stops her.

“Okay, okay, I get the hint. I’ll back off. Just one more question and I’m done,” she says, and Lucy sighs but nods. “This is going to sound cliché, but I can’t help it. I have to ask. Kale, what are your intentions with my daughter?” she asks, and I can’t tell if she’s serious or not.

I rack my brain trying to come up with the perfect answer to appease her. I intend to marry her and start a family with her? No, because that’ll scare the shit out of Lucy. Well, at first I just wanted to fuck her, but now I’m falling for her, so we’ll see? Pretty sure I’d get a steak knife thrown at me. For the first time, I’m tongue tied, and before I can untie it, Lucy decides to forgo any prepping for the conversation.

“I’m pregnant,” she deadpans.

The table falls silent except for the sound of Marcy choking on the bite of mashed potatoes she just took. Steve quickly pushes her wine towards her, and I watch as she takes a long sip. Marisa and Jared are both staring at Lucy, wide-eyed.

Lucy looks over at me and winces. “Sorry, babe. It just kind of came out. Ripping the Band-Aid off and all that?”

Cupping her chin, I lean in and give her lips a soft kiss. “It’s fine, baby. If that was the easiest way, then I’m okay with it. You good?”

She shrugs her shoulders and looks over at her mom, who’s red in the face and staring at us, shooting daggers in my direction. “We’ll see.”

Marcy wipes her mouth and then throws her napkin on her plate. “Lucy Elizabeth Dawson, in the kitchen. Now.”

Lucy starts to protest, but Marcy’s already out of the room. “I’ll be right back. Try and enjoy the rest of your dinner, okay?”

I watch as she follows her mom into the kitchen then look back at the table. Three pairs of curious eyes are staring at me, and I meet each one.

“I guess congratulations are in order,” Steve says, breaking the silence, and relief that he’s not threatening to kick my ass for defiling his stepdaughter washes over me. “Although, I’m far too young to be a grandpa.”

I appreciate that he’s trying to lighten the mood, and I start to relax until I hear the raised voices coming from the kitchen. Scooting my chair back, I get up from the table.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, son. Marcy’s got a temper,” Steve warns.

“That’s my woman in there, pregnant with my child. I’ll be damned if I sit back and let anyone upset her when she’s in this condition. Not even her own mom.”

He eyes me up and down then nods approvingly. “This should be fun.”