Page 72 of Promise To Marry You
“Beckett, no. Come on. Really? Theyallknewyou liked me? Well, fucking hell, now they must really think I’m a bitch. I strung you along for years and then married you to get an inheritance. How the fuck are they ever going to believe I truly love you? They probably think this is some sort of scam!”
I’m spiralling, and I know it, but I can’t seem to stop. Until, that is, Beckett looms over me and kisses me, hard.
“Stop. Just stop. Cam, you’re crazy if you believe my family would ever think that of you. And if any of them even so much as hint at that, I’ll set them straight in a heartbeat.”
His grip on my leg is tight enough to leave fingerprints, but this protective, dominant side of Beckett is my favourite side.
“Okay, Cujo, calm down the guard dog act,” I tease, brushing my hand down his cheek. His grip loosens slightly as he gives me an apologetic grin.
“Sorry, babe. But you can’t tell me you’re worried about people — my family, no less — thinking you’re a scammer and not have me get defensive of you. You’ve got the biggest heart of anyone I know. Just because you had some walls around it that we needed to take down doesn’t make you a bad person who deserves to be judged.”
I drop my forehead to meet his, letting his words infuse me with calm. “Sometimes those walls creep back up.”
“Then we’ll take them down again. As long as I’m on the same side of it as you, we’re good.”
My heart warms at his quiet statement. “Same side, baby. Same side.”
His lips meet mine for a soft caress, then he pulls back. “Good. Now let’s just get this over with, shall we?”
I laugh as we get out of the car. “That doesn’t instill much confidence in me this is going to be fun.”
Beck just smirks. “I mean, it’s a Donnelly family dinner. It’s going to be loud and crazy, but the food will be good.”
I let him push open the front door and guide me inside his parents’ home. Rich aromas flood my senses alongside laughter and noisy chatter coming from the back of the house. Taking my hand, Beckett leads me through to the kitchen where his parents and siblings are all waiting.
All chatter dies off as soon as we walk in. My attention is drawn straight to the woman I am most worried about disappointing.
But Claire Donnelly has the biggest warm smile on her face, and the second she sees me, she drops the spoon she was using to stir something on the stove, and hurries around the kitchen island with her arms open wide.
“Hello, you two, you’re right on time.” We each get a swift, yet strong hug, then Beckett’s mom bustles back to the stove. I glance over at Beck to see an unreadable expression on his face.
He better remember the plan.
“Mom, before we eat, can I say something?”
Here we go. Claire turns back around, an expectant smile on her face. The expression warms even more when her eyes dart over to me, then back to Beckett.
Beck glances down at me, squeezing my hand in his. “You know by now that Cam and I are together. Like, really together.”
“Cam and Beckett, sitting in a tree…” Sawyer sings softly, winking at us.
“Hush, Sawyer.” Claire swats at his arm before nodding at us. “Yes, honey, we’re thrilled you two have finally found your way to each other.”
I’m close enough to hear Beckett’s audible swallow. “Right. Thanks. So the thing is, we, uh, well, Cam’s grandfather left her some money…” he trails off, and I know his nerves are taking over. When he pulls off his glasses and inspects them before putting them back on, I give his hand a squeeze of my own. It never ceases to surprise me how he can be both this quiet, unassuming man in front of others and the domineering, sexy man who takes me to new heights in bed each and every night.
Straightening up, he looks to his parents. “Cam and I are married. We’re in love, and we’re married.”
The awkward silence, thankfully, lasts only a few seconds before Beckett’s dad breaks it. Limping over to us, Dennis pulls me in for a tight hug. “Congratulations, kids.”
He shakes Beck’s hand and pulls him in for a hug as well, and that seems to unfreeze Claire. “Well, that’s certainly a surprise, but a good one, I suppose. Let’s dish some food, and maybe you could tell us a little more about how this happened, hmm?”
She wipes her hands on a towel and turns back to the stove.
“Mom?” Beck says quietly, and she freezes.
I don’t think anyone in the room takes a breath until she turns back around, and that’s when I see the tears in her eyes.Oh shit.
“I’m happy for you two, I swear,” she whispers. “Just a little sad that I didn’t get to be there to watch my baby get married to the woman of his dreams, that’s all.”
