23. Scarlett
Pulling up at my parents’ place with my playboy billionaire baby daddy. What could possibly go wrong? The list for that was as long as my arm and that fact had my insides all twisted up. Probably not good for the babies, but there wasn’t much I could do about that.
Just as I’d predicted, the moment I’d rung Mom with the news, she’d flooded me with questions and then an insistence that I bring Rhett over for dinner. So here I was, cherry pie in hand and said baby daddy by my side. And absolutely no idea what to expect. Honestly, I didn’t want to get out of the car. At all. So I sat there, staring through the windshield, wishing I was a million miles away.
“We going in, or nah?”
“Um, yeah, of course.”
Rhett went to grab the door handle, but I stopped him with a hand on his arm.
“There’s something I have to tell you first.”
“Sounds serious.”
Oh good, he totally got the gravity of the situation. I took a deep breath, bracing myself. “Um, yeah, it kinda is. It’s just that I haven’t exactly told my parents the full details about our... situation.”
Rhett raised an eyebrow, that little half-smirk playing on his lips. “Oh? And what details would those be?”
As if he didn’t know full well what I was referring to. “About us not actually being, you know, a couple.”
His smirk widened into a full grin. “So to your parents, I’m what? Your boyfriend? The baby daddy you’ve been shacking up with?”
“Something like that, yes. My mom kind of got carried away and jumped to lots of conclusions when I told her I was pregnant and I, uh, didn’t correct her.” It had seemed so easy at the time, just to let her go on and on. Now though, my chicken shit hens were coming home to roost because relying on Rhett Rivers not to delight in the absurd was like expecting a cat to not chase a laser pointer - it was simply in his nature. The man thrived on mischief and reveled in turning any situation on its head.
As if to confirm my point, Rhett chuckled, that deep rumbling laugh that did something to my insides I didn’t want to admit. “Well, this is gonna be interesting then.” He winked at me. “Don’t worry, I can play the part.”
I groaned. This was going to be a disaster. I just knew it. Grabbing the pie off the dashboard, I steeled myself. “Don’t you dare play games now. This isn’t funny.”
His eyes lit with unholy glee. “On the contrary, pookie, it’s hilarious.”
“Pookie? Why the fuck are you calling me?—”
Before I could finish the sentence, he was opening his door, climbing out and going to the back of the car. I took a moment to drag in a few deep breaths, watching in the side mirror as Rhett opened the trunk. Now what the fuck was he doing? Oh, he’d brought a gift for my parents. Sweet.
The charitable thought lasted all of two seconds, because when he came to my side of the car and opened the door, he said, “Come on, schnookums.”
The strangled sound I made in the back of my throat did nothing for my dignity, but I had no choice but to follow, hoping against hope that this evening didn’t turn into a total catastrophe. Though, knowing Rhett and my family, the odds weren’t in my favor.
On the front porch, I plastered on my biggest, fakest smile as the front door swung open to reveal my parents. Mom’s face absolutely lit up at the sight of Rhett beside me. I could already see her planning our fucking wedding.
“Scarlett! And you must be Rhett,” Mom gushed. “It’s so wonderful to meet you! Scarlett has told us all about you.”
I mean, I had hardly told them anything at all. Everything Mom “knew” about Rhett, she’d made up herself.
“All good things, I hope.”
“Of course, of course.” Dad gave him a vigorous handshake that lasted so long it started to get awkward. Mom actually had to put her hand on Dad’s forearm to get him to let go.
“We were just so thrilled at the news. And of course, when Scarlett told us your name, I went straight to google.”
Oh. Fuck.
“It seems you were quite the rapscallion in your salad days.”
From oh fuck to what the fuck in a nanosecond. I had never heard my mom talk like that.
“I sure was, but your daughter has thoroughly tamed me. The leash is tight, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Was he rubbing his neck as though I’d actually used a real leash on him?
Mom giggled, and it was like…was she flirting? Eeeww. “Oh, dearie me, what am I doing, leaving you standing on the porch? Come in, come in.”
Rhett put his hand on the small of my back in a way that was just a little too intimate for my liking as we stepped inside. “After you, pookie.” He took the chance to grab my ass as I moved by him, and I had to bite my tongue to stop the yelp that rose to my lips. I shot him a warning glare over my shoulder, but he just winked.
“Jackass,” I whispered, which just got me another ass squeeze.
Dad led us through to the dining room, blustering the whole way. Christ, I was surprised they hadn’t rolled out a red carpet and thrown rose petals at Rhett’s feet as he walked inside.
“We’re so excited to have you both here,” Mom prattled on. “I can’t get over how radiant you look, Scarlett. Pregnancy certainly agrees with you!”
I forced another smile as we took our seats at the table. “Thanks, Mom. I’m just taking it one day at a time.”
Maybe I had a tone, because an awkward silence fell over the table. Until Mom said, “I’ll just pop this in the fridge, shall I, dear? We don’t want it spoiling, do we?”
“Sure. Good idea.” Although, chances were we’d be taking it home with us if Misty happened to also bring something for dessert.
When Mom came back from the kitchen, she gave Rhett a beaming smile. “Did you know Scarlett is an excellent baker, Rhett?”
“I did, as a matter of fact.” He leaned back and casually draped his arm along the back of my chair. It was all I could do not to scowl because he smelled so damn good and I had to use every ounce of willpower not to lean closer, just to breathe him in. “She practically threw an apple pie at me not long after we met. It was sensational. I’ll be sure to take full advantage of that particular talent of hers.”
“Yes, well, I’m sure Rhett didn’t come over to discuss my baking skills, Mom.”
Mom, however, was not to be deterred. “Oh, I don’t know, dear. It’s important for a couple to share and enjoy each other’s talents, don’t you think?”
Rhett reached over and took my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Your daughter’s many talents are indeed a delight to discover, Veronica. And I’m sure we’ll have many opportunities to explore them all.”
Jesus fuck, the way he put the emphasis on talents made me want to blush.
“Now that we’re all settled, I have a little something for both of you.” Rhett grabbed the gift bags he’d placed on the floor and handed one each to Mom and Dad. Jeez, he really was laying in on thick.
Dad’s eyes lit up as he examined the whisky bottle. “Well, I’ll be... Rhett, you really shouldn’t have.”
“It’s my pleasure, Gregory. Just a small token of appreciation for welcoming me into your home.”
Mom was already prying open the box of Belgian chocolates, her eyes wide with delight. “Oh, these look simply divine! Thank you so much, dear.”
She beamed at Rhett, and I could practically see the hearts in her eyes. Yep, he had them both eating out of the palm of his hand now. I had to give the guy credit - he certainly knew how to turn on the charm when he wanted to.
The sound of a commotion at the front door had Mom bouncing up from her seat. “Oh, that’ll be Tyler and Misty. I can’t wait for you to meet them.”
We all stood up to greet them. Tyler was already frowning when they walked in, which let me know the night had just taken another downward turn. Fun times!
“Tyler, Misty, this is Rhett, Scarlett’s... um...” Mom trailed off, looking uncertainly between Rhett and me.
“Partner,” Rhett supplied smoothly, extending his hand to shake Tyler’s. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”
Tyler gave a curt nod as Misty batted her heavily mascaraed eyelashes. “Well, isn’t this just too perfect?” she tittered in that grating, high-pitched voice of hers. “Rhett and Scarlett - your names just sound like they were made for each other!”
I wanted to gag at her sugary sweet tone. Rhett, however, just went along with it. “Indeed, it does seem fate had a hand in bringing us together.”
He slid his arm around my waist, pulling me flush against his side. The overwhelming masculine scent of his cologne made my head swim. I shot him a sideways glance, but he simply winked conspiratorially.
“I would love to hear how you two met, since Scarlett hasn’t told us much. If everyone is ready to eat, I can serve the first course, then we can hear all about it.”
“Oh, before we do that,” Misty began, “I thought it would be nice to bring something for dessert. I mean, I know Scarlett probably baked something, but?—”
“She did, she did. A wonderful cherry pie that’s already in the fridge.”
“Oh, I see, well, um, Tyler mentioned…”
“Mom, I said that Misty might like to bring something, even though Scarlett…”
Mom shook her head. Oooh, what was going on here? A showdown? Mom flushed uncomfortably and tried to disguise the pointed look she shot to Rhett. I couldn’t help but glance at Rhett myself, to see him taking in the whole conversation, with a small frown marring his perfect brow.
“How about I serve the entrée?”
And that was that. It looked like we were having my cherry pie for dessert. Maybe I should bring Rhett to dinner more often.
Mom fetched the tureen of cauliflower soup and placed it carefully into the middle of the table and served everyone. Once everyone had started eating, she said, “I’m so looking forward to hearing this story.”
“It’s certainly a story for the ages.”
Oh god, here we go. I shot Rhett a warning glare, silently begging him not to say anything too crazy.
“You see, Scarlett and I first crossed paths on opposing sides of a legal case.”
Mom’s eyes widened. “Oh my, that sounds dramatic! What kind of case?”
“A land development dispute. Scarlett here is representing a group trying to block one of my company’s projects, citing environmental concerns.”
“Environmental concerns?” Dad frowned, glancing between us. “That sounds like a conflict of interest.”
“Oh, it’s a heated battle, that’s for sure.” Rhett winked at me. “Your daughter is more than a match for me. Tenacious, sharp as a tack. She definitely keeps me on my toes.”
I felt my cheeks flush at the unexpected praise. Damn him and his smooth talking. Then Dad had to go and ruin it.
“She’s a bleeding heart, that’s what she is. All this stupid stuff about the environment and climate change and…what is it now?” Dad turned on me, full of irritation.
I wanted to shrink into the chair when I answered, “Frogs.”
Dad’s face was getting redder by the second. “Frogs! It’s this kind of nonsensical tree-hugging rubbish that’s holding back progress and economic development in this country!” he ranted, slamming his spoon into his soup, sending it splashing across the tablecloth.
“Gregory—”
Ignoring Mom’s shock, Dad pushed on. “When are you going to wake up and smell the coffee, Scarlett? There are more important things than trying to save every little critter that crosses your path.”
I felt about two inches tall as my father berated me in front of Rhett and the rest of the family. This was exactly why I avoided these kinds of family gatherings whenever possible - I inevitably ended up as the target of Dad’s rants about my environmental work.
“I’m sure Rhett here agrees with me. As a man of business, with your level of success, it’s utterly ridiculous for these…these bleeding hearts to get in the way of progress and?—.”
“On the contrary,” Rhett’s voice cut through, cool and controlled but with an unmistakable edge. “If one or both of these babies are girls, I hope they grow up with their mother’s fierce and courageous heart.”
There was silence for a moment, then Dad tried to rally. Clearing his throat, he said, “Well, I just think she takes it too far sometimes. A little moderation--”
“I disagree. I wouldn’t have her any other way.”
Dad made a strangled sound in the back of his throat and picked up his spoon. I guess that was the end of that conversation.
I leaned toward Rhett and said in a low, teasing voice, “No need to go overboard.”
He didn’t give me the reaction I was expecting, though. Instead, he shot me an unreadable look and reached for his wineglass. The whole vibe made me feel a bit weird, like I didn’t know the man sitting next to me.
“If you’d told me at the start of the night that you’d be the one staunchly defending my honor, I wouldn’t have believed you.”
The corner of his mouth quirked up in that trademark half-smile that never failed to set my pulse racing. “Of course, pookie. I’ll always be in your corner.”
Not gonna lie, the rest of the entrée passed in a strained silence that had me wishing we could just skip the main course and dessert and get the fuck out of there.
Except that the main course gave me the most unexpected gift. Mom had barely finished serving when Misty cleared her throat. “So Rhett, I’m sure you must be familiar with the work of Councilor Smyth? He’s been doing such important things for infrastructure development in this area.”
Rhett gave Misty a blank look. “Can’t say that I am, no. Should I be?”
Woah, what was with that tone? I’d never heard Rhett speak to anyone like that, even the ASS members.
“But your family business is in property development?” And now Tyler had a tone. What the fuck was this all about?
“That’s correct.”
“Well, the municipal councilor Misty works for oversees a lot of projects to do with that sort of thing.”
“Ah, I see. We don’t tend to deal with that level of government.” He may as well have just come straight out and said it was beneath him.
His blunt dismissal made Tyler’s cheeks flush and Mom and Dad looked really uncomfortable. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing. Yep, bringing Rhett to family dinner wasn’t nearly as bad as I’d expected.