He chuckled.
His father cleared his throat and he glanced over to see Lauren grabbing their bags. “Baby, I can do this.” He lifted her case and it felt like there was nothing inside it. “Mom, Dad, I’d like you to officially meet Lauren Wyatt, but before you bombard her with a lot of questions, we need to unload all of this stuff.”
“Of course. William, come and help,” his mother said.
William was his sister’s husband. He didn’t like William and so he’d never gone out of his way to try to make a connection with the man. He didn’t truly believe William had Cassie’s best interests at heart.
Lauren’s bags were taken off her and Caleb grabbed her hand.
“You don’t have to be so grabby,” his mother said.
“It’s fine.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Turner,” Lauren said.
“Oh, honey, you can call me Louise. Everyone else does.”
“Come on, Lou Lou. Let them get inside. I’m sure we’re going to have enough time to interrogate them.” His father kissed Louise’s head, and he followed with William coming close up behind.
“Everyone is talking about your plus-one,” William said.
“That’s nice.” He didn’t make small talk.
“Yeah, everyone believes it’s all a bunch of lies.”
“Well, they can all fuck off.” He gripped the back of Lauren’s neck and kissed her. She didn’t fight him, but she was tense. “Just like you can.”
“I see through your act, Turner,” William said.
“And I do yours. One slip-up and your cushy little life is over.”
William dropped the bags outside of the bedroom and left.
Once he’d opened the door, he didn’t give Lauren a chance to pick up her bags as he did, stepping into his room.
He hadn’t been back here in years. With work, partying, and living his own life, he’d forgotten what it was like to be … a kid. This wasn’t a childish room, but it had once been. All of his juvenile accolades were long packed up and placed in the attic.
“Er, is that a brother?” she asked.
“Brother-in-law. He’s married to my only sister, Cassie, and he’s a complete dick.”
“No love lost between the two of you.”
“No love lost at all. I can’t stand the asshole.”
“Noted.”
He dropped the bags on the bed.
“Will there be random kisses like that?” she asked.
“Yes, you’re going to have to get used to them.” Just like he was going to have to get used to the raging hard-on he now sported. There wasn’t even time for a cold shower. “What I need from you is for you to keep your shit together. No tensing up. No panic attacks. We’re doing this for my father.” Liar.
“I get it, Caleb. You don’t have to keep reminding me.”
“Says the woman who had a complete and total meltdown during the few minutes’ drive right into here.”
“I panicked. It can happen. I’ll try to keep my emotions in check. I’m so sorry they seem so foreign to you.”
“We can’t be fighting,” he said, stepping up close to her and placing a hand on her back. She tilted her head to look at him.
“Then you’re going to have to get your anger in check.” She put her hands on his chest. “We’re here now. There’s no backing out, unless, of course you’ve grown a heart.”
He snorted. “Nice try.”
“It’s one of my best qualities.”
“Do me a favor, don’t be nice to William, please.”
“A please, well, well, well, I didn’t even think you knew how to say such a word.”
He laughed. “I do.”
“What do you have against him?”
“I believe he’s a real gold digger.”
“And I’m not?”
“I had to work hard to convince you to just be here. You’re no gold digger. He’s always looking for an easy option. I don’t like him and don’t trust him. I don’t think he should have ever married my sister.” He shrugged as if it was obvious.
“That’s harsh.”
“It’s life. It’s the way he makes me feel and there’s something about him I can’t stand.” He wrinkled his nose. The mere mention of his brother-in-law was something nasty.
“He may be genuine.”
“I don’t believe it.”
“We’ll see.” She looked forward, head slightly raised.
“Not right now. We’re going to have to head back down. Are you ready for this?”
“If I said no would you still make me go through with it?”
“Yes.” Blunt and to the point. He wasn’t having her back out.
“Ugh. Fine. Let’s get this over with.”
He held his hand out for her to take. She hesitated only a few seconds. This was going to be easy, he just knew it.
They arrived downstairs to find several family members and friends all enjoying a few drinks and what looked like canapés.
“This is a small gathering?” Lauren asked.
“It is for my family. We’re all well-liked.”
“Could have fooled me with the way you behave.”
He wrapped his arm around her, drawing her as close to his side as he could. She released a little growl which of course only he could hear. It was so adorable. “Let’s do this.”
Cassie, his lovely sister, was the first to greet him. He had no choice but to let his woman go as Cassie threw her arms around him.
“It’s so good to see you,” she said. “You’re going to have to start coming around more often. Leaving it this long between seeing each other isn’t good.” She gave him a little scold and he smiled.
“Cassie, I’d like you to meet Lauren Wyatt, my girlfriend. Lauren, this is my very sweet and cute doctor of a sister,” he said.
Lauren held her hand out and of course Cassie wouldn’t have that and pulled her into a hug.
“A doctor?”
“Yep. I decided not to follow in the family footsteps. I love helping people in a different way. You’re the first girlfriend that Caleb has brought home.”
“Yay,” Lauren said.
He heard the quiver in her voice and held her close to his side. “We’re heading to see Mom and Dad.”
“Ah, I’ll go and hunt for William. You haven’t been mean to him, have you?”
“He’s a grown-ass man, he can take it.”
“You and your language. He’s a good guy, you know.”
He didn’t know but rather than point out the obvious to his sister who clearly adored her husband, he led the way over to the parents.
“I hate this. Lying doesn’t come easy,” she said.
“You’re doing great. We’ve got to get through this weekend.” What he hadn’t told her was he had a little surprise by the end of the weekend. He didn’t for a second believe she’d appreciate it, but he had to do what was necessary for his father to but this act.
His family was suspicious of his woman and he was going to have to do a hell of a lot to convince them this was real. His mother wouldn’t be so hard to impress but everyone else, well, that was going to prove to be difficult. But he couldn’t help but feel that Lauren somehow had started to seem like the right kind of woman for him. The idea of actually having her belong to him didn’t seem like a horrible idea.