Chapter 45
FORTY-FIVE
MEET THE PARENTS
Addison
My dark blue dress was slightly too long, but I wasn’t surprised. I’d found the perfect silver heels after I’d had the dress altered, which I knew was all wrong, but I couldn’t pass them up. They were strappy yet comfortable and didn’t take away from the shiny silk material clinging to my body.
I’d picked my favorite three dresses for the Crawford Law anniversary party and let Beckett have the final say. Especially since he was paying for it.
A sequin purple number was a close second, and he wasn’t a fan of the green, but the blue had been perfect. At least according to him. I kind of felt like a sexy cotton candy with my light pink hair and shiny blue dress, but I loved the sweetheart neckline and how it hugged my curves.
It also allowed me to wear my favorite necklace—the gold one that Beckett had given me for Valentine’s Day with a diamond “B.”
Holding the excess fabric from the floor, I spun around in the middle of the room and checked off each entry on the checklist in my head.
The band was set up in the corner of the room opposite the bar and next to the dance floor.
As Caroline instructed, they were playing softly in the background as people entered and until dinner, when Andrew, Beckett, and their father would make a speech.
Then they’d move on to something more upbeat to get people dancing.
We kept the decorations simple. Each centerpiece was a small arrangement of white flowers with plenty of greenery and an array of tapered candles. The linens were white and cream, and all the accents were bronze.
With the candles lit and the lights dimmed, the room felt romantic and luxurious. Which was exactly the atmosphere we were going for.
Caroline, our team, and I had spent most of the morning setting up, but I’d been excused to get dressed since I was Beckett’s date.
He’d offered to pick me up, but I’d wanted to be there early to make sure everything was good to go and they didn’t need any last-minute help.
Although Caroline was of course more than capable of doing it herself, I wanted everything to be extra perfect for Beckett and his family.
And the more I thought about the event and planning, the less I thought about the fact that I would finally be meeting his parents for the first time.
I wanted to make the best first impression, and if the event I’d helped plan didn’t go off without a hitch, that wasn’t working in my favor.
Beckett told me they were excited to meet me and already liked me because of how happy I’d made him, but I knew they couldn’t be without their concerns. Our age difference being a major one.
Worrying my necklace between my fingers, I was counting the chairs at each table when arms wrapped around me from behind.
Startled at first, my nerves calmed when I caught his intoxicating scent and the warmth of his chest against my back.
His scruff brushed against my skin as he kissed my birthmark and hummed deep in his throat.
“The room is perfect, and you are fucking breathtaking,” he whispered.
Grasping my hips, he spun me around quickly, and breathtaking was right. It had been months since I’d seen him in a tailored tuxedo, and the sight of it took my breath away.
His suit was black, but his bow tie matched the color of my dress, which made my stomach fill with butterflies. His hair was tucked behind his ears, except for that one piece that always fell over his forehead, and he’d trimmed his facial hair to a respectable length.
Reaching up, I toyed with a few gray strands at his temple and ran an appreciative hand down the side of his neck. “Ditto,” I said, then added in a nearly silent whisper, “Daddy.”
Beckett groaned but took a step back to take in my entire outfit. Starting at my strappy heels and eyeing the length of my thigh-high slit, he appreciated my curves and the tasteful cleavage and smiled at his necklace sitting around my neck.
“As much as I love that dress on you, I can’t wait to peel it off later tonight.”
Tossing my head back and letting free a throaty laugh, we were interrupted by a man I immediately recognized as Andrew, Beckett’s younger brother. And even if they weren’t standing directly next to one another, I would have recognized him all the same.
His hair was a little shorter but just as thick as Beckett’s without the same sparse gray around his temples. He was also clean-shaven, and his eyes were more hazel than amber. But damn, the Crawford genes were good.
In his own matching tux, he slung an arm over Beckett’s shoulders and gave him a shocked look.
“Did I just hear what I think I did, big bro? What kind of example are you setting for your impressionable younger brother? Talking about taking off her dress. What on earth do you have planned for her after that?”
Beckett closed his eyes momentarily, the brotherly frustration making me roll my lips to contain my smile. And an easy, mischievous grin slipped across Andrew’s lips as he offered me his hand.
“Addison, this is my brother, Andrew.”
“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” I said, shaking his hand. “And you can call me Addie.”
Andrew had kind eyes, and I liked the way they lit up with his smile. He seemed light on his feet, and immediately I was put at ease.
“Same here,” he said. “I’m so glad I finally get to meet the woman who has my brother so enamored and wrapped around her finger.”
“Andrew,” Beckett scolded as we dropped our hands.
Like he was offended, Andrew glanced back over at his brother. “What are you Andrew-ing me for? It’s the truth. I never thought you would find someone who would make you fold so easily.”
Beckett gave his brother a frustrated glare, and I bit the inside of my cheek, still trying to do anything and everything I could to hide my smile.
“Anyway,” Andrew continued. “I’m excited to get to know you better, Addie. I’m going to run to the restroom before we really get started.” He jogged out the main doors and took a hard right toward the bathrooms.
Beckett began apologizing for his brother, but I waved him off.
“You have nothing to apologize for. I like him. He seems really nice.”
“He is very nice…and also a pain.”
“As I’ve heard siblings are supposed to be,” I said. “And if you and your brother are here, does that mean…”
I peered around Beckett’s large frame and out the doors.
“That my parents are also here? Yes.”
That nervousness I’d tried so hard to keep at bay, flared up once again. The butterflies in my stomach turned to nausea, and I tried to swallow down the bile rising up my throat.
“God, you look like you’re going to puke,” Beckett commented unhelpfully. He stepped up beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, dipping down to whisper in my ear. “They’re going to love you, Bubbles. Almost as much as I do.”
I jerked my attention up to him, but his face didn’t show any proof of his admission. And I didn’t have the opportunity to react or respond to it when his parents walked into the room and beelined for us.
“Oh my gosh, this must be Addison,” his mom, Jackie, exclaimed.
Swallowing my shock, I plastered on a smile and reached my hand forward. “Yes, it’s so nice to meet you, Ms. Crawford.”
But she didn’t take my offered hand. Instead, she wrapped her arms around me in a sweet, calming embrace. She squeezed once and then stepped back, keeping her hands against my shoulders like she didn’t want me to run off while she got a good look.
She was as beautiful as her photos. Her dark brown hair was swept up in a low updo, and her makeup was pristine. Her cream gown complimented her tan skin, and it wasn’t until she’d hugged me and I saw her next to Beckett that I realized how tall she was.
“Please call me Jackie, and it’s so nice to finally meet you. You are even more beautiful in person.”
“I could say the same about you. You look amazing tonight. Your dress is fantastic.”
She beamed and glanced over at her son. I thought I’d noticed tears welling in her eyes, but then again, maybe it was a trick of all the candlelight.
“Finally.” A voice from behind her spoke up, and Jackie stepped aside. If Andrew was a slightly younger version of Beckett, his dad, I imagined, was exactly what I expected him to look like in thirty years.
His hair was mostly white with some darker strands throughout and was cut very similar to Andrew’s. His wide smile was surrounded by more mostly white facial hair, and his tux was impeccable.
“I get to meet the beautiful Addison,” he said and offered me his hand. “Unlike my wife, I wait until the second time we meet to go in for the hug. I’m Beckett’s father, Gavin.”
“It’s so great to meet you, Gavin.” Hoping they didn’t hear the nervous quiver in my voice, Beckett stepped closer to me and rested a supportive hand against the small of my back. “Congratulations on thirty years of business. That’s quite an achievement.”
“It is definitely something worth celebrating, but there were a ton of people who helped get to this point. Including my wife and son.” He tossed an arm around his wife’s waist and kissed her cheek. Jackie smiled and patted his chest when Andrew walked up behind him.
“Excuse me,” he said. “Sons. Sons, plural, helped you. He might be the oldest and best at sucking up, but I still count.”
Gavin shook his head and nudged his son’s arm. “Of course, you do. Anyway, Addison, Beckett said you were integral in planning this event? I can tell you already, it’s better than I imagined.”
“Dad, call her Addie,” Andrew chimed in. He glanced between Beckett and me, then held his hand up to stage whisper, “Only Beckett gets to call her Addison.”
I could feel Beckett’s eye roll, but I just laughed. “It’s not a big deal. I’ll answer to either. But to answer your question, yes, I work for Grant Events, who planned the entire night. Under Beckett and Natalie’s guidance, but it turned out really well.”
“If by guidance you mean me nodding and agreeing to whatever you suggested, then sure, we can go with that,” Beckett chimed in and kissed the top of my head like it was no big deal to show affection around his parents, who, by all accounts, also didn’t seem to care.
If anything, they seemed pleased with the display, which was more than I hoped for.
“Well, we were hoping to meet your grandmothers soon, too,” Jackie said. “We’re going to be in town for a long stretch coming up, so maybe we can all get together? Beckett has told us nothing but amazing things. Especially about Nana.”
Cutting a glance at Beckett, who shrugged, I shook my head.
“Nana is definitely a…character, but she’s also one of the best people in the world. I know they would love to meet you both. And you, too, Andrew.”
Andrew nudged his father and motioned to me. “See how easy it is, Dad. Addie’s only just met me and still remembered to include me.”
Gavin offered a quick apology when Caroline interrupted to let us know the bar was open and that guests would be arriving soon.
We all made our way over to the few bartenders and ordered.
When Beckett handed me something pretty and fruity, I was excited to have something to do with my hands that wasn’t wringing them in front of me or awkwardly playing with my necklace to try to calm my nerves.
As she’d said, the first guests were ushered through the door the moment I took my first sip, and I knew Beckett would be whisked away to do his hosting duties. But before that happened, he took a moment to check in with me.
“You made the best first impression. Although I had no doubt that you would,” he said, and my nerves calmed, which I’m sure the strong drink I had in my hands also had something to do with.
“Really? God, I was so nervous.”
He laughed and kissed my forehead, tucking a piece of my curled hair behind my ear. “Oh, I’m well aware how nervous you were. But you did great. Andrew’s already made a joke about how if I don’t lock you down first, you can have the youngest Crawford instead.”
Shaking my head, I let out a surprised laugh. “That’s…sweet? I think, but I’m very, very happy with the Crawford I have.”
His dad bellowed his name and waved him over toward the door, where two older gentlemen were standing. But before he ran off, Beckett stooped and kissed me soundly.
The night was off to the perfect start. I only hoped it continued that way.