19. Lucy #2
Kathryn sets her clasped hands on the table and sighs. “Oh, don’t get upset, but everyone has kind of been predicting that the two of you would end up dating.”
“Who?” I ask.
But at the same time, Nate asks, “How long has this been going on?”
Scott raises his brows and shrugs. “Everyone.”
Kathryn purses her lips and shakes her head. “It’s been a bit of a joke since the two of you were kids. But when you both moved back after college and settled here, the bets started carrying a little more weight.”
My eyes widen, and I lean back in my chair as Quinn continues attacking her meal. If all of Willow Bend has been watching us this closely, will they be able to tell that we’re pretending?
Without looking at me, Nate grabs a breadstick from the plate in the center of the table and hands it to me. I shake off my thoughts, take the breadstick and tear off the end, realizing that if I don’t eat something, I’ll risk another crash.
Nate looks back and forth between his parents. “People have put money on us dating?”
Kathryn shakes her head as she fights a smile. “No, nothing like that. It’s just bragging rights. Most everyone is out of the wager at this point.”
Scott nods. “You two waited a lot longer than most of Willow Bend expected.”
Kathryn leans forward. “That is, if the two of you are actually in a relationship.”
Nate glances at me and sets his hand back on my knee. Kathryn’s eyes widen as she notices the gesture. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s holding her breath as she waits for vocal confirmation.
Nate nods. “We are.”
Scott shakes his head with a small smile under his beard. “Well, I’ll be.”
Kathryn claps her hands and nearly squeals with excitement. “I knew it. I knew something was different between the two of you. I could tell at the party on Saturday.”
Nate frowns. “We weren’t—”
I set a hand on his forearm and squeeze slightly.
He clears his throat. “—telling anyone until we knew that it was serious.”
Kathryn’s eyes are wide as saucers. “Serious? It’s serious?”
I lean forward and meet her gaze. “Would you make our wedding cake?”
Her jaw drops, and Scott scoots his chair back from the table. “You’re kidding.”
Kathryn’s eyes dart between Nate and me. “No, you’re not kidding. Please say you’re not kidding.”
Nate squeezes my knee. He shakes his head, his gaze still trained on Kathryn. “We’re not kidding. We’re getting married.”
She jumps up, nearly in tears, and rounds the table. The next thing I know, we’re both being swept into hugs as Quinn reaches for us and calls, “Up, up.”
When Scott releases me, I slide Quinn out of her high chair and set her on my hip so she can be part of the celebration, too. Kathryn hugs both Quinn and me, and Quinn pats the back of Kathryn’s head, saying, “Aw, Gigi.”
Kathryn laughs and leans back, with a hand still on my elbow and the other on Quinn’s back. “Have y’all set a date yet?”
My eyes dart to Nate’s. He meets my gaze for a moment, then nods. “Think you can have a cake ready by next Friday?”
Her jaw drops, and her brows rise again. Even Scott’s eyes widen. “Next Friday? What’s the rush?”
I’m only slightly relieved when neither of them glances at my stomach. Nate takes a step closer to me and sets a hand between my shoulder blades. He shrugs. “When you know, you know. So, why wait?”
I swallow and add, “We’ve spent a lot of time together lately. It’s made us realize how great we are together and how much Quinn needs a stable family. We know this is forever. So, we’ve decided to start forever sooner rather than later, for our sake and Quinn’s.”
Nate smiles and runs his hand in soothing circles on the center of my back as we wait for his parents’ reactions. Scott purses his lips as his eyes dart between the three of us. Kathryn’s mouth lifts in a slow smile. “Does Joanne know yet?”
Nate nods and shrugs. “She knows I asked Henry if I could marry Lucy, and she knows that I was going to tell you two tonight. But she doesn’t know that I’ve already proposed and that we’re planning to get married next Friday.”
She slides her phone out of her pocket and turns to walk out of the kitchen. “Oh, I can’t wait to tell her.” She turns back to us with a frown. “I can tell her, right?”
I clear my throat and nod. “Sure. Why not?”
As she leaves the room, we hear her voice take on a falsely casual tone, “Oh, hey Joanne… Nothing much. What are you up to?”
I smirk, and Nate shakes his head.
Scott tilts his head. “You know Henry and Joanne will probably be over here in a few minutes.”
Laughing, I nod. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re waiting in the car for Kathryn’s invitation.”
Nate chuckles. “Or waiting in the driveway here.”
Scott laughs and shakes his head, then his gaze lands on me. “You’d better eat quickly. Those women will have you picking out flowers within the hour.”
Nate reaches for Quinn, who smiles as she goes to him, waving her arms and chanting, “Nae-da! Nae-da!”
My eyes widen as they dart to his face. He blinks and swallows, only pausing a moment before he puts on a smile for Quinn. “Let’s eat some more spaghetti. Okay, Quinnifer?”
He slides her into her high chair, where she happily digs both hands into her bowl again. When Nate sits beside me, I slide my hand onto his knee under the table without glancing at him. He draws a deep breath and sets his hand over mine as I scoop up a bite of pasta.
As he takes a sip from his glass of sweet tea, I turn my hand over and twine my fingers through his. He sets his glass down and glances at me as he squeezes my fingers. He leans in and whispers, “This was a green-light behavior, right?”
I roll my eyes and nudge him with my shoulder, but I don’t let go of his hand.