Before We Kiss (Fool's Gold #14)

They embraced and then it was Sam’s turn. He braced himself, knowing the combination of love and space violation would leave him looking for an exit. The worst part was, he never knew which direction the embarrassment was going to come from so it was tough to prepare.

His father shook his hand, hugged him, then turned him over to his mother. Lark studied him for a long time before hugging him so tight his ribs ached.

“I love you so much,” she whispered. “I’ve missed you. You’re in my prayers every day.”

“I love you, too, Mom.”

She stepped back and smiled, then put her hands on his shoulders. “You’re in very good shape. I love that I produce beautiful babies. You’re still strong and well hydrated. I’m so happy you listened when I tried to teach you about the glory of drinking enough water. It keeps you regular, you know. You’re still too young to worry about that, but trust me, in a few years, you’re going to care a lot more about your bowels.”

“Listen to your mother,” Reggie said.

Kenny snickered.

“Come on inside,” he said. “You haven’t seen Sam’s new place.”

While Sam appreciated the distraction, he knew that it wouldn’t last for long. Nor would it help much. Because his mother never met a boundary she didn’t want to cross.

Sure enough, she wandered into the house while the guys brought in their considerable pile of luggage. As Sam, Kenny and Jack carried suitcases to the guest room, Taryn mixed drinks in the kitchen. Sam put down the two bags he’d been holding only to hear the familiar sound of drawers opening and closing. In his bedroom.

“Darling, I know a much better brand of condom,” his mother called. “And where is that pink vibrator I sent you last Christmas? The one that’s shaped to reach a woman’s G-spot. I don’t see it anywhere.”

“Mom, get out of my bedroom.”

She appeared in the doorway, her expression one of genuine confusion. “I was just exploring your life, darling. It’s how we reacquaint ourselves after being apart for so long.”

“Some people just have a conversation,” he mumbled.

“I’ve got the martinis ready,” Taryn called from the kitchen.

“Wonderful,” Lark said.

They went to the living room. Reggie carried in a tray of drinks while Taryn followed with some appetizers Sam had picked up from Angelo’s, the local Italian restaurant.

Taryn pointed to the drinks on the tray. “Straight up with a twist, straight up with olives, straight up with a hint of lavender for the beautiful woman I love so much.”

Lark smiled at her.

“Straight up seems to be a theme,” Jack whispered, taking one of the drinks.

“As long as it takes the edge off,” Sam told him, and grabbed one for himself.

He swallowed half of his in a gulp and glanced at Taryn. She grinned and pointed, as if saying yes, there was a pitcher waiting in the refrigerator. Something he would need to get through the visit.

Once everyone was settled, conversation seemed to flow more smoothly. Lark and Reggie talked about Sam’s sisters and how well they were doing. Most of the talk was relatively normal and there was only one mention of his sister Lottie’s vagina, which Sam considered a win where his parents were concerned.

“You’re on a book tour?” Kenny asked.

Lark nodded. “I never wanted to go on one before. Not when I had to be apart from Reggie for so long.” She smiled at her husband. “We try to never be apart for more than twenty-four hours and our goal is to make love at least once every forty-eight hours.”

“Mom,” Sam said sharply. “TMI.”

“You always say that. It’s not possible to have too much information. Knowledge is important.”

“Not when it’s about my parents’ sex life.”

“You should be happy,” Reggie said. “You have the Ridge sports equipment, as my dad used to say to me.”

Sam felt the familiar sense of hopelessness that always seemed to swallow him when his parents were around. It wasn’t that he didn’t love them; it was that he didn’t know how to survive them.

Taryn leaned close. “Maybe Kenny or Jack could flash her,” she murmured. “That would be a distraction.”

“Not a good one.”

She patted his hand and took his empty glass. A minute later, she was back and the glass was full.

“You’re a good woman,” he told her.

Lark leaned against Reggie. “Now that your father is retired, he can travel with me, so we’re going on tour together. We’re driving and that makes it fun. This country is so beautiful and we’ve been to the most interesting places. You wouldn’t believe all the places we’ve had sex outdoors.”

Reggie chuckled. “We’ve been caught a few times, but that adds to the fun.”

Sam felt the beginning of a headache.

Kenny leaned forward. “Like where?”

Jack laughed. “Any arrests?”

Reggie shook his head. “We had cops tell us to move it indoors once, but then the guy admitted he was pleased to know people of our age still did it. Plus, Lark is a beautiful woman. Anyone would want to see her naked.”