24. Meeting the Family #2
“I installed two in his basement, and one in the cabin,” Greg said. “I got one in the crawl space under the barn, too.”
“That’s what I said!” Trinity exclaimed.
“Goose is with the kids, trying to block the windows to his basement,” Kai said idly, his eyes on Greg like he owed him money. “This was a bad time to have a fucking dinner, VD.”
“Drinks?” Ellen asked again, hands on her hips.
“That Belgian blonde you got on tap, ma’am,” Kai said, turning on the charm he hadn’t given me or Greg.
“Ugh.” Trinity placed a hand on her belly. “Diet Coke, I guess.”
“Congratulations, by the way,” I said, remembering she was pregnant.
I am a fish out of water. I have no idea how to act, or how to speak. It had been such a long time since I’d spent dinner with adults!
Taz beamed at me. “Thank you.”
“I’ll have a vodka martini, olive.” Daria lifted two fingers.
“I’ll have a Belgian blonde as well,” Greg said. Then he nudged me. “Babe?”
Were we splitting the check? Or was he paying? Was I? We’d never talked about it.
A drink—an adult beverage—sounded good, but they were always pricier. There was the possibility of an inheritance now that the matter with Luke was officially resolved, but I didn’t have it yet. And I expected it would be a fight with the Grays, because I wasn’t a real Gray. Not to them.
Just to be safe, I said, “Water.”
Greg’s brows furrowed.
“Ya know what?” He stopped Ellen as she turned away. “Can you get her a margarita? Strawberry. Sugar on the rim.”
I opened my mouth, but he was still ordering.
“Let’s get a couple of basket fries, onion rings, and a steak with vegetables.” Greg ordered a hearty meal for himself before getting a chicken-fried steak for me. It was something he’d once seen me order maybe months—if not a year—ago. I almost laughed, shocked that he’d remembered!
“A couple baskets of breaded mushrooms,” Kai added as he ordered for both the women beside him as though it were an absolutely normal thing to do. Then he flicked his thumb at them. “They’re on my tab.”
“And my lady’s on mine,” Greg said, leaning down to kiss my hair.
Ellen rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
I almost snickered. She didn’t need to be friendly when she was the only restaurant in town.
As Ellen walked away, Kai looked at me and explained. “She’s on my tab because she’s my wife. She’s on my tab because she was my best friend, but she’s since dumped me for my wife.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
“I don’t want you thinking this is some kind of sister-wife thing.”
“But it is,” Daria said. “I’m his work wife.”
“Oh?” I finally asked. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what you guys do.”
“We typically assassinate people who work against the interest of the American government.” Daria looked serious.
Kai snorted.
I…had no response.
“Oh, you’re so cute. Look at her face.” She slapped Greg on the arm. “We’re venture capitalists. We travel the world trying to raise money for entrepreneurs, and we take a substantial cut.”
I laughed, but something in her posture, tone, and the way she stared at me made me believe the assassin thing was more likely.
“So what about this wedding thing?” Trinity had a strange smirk on her face and mischief in the brightness of her eyes. “Does she know you’re getting hitched? Or were you just gonna bonk her on the head and drag her to the church at gun point?”
Ellen came back with drinks, putting them down without a word.
“I told her.” Greg still looked only at me with a wide grin.
“And did she accept?” Daria leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table. Then she narrowed her eyes. “Where’s the ring?”
“Yeah, where’s the ring?” Trinity crossed her arms, as if angry on my behalf.
“I haven’t proposed yet.” Greg finally tore his gaze from mine, keeping our hands on his lap as his knuckle grazed my ringless fingers. “We’re taking it slow.”
“Slow?” Daria scoffed. “But you’ve already told her she’s marrying you?”
“You can get married before I start showing, or after I’ve had time to work off the baby weight. Get married when I’m in my third trimester or when I’m postpartum, and I will never forgive you.”
“It’s not you who has to forgive him,” Kai mumbled.
“She’s got a couple years of law school to finish, right?” Greg looked at me, and I blinked.
He remembered.
“I remember telling Taz about it before your wedding.” Greg was nodding to Kai, and Trinity shrugged and nodded, confirming that it had, indeed, happened.
“Oh,” I said, baffled. “I don’t even remember telling you that.”
Greg shrugged. “I remember everything you’ve told me.”
I adored this man.
“I figured letting you finish your degree might help you warm up to the idea of this.” He grabbed my hand, brought it to his lips, kissing my knuckles.
We had never discussed it. Not once. But he said exactly what I wanted him to say, and I couldn’t believe it.
This was like a dream or a fairy tale. He knew me, and he listened…
not just in the past week, but the past two years.
All my little comments that I figured meant nothing to anyone but me.
He’d stashed them aside, and he’d remembered.
“That’s bullshit,” Daria said. “You, me, her.” She gestured to Greg, herself, and Trinity. “We’re going ring shopping, and don’t be bullshit like this guy.”
She fluttered her hand towards Kai.
“He stole my chance to go ring shopping. He’s permanently on my shit list.”
“I had a ring made from the bullets you pulled out of my body!” He threw his hands up just as Ellen arrived with the extravagant number of appetizers.
“Yes, yes. How romantic,” Daria said sarcastically. “Ugh.”
I blinked. From bullets they pulled out of him…as a venture capitalist? No, that sounded pretty assassin-y.
“Still bullshit! I did not get to take your credit card and spend it on an enormous diamond. When you have your baby, I’m buying her a push present.”
“What’s a push present?” Greg asked.
“A present for pushing the baby out,” I mumbled to him.
“Oh.” Then he grimaced. “Damn.”
“I think I deserve a present for squeezing a watermelon out of my cooch.” Trinity said it like she pondered the possibility for a mere moment before deciding it was a good idea. “Very well, I approve.”
“Whatever you want, psycho.” Kai kissed her cheek. “I could buy you a new motorcycle instead, though…Just a thought.”
“Why not get her both?” Daria waved her arms as if that was such an obvious conclusion.
“Or I could get her both.” Kai chuckled.
“So you”—Daria pointed an accusatory finger in Greg’s face—“either you give me your card so I can buy this beautiful lady an engagement ring, or you come with and hope you can talk me down from getting her the Hope Diamond.”
“Hey, how about I get an idea of what she likes before we start buying her things?” Greg said with a smile.
“No!” Daria and Trinity said in unison.
“Ugh, men are so duroc!” Daria facepalmed, then turned her ice-cold eyes to me. “You tell me what you like, and I will make sure you get everything your heart desires.”
I almost laughed as I picked at the food in front of me, my heart feeling a full for the first time.
“I don’t know what I want, honestly. Anything would be great.” I smiled, letting myself fall further into his side. “I’m just…happy to be with a good guy like Greg.”
The two women blinked at me before grinning and letting out a high pitched, “Aww.”
“Yeah?” Kai said, his fists clenched. “A good guy who sleeps with his best friend’s wife?”