Chapter 10
Duck
We barely get through the front door when my mother comes running up to us to take Lily. Marius tries to smile, but it never really comes to fruition, so he looks almost in pain as my mother practically yanks our daughter from his arms.
“Come see Nonna!” she squeals. “Oh, you are the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen. Eden, your daughter is just gorgeous!” my mother coos before hurrying off to show Lily to my father in the living room.
“Thanks, Janine. We think so too. She has your daughter’s nose, but she has my eyes, so it’s a good fit,” Marius says to no one in particular.
I know how much he hates coming here every week to talk to my parents about the wedding.
He’s been so patient with many of their requests, but all of this time with them is wearing on him.
He’s never said anything about it, so it’s not like I know for sure.
It’s just that I think he’s not used to having parents who like to be this involved in their children’s lives.
The Kings always seemed very laissez-faire regarding their sons.
My parents are the exact opposite, especially with me since I’m the youngest and their only daughter.
I lean in and kiss him on the cheek. “She doesn’t mean anything when she calls her my daughter. She thinks all of her kids are hers and hers alone. My father doesn’t seem to have played any part in us.”
Marius levels his gaze on me. “Right. Well, we better get in there.”
Taking his hand in mine, I give it a tiny squeeze. “Thank you for being so great about this. They just want to make sure my wedding lacks for nothing.”
For the first time, he rolls his eyes. “I’m a goddamned billionaire, Eden. What exactly would be lacking? If you want something, I’d move heaven and earth to give it to you. I’d spend every last dime to make you happy.”
I open my mouth to tell him I know all of that and would love him no matter how much money he had, but right at that moment, my mother yells, “Eden! Come in here! You have to see your father with Lily!”
“Don’t worry. This won’t be bad tonight,” I say before hurrying through the foyer, desperate to make him understand this isn’t that terrible.
“Maybe tell her not to yell at the top of her lungs with a baby nearby,” he says just loud enough for me to hear before I turn into the living room.
My father sits on his favorite black leather sofa with the baby on his lap looking up at him, and I have to admit it’s an adorable image. I quickly whip out my phone and take half a dozen pictures, loving how the deep red paint my mother chose for the living room walls makes them pop.
“Dad, you look at her like she’s the only person on the planet.”
He smiles, and his whole face lights up, even his nearly black eyes that match his hair. “Let me have my moment of happiness. In a world of people I could truly never see again and be happy about it, this baby is an absolute sweetheart.”
“Eden, you know he used to look at you like that when you were a baby. He’d get all gooey-eyed and talk baby talk to you. It was the only time I ever saw him be that sweet. Until now, that is.”
Just as she finishes speaking, Marius walks into the living room and makes his way over to where I’m standing. My mother gives him a big smile, and I watch as he forces one for her.
“Marius, it’s so nice to see you again. I wasn’t sure you’d be joining Eden and Lily tonight, but since you don’t work and my daughter does, I guess you aren’t too tired?”
Usually, he simply nods and gives her a bigger, forced smile, but for some reason, tonight he answers, “I’m a little tired from taking care of Lily all day, but I can just go back to my house and count my billions, so I’ll be okay. How are you doing tonight, Janine? Sell any houses recently?”
I snap my head to the left to glare at him for that crack about selling houses since he knows the market isn’t great right now and my mother hasn’t had a sale in over a month, but he’s already glaring at me.
For what, I have no idea. My mother likes to tease him about not working ever since I went back to my job.
She doesn’t mean anything by it, though.
My parents know Marius is wealthy and doesn’t have to work.
In fact, I think they might be a little jealous at how much money he has, especially my mother.
“He’s just teasing, Mom. Just like you. I think you and Marius are cut from the same cloth. That’s probably what made me fall in love with him.”
The words come tumbling out of my mouth so fast you’d think they were on an out of control conveyor belt. All I want to do is have a nice night. Why did he have to say that to her?
She looks at him and asks, “Is that right, Marius? Do you like to tease like I do?”
“Oh yeah. I’m all about it. It’s all in good fun, right?” he says with an edge to his words that could cut glass.
Thankfully, my father cooing and making baby talk with our daughter makes my mother focus on them so I can whisper to Marius, “She doesn’t mean any harm. Please be nice. For me?”
He gives me a surprised look and whispers back, “Sure. Maybe you can talk to her and make the same request.”
“So come sit down and tell us what’s new with the wedding plans,” my father says sweeter than I’ve ever heard him speak before.
“Dad, I can only imagine what your friends would think if they heard you talk like that,” I say with a giggle.
He looks up and grins. “They aren’t cute and smell like baby powder.” Then he leans down to kiss Lily on the forehead before looking up at us again. “How are things, Marius?”
Unlike with my mother, Marius has no problem talking to my father. I expected it would be the opposite way around, but for some reason, my father instantly respected my husband from the first time they met. I was just happy he didn’t threaten to kill him because we married in secret.
“Getting better every day, Nico. How about you?”
My father points at our daughter in his lap and shrugs. “Never better than when this little one comes to visit.”
Marius nods and takes a seat across from him in the chair my parents always sat me on when they wanted to have a serious discussion. “She makes everything better, doesn’t she?”
The two men smile at one another and return to gazing at Lily. She doesn’t know it yet, but she’s got those two wrapped around her pinky finger.
“So we’ve got more people we need to add to the guest list, honey,” my mother says from the other side of the room. “Not many, but we simply can’t not invite them.”
I don’t even have to look over at Marius to sense his disgust with yet another change in my parents’ list of guests who absolutely must attend the wedding.
The vibe of the room flips from sweetness about a baby to almost pure rage, and it’s all from him since I don’t think my father cares one iota about any of the names on my mother’s revised guest list.
“Mom, we really didn’t want this to be so big,” I gently say, hoping to keep some sense of balance between her and my husband.
The problem with that statement immediately becomes apparent when I glance over at her.
Like whenever she doesn’t get her way, she’s teary-eyed and pouty.
This has always worked on my father and me, but I know for damn sure that sobby look isn’t going to change how Marius feels about her making our wedding and reception a circus.
“These are people who love you, Eden. They’ve known you since you were a little girl. How can they not be invited?” she asks, her voice catching on that final word.
I turn to look at my father in the hopes that he’ll say something that will change the topic, but he’s so lost in Lily that I don’t think he heard a word my mother said. Marius glares at no one, or maybe it’s everyone at this point, leaving me to talk this out with her.
“Well, we’ll see, Mom. The invitations don’t go out for another week or so. Maybe by then we can pare things down so the guest list is manageable.”
Her eyes grow wide, like she can’t believe I dared to say the M word. “I don’t understand your reluctance to share your big day with people, Eden. Is it a matter of money? Is that it? I thought that wouldn’t be an issue, but if it is, then I guess we’ll have to make some changes.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Marius turn to look at her, and before I can stop him, he says, “Of course, it’s not an issue of money, Janine.
You know that. It’s an issue of Eden and I don’t want hundreds of people we don’t know celebrating our big day, as you call it.
You know what I think could work? We limit the number of people who attend, and you can have a celebration here afterward with all the people we chose not to invite while we’re on our honeymoon. ”
That makes my father tear his gaze from Lily, who’s still staring up at him from his lap like he’s the best thing since sliced bread.
“Hey, that’s not a bad idea! We can have a big party.
It’s not like most of those people care one damn about attending a wedding for anyone.
I don’t think I’ve spoken to a lot of them in years. ”
My mother’s mouth shrinks to a thin, angry line, and she shakes her head. Anyone who didn’t know her would think her rage was directed at my father, but I know it’s Marius she’s furious with now.
“Fine. Whatever. I see no one wants to take my suggestions about this wedding, so I’ll just keep my mouth shut from now on.”
No one plays the martyr better than my mother. It’s the part of her personality I really don’t like, and it never helps any situation.
“Mom, it’s not that. It’s just that we’ve had a baby already, in addition to the fact that we’ve been married for years already. Plus, we’re really not huge party people like you are. We like to keep things lowkey.”
I don’t know what else to say to make her understand how uncomfortable it will be to have hundreds of people I haven’t seen in years and Marius has never met at our wedding. We’re not trying to upset her. At least I’m not. I have a sneaking suspicion Marius would love to upset her.