Inflame (Explosive) (20 page)

At the same time, my phone buzzes, and I see that I have a text from my mom. She’s been hounding me about Thanksgiving plans, and I’ve been avoiding her. Now that we have a due date, it seems logical that I stop avoiding the baby in the room and start discussing how we’re going to move forward. “So, do you have holiday plans?”

He pauses as the waiter serves our meals and waits to respond until we’re alone again. “Well, Mom was hoping I’d bring you down, but I was waiting to mention it. I’m a little hesitant because she’s kind of going crazy at the thought of being a grandma, and I don’t want her to scare you away.”

“Umm…grandma? You mean your mom knows about us? The baby?”

He skewers a piece of steak. “She’s known since you took the test. We’re close. She’d have killed me if I kept this from her. She can’t wait to meet you, so if you’re free, you’re more than welcome to come to Alabama with me.”

He says all of this as if it’s the most natural thing. Like we’re making dinner plans, not plans to meet the freaking parents. He looks up at me and must notice my pale face.

“What? Was I not supposed to tell? Sorry, babe, but that’s one secret that’ll eventually come out. She’s thrilled. Don’t worry about it.”

I have no idea how he’s being so casual about all of this. No freaking clue. “Kale, I’m supposed to go home for Thanksgiving. And well, my mom doesn’t know. I was going to tell her then. I…I’d love it if you were with me so she could meet you, but I don’t want to take you away from your family…” I respond, trailing off. It’s true. I want him there when I tell my mom the good news, even if it’s just so she can see that he’s nothing like my dad.

Kale gives me a sweet smile, and holy hell if I’m not melting. “I’d love to meet your mom. I told you we’re in this together, and I meant it. I’ll be by your side every step of the way. Let’s make a road trip of it. We’ll go see your mom, and later on in the weekend, we’ll go see mine. Sound good?”

Surprisingly, it actually does. I’m more than anxious to meet the woman who raised him, and I can’t wait for my mom to fall in love with him.

“Sounds perfect, Kale.” Reaching across the table, I take his hand. “Our lives are changing quickly. You sure you’re ready for this?”

“Baby, I’ve never been more ready for anything.”

T
HANKSGIVING 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.

H
OURS 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.