Chapter Ten
Later that afternoon, Kayla looked out the window of Cooper’s Escalade, tapping her fingers on the door. “When you meet my mom, make sure you’re charming. Like, full blast. If you do that, there’s an eighty-nine-point-nine percent chance that you’ll distract her from asking you too many questions. And she might just fall for this whole thing, too. Maybe.”
He laughed. “Is that so? That’s an awfully precise number.”
She shrugged. “I’m that good. And when you meet her, give her the dimples. They worked on me. Also, there’s a seventy-three percent chance that—”
“Sweetheart? You’re babbling again.”
Her cheeks heated. He was right. She was. “I’m sorry. I just want this to go as smoothly as possible.” She turned to him. “There’s a seventy-three percent chance that my dad will hate you.”
“You had to get that statistic out, didn’t you?”
“Oh my God, yes.”
He grinned and turned down the road that led to the restaurant where the rehearsal dinner was being held. “I think I can handle those odds. I’ll manage to win over your mom, which will win over your dad. So don’t worry.”
“I didn’t doubt you could do that,” she said dryly. “Your charm is legendary already.”
And they would need that charm in the face of her family’s pending wrath. They hadn’t made it to her parents’ house before the dinner party. As a matter of fact, they’d been running behind ever since he’d seduced her into another round of sex this morning.
And man, what a round it had been.
She hoped there would be a lot more of that after they got through this party and returned to the hotel.
It would be her reward for good behavior.
“Well…” He bent down to peer through the windshield toward the restaurant. “Let’s go over some more details real quick. When’s your birthday?”
“May third.” She looked back at him. “Yours?”
“December sixth.” He turned into the parking lot. “Are we into PDA?”
She hesitated. “Hand holding and soft kisses. No tongue.”
“Damn. I guess I’ll have to behave myself until later, then.”
“When we’re alone, all bets are off.” She skimmed her fingers over his thigh, creeping toward his cock but not touching him there. “But you already knew that.”
“I did,” he said, his voice a little raspy. “Are you allergic to anything?”
“Peanuts.”
“Me too.” He shot her a surprised look. “Looks like our fictional kids are f*cked.”
She laughed. “Guess so. But you’re moving way too fast for this fictional relationship.”
“Touché. Favorite food?”
“Steak and potatoes.” She sighed as they pulled into the parking spot. She really didn’t want to go inside. Didn’t want to start this whole charade.
They were so going to fail.
In fact, she’d bet they had a ninety-four-point-six percent chance of failing—and that was being generous.
Why couldn’t she be allowed to just enjoy her sister’s wedding in peace? Without a date, people would bombard her with questions about when she was going to settle down. Yet with a date, she ran the risk of having people bombard her with the very same questions.
She was damned if she did. And damned if she didn’t.
She checked her hair one more time. Lowering the visor, she asked, “Your favorite food?”
“Lobster and scallops.” He unclicked his seatbelt. “Are we going with my real profession, or are we making up a more prestigious one?”
Surprised, she looked at him, her hand half-way to her face. “Private security and past Marine? It doesn’t get any better than that in my family. They’re big on military and service men.”
“All right. So we’re telling the truth? That I couldn’t cut it in the Marines?”
She reached out and squeezed his thigh, but he still didn’t look at her. “There’s no shame in leaving the Corps. Most of your co-workers at your new job will be the same as you. Private security primarily is made up of former military. And private security is okay with my family too. I’m sure of it.” She hesitated, debating her next question about his time stationed abroad. “What happened over there anyway?”
He pressed his lips together. “Nothing. You ready to go in?”
No, she wasn’t. She’d rather sit here and talk about his life some more, and about what had happened when he’d been overseas, but she knew he was done. The topic was closed, and she had to respect that.
She had a sinking suspicion he was running from something, or someone, as if he felt he owed a debt and he had to sacrifice his own happiness to pay it. But she wasn’t going to push it. Now was not the time. Not after he was trying so hard to make tonight with her family easy for her.
“Let’s do this.” She opened the door and stepped out, her foot slipping on a patch of ice upon contact. Laughter and music trickled through the cracked door of the restaurant. Her parents had rented a hall out for the pre-wedding party. A few distant cousins huddled outside of the door, smoking and chatting. Normally, Kayla would be the responsible one. The one who took care of them all if they drank too much, making sure they all got into bed okay and didn’t puke all over themselves.
But not this time.
This time, she was going to forget about them and enjoy her sister’s wedding with Cooper at her side. She’d dance. She’d laugh. Maybe she’d even get a little drunk herself. Then, when she was done here, she would go home with Cooper and have crazy-ass orgasms all night long.
Take that, world.
Cooper came up to her side and slid his hand into hers. “What are the odds we’ll fail?”
She hesitated. Maybe she should sugarcoat it for the sake of optimism and all that universe crap. “Fifty-fifty.”
“Liar,” he said under his breath. “Give it to me straight.”
“Ninety-four-point-six, I’d say.” She stole a peek at him. “How’d you know I was lying?”
“You blushed.” He rubbed his jaw, his gaze on the restaurant door. “Do we love each other? How long have we been together?”
Kayla couldn’t stop focusing on that word. Love. Coming from him, it sounded…hell, she didn’t know. But it hit her hard for some reason. “Uh, yeah. We love each other. We should say it a few times, I guess. Get used to it. Lay it on me, big man.”
He stopped walking, cupped her face, and met her eyes. “I…I…I can’t. I’ve never said it to a woman other than my mother before, and when I do, I want it to be real. If I ever say I love someone, I’ll mean it. I can’t pretend that. But I’ll make sure they can see we’re in love.”
The way he was looking at her felt an awful lot like love, so that could totally work. And knowing he’d never told anyone that he loved them before kind of made her happy.
What the hell was up with that? It wasn’t as if he was ever going to say it to her.
They wouldn’t know each other long enough to progress that far.
And for the first time, his upcoming move overseas didn’t make her happy. It made her feel…restless. Itchy. She cleared her throat and forced a smile, covering his hand with hers. “As long as you can say it with your eyes, it works for me.”
He wrinkled his brow. “Like this?” He gave her a smoldering look that would rival Ian Somerhalder. Hot damn. “How’s that?”
Freaking breathtaking. But that wasn’t love that his eyes were screaming at her. No, they were saying, f*ck me now. And she wanted to oh so badly.
“Keep staring at me like that and I’ll be sneaking you into the bathroom for a quickie.” She quickly lowered her eyes. “But that kind of look’s not what I meant. I was talking about the way you were watching me before. All warm, tender and sweet. As if you really cared about me.”
“Sweet and tender?” He blinked in confusion. “I didn’t realize I was looking at you that way. Maybe it was a trick of the lighting.”
Her pulse kicked up a notch. “Oh.”
“Yeah.” He shook his head slightly and dropped his hand, seeming to be as confused as she felt right now. He stepped back from her and dragged a hand through his hair. “I’ll try to recreate it, though.”
“All right. Here we go.”
He weaved his fingers through hers and led her inside. As soon as their feet crossed the threshold of the restaurant, her mother pounced on them with open arms. She must have been watching for their arrival. Buried in layers of red curly hair, and the familiar scent of Chanel perfume, her mother hugged Kayla tightly. She returned the embrace with the hand that wasn’t still entwined with Cooper’s.
For some reason, she didn’t want to let go of him yet. “Hi, Mom.”
“Sweetheart, we missed you at Christmas.” Pulling back, she gazed at Cooper over Kayla’s head, her mouth curved in a smile. “But now that I’ve met your infamous boyfriend, I can totally see why you stayed home. I would have, too.”
Kayla’s cheeks heated. Leave it to her mother to speak her mind without any censure. Very un-Southern of her. “Mom, this is Cooper Shillings. Cooper, my mother, Holly. I’m sure my dad will be along soon, too.”
“Mrs. Moriarity, I’m happy to finally get to meet you.” Cooper shook her hand. “I’ve heard so many wonderful things about you.”
Her mom beamed up at him, holding his hand with both of hers. “And I’ve heard almost nothing about you.” She quickly cut her eyes at Kayla, but her warm expression was firmly in place when she returned her gaze to Cooper. “I’m so pleased to meet you and so happy you could clear time in your schedule to join Kayla. Will you be staying for the whole weekend and the wedding?”
After her mother released his hand, he replied, “I do believe so, yes. I report for my new job on Monday, but I’ll be here until then. Refresh my memory, what day is the wedding?”
“Saturday,” Kayla offered quickly. Then she smiled at her mom, her heart racing. Already they were running into issues. He should have known when the wedding was, if he was really her boyfriend. “I hadn’t told him since he wasn’t coming originally. Besides, you know how men are with weddings.”
“Right,” Cooper agreed, taking Kayla’s hand, his fingers flexing. “So, yes, I’ll be here for the wedding, as long as the last minute addition doesn’t cause any problems for you. I know you’ve been busy making everything perfect for this weekend. Kayla told me how hard you work to make everyone happy, and you always succeed.”
“Aw, well aren’t you sweet?” Her mom melted. Literally melted into a puddle. “Of course I don’t mind adding another person, dear. I’m thrilled to have you here.”
“Excellent,” he said, smiling.
“Come, let’s introduce you to everyone else.” Her mother met Cooper’s eyes and offered a sympathetic expression. “But first Kayla’s father is waiting to meet you, too. I apologize in advance.”
Cooper shot Kayla an unreadable look as Kayla’s mom headed across the room, towing a nervous looking Cooper behind her. “Should I be scared?” he whispered.
Kayla grimaced and nodded.
Her sister, Susan, rushed up to the group. Her brown hair was pulled back in an impeccable bun, and her blue eyes were latched on Cooper with surprise. “It’s true? You brought your boyfriend with you! I thought you made him up to get Mom off your back.”
“I’m right here,” her mom said, not even bothering to act offended.
“I know, but even you have to admit it was dodgy that she wouldn’t even tell us her boyfriend’s name.” She turned to Cooper. “Said she wanted everything about him to be a surprise for when we met him. Go figure.”
“Well, I uh,” Kayla fumbled, “I did.”
“I see that now. But I also know how Mom is about digging into our personal life.”
“Again, Susan. I’m right here,” her mom interjected. “Besides, there’s nothing wrong with my desire to see my children happily married. It’s only natural. But now that we have Cooper—”
“Mom!” Kayla closed her eyes in mortification. Thank God this relationship wasn’t real, or this conversation would be even more awkward than it already was. “Stop it.”
“What? Marriage is something that every new couple should discuss up front.” Her mom smiled at Cooper. “It’s good to know where you stand early on, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Absolutely, Mrs. Moriarity.” He threw his hand over her shoulders. “Marriage is a very serious topic that one should never take lightly, and it’s something we’ve discussed several times. We both know where we stand.”
She smiled even bigger. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“Stop torturing them, Mom.” Susan hugged Kayla tightly, and Kayla held her close. When the hug ended, Susan motioned her fiancé, Max, over. “Cooper, it’s great to meet you.”
Cooper stepped forward, both dimples in full force just like Kayla had asked for. “It’s lovely to meet you, too, Susan. Kayla and I are so happy for you and Max.”
Kayla nodded. “So happy. I can’t wait to see your dress, too. I mean, the picture you emailed was nice but I’m sure it’s even more beautiful in person.”
“I’ll show it to you tomorrow when you come to dinner,” Susan promised, grinning at them both. “Oh, here’s Max.”
“Kayla, you’re here!” Max hugged Kayla, then turned to Cooper. His blond hair was longer than she remembered, and he was clean-shaven. He was a little shorter than Cooper, but not much, and he wore a black suit. He looked happily in love. “Hello, I’m Max.”
“Cooper Shillings.” Cooper shook his hand, inclining his head. “I’m the boyfriend who everyone thought was fake, apparently.”
Max laughed. “Well, welcome to the family. Glad to see you’re real.”
“Thank you for having me.”
Her mother clapped her hands and sighed, looking way too happy to have both the sisters and their men here together. “Susan and Max, you two have to mingle, since it’s your wedding party. Off you go now.”
Kayla kept Susan close. “But we just saw each other.”
“You’ll see each other again,” her mom said primly.
Susan smiled at Kayla and smoothed her satin dress. The red was quite a lovely color on her. “We’ll have more time tomorrow. There’s a reason we took the day off before the wedding to relax.” She counted off on her fingers. “Rehearsal dinner tonight, small family gathering at home tomorrow. A bit unorthodox, given that most rehearsal dinners are the night before. But it’s my day and this is the way I wanted it.”
Good for you for going after what you want, Kayla thought.
“Right. Now off you go, Susan.” Her mom gently turned her in the opposite direction. “Cooper hasn’t met your father yet.”
“Oh.” Susan looked over her shoulder at Cooper and cringed. “Good luck with that.”
Cooper blinked at her. And he might have paled, too. “Uh, thanks?”
“He’s not that bad,” Kayla said to Susan. Then she looked at Cooper and tried her best to be reassuring. “He’s really not.”
“Yes, he is,” her mom said sympathetically. “That’s him, in the corner. Ignore any rudeness you might get—it’s all in the name of his love for Kayla.”
Kayla watched Cooper’s eyes follow her mom’s gesture, then he stiffened. He turned to Kayla with a scowl. She flinched, not sure why he looked ready to bite her head off. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all,” he muttered. He straightened to his full height and then smiled at her mom. “Why don’t you go along ahead of us, Mrs. Moriarity. I just want a second with Kayla before we follow.”
“Of course, dear. I’ll see you in a few.”
She practically skipped toward the corner where Kayla’s dad sat, frowning at Cooper even from across the room. Cooper waved at him politely, then turned to Kayla. “At what point were you going to mention your father is the man I’m going to be working for?”