“You’d do that for me?” I asked, my head resting on his chest.
We were lounging my bed after a quickie before Branson woke up for his next nightly feeding. Our boy was growing like a weed, and just like his dad, he has a thing for the boob. Albeit in a vastly different way.
Knox’s fingers trailed across my collarbone, eliciting tiny shivers of delight throughout my entire body. “Haven’t you learned by now I’d do anything for you?”
I pushed off Knox’s chest. “Yeah, I think I’ve figured that out.” After tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, I reach for his hand, entwining our fingers. “When I came to Crystal Cove last summer, I was looking for something. I’m not even sure I knew that I was. Until I found you, and suddenly I didn’t feel like I was missing anything anymore.” I paused. “I love photography. It’s the last string I have holding me close to my mom. I never want to lose that.”
“You won’t,” he replied, sounding unsure, and I realize this is coming off all wrong.
“But that was before I became a mom. And I’m about to become a wife. I do want to explore the world and pursue that passion. What I want more than anything in the world, though, is to be with you. Be a family. Knox, if that means settling in Nashville, I’m happy with that.”
“Amelia—”
“No, listen. Let me finish. I’m not giving up on my dream. I’m just putting it on hold for a little bit. I couldn’t jet across the ocean and leave Branson any more than I could leave you. There’s plenty of beauty in Tennessee and the surrounding states to refine my skills. Plus, I have a beautiful baby boy and gorgeous soon-to-be husband that’ll be taking up a lot of my film. We’ll have plenty of time to travel. Together.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. And hell, it’ll be nice raising Branson with grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins close by.”
“Baby,” Knox growled, his darkened eyes watching me through hooded lids.
“What?”
“You just said hell.”
I giggled as Knox rolled me to my back and loomed over me, his biceps flexing as he braces his fists on either side of me. “Guess you’re gonna have to punish me.”
Oh, and punish me he did.
“Earth to Melia.” The amusement in Knox’s voice breaks me from my reverie.
“Sorry, I was just…” I trail off, heat rising on my cheeks.
“God, I love that I can still make you blush.”
“Pretty sure, fifty years from now, you’ll still be making me blush.”
His cocky grin only deepens the pink on my cheeks.
“Ready?” he asks, and my nerves take over. He chuckles. “Don’t think of it as meeting the parents. Think of it as showing off our awesome, freaking son.”
“Well, when you put it that way, let’s do this.”
We exit the car and I take Branson from his car seat, thankful for an armful of distraction.
Knox’s hand hits the doorknob, and I stop him.
“Are you sure we should just walk in?” I ask.
He furrows his brow. “Babe. I live here.” He pauses. “Or, well, I did. Oh, screw it.”
My shoulders shake with laughter at his censorship. He’s come a long way and done just as he promised. He’s reined it in for Branson, but he still unleashes in the bedroom for me.
We’re barely through the double wooden doors when a woman greets us, focusing nearly all her attention on Branson. Knox introduces Jaclyn, whom he’s affectionately spoken of many times before. It’s the only reason I so willingly allow her to take Branson when she insists on freshening him up from our journey.
I’ve barely caught my breath as Knox takes my hand and leads me through the foyer and into a spacious kitchen, where he pours us each a glass of water.
“Ah, there she is,” he says, and I follow his gaze to the back door, where a woman is just entering, a straw hat on her head and a basket full of wildflowers in the crook of her arm.
I’m not sure what I was expecting when it came to Knox’s mother, but the tall, elegant woman wearing dusty jeans and a flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up isn’t it.
She stands on her tiptoes to give Knox a kiss on the cheek. Then she turns to me with a warm smile. “Amelia, it’s so lovely to finally meet you. And though it pains me to be rude, where’s that grandson of mine? I’ve waited three months to meet him and I don’t want to waste a second more.”
“I understand. And I just want to extend my gratitude that you allowed Knox and me to have time to adjust to becoming parents. It’s been a whirlwind. I know it couldn’t have been easy, with wanting to meet your first grandchild and all.”
“He wouldn’t have had it any other way,” she responds, giving Knox a pointed look.
He rolls his eyes. “Jaclyn took the baby as soon as we got in the door. He needed to be changed after the car ride.”
Oof. Good first impression to my future mother-in-law. Pass the baby off to the housekeeper as soon as you step foot in the door. “She insisted,” I clarify. “Wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
A perceptive grin crosses Mrs. Wellington’s face. “Knowing Jaclyn, I’m sure she did. Ah well, let’s get settled into the library and wait for your father and Clay to get back from their golfing trip. Jaclyn knows where to find us.”
She ushers us into a beautiful library I long to explore, but instead, I take a seat beside Knox on a sofa, gratefully accepting sweet tea when she hands it to me. Mrs. Wellington takes a place across from us and gets right down to it.
“Amelia, I have a question for you. I’d be remiss if I allowed this wedding to proceed if I didn’t make the inquiry.”
“Mom…” Knox’s tone is full of warning.
She shoots a glare at him. “I would be remiss,” she repeats, emphasizing each word.
Knox is about to respond, but I place my hand on his arm.
“It’s fine, Knox. Allow your mother to speak.”
I thought she’d be appreciative. The tight-lipped smile tells me otherwise.
“What, exactly, are your intentions with my son?”
The laugh escapes me before I can hold it in. Really?
“Mom…” Once again, Knox’s warning is unmistakable.
My fingers tighten on his forearm, my nails digging into his flesh. I don’t take my eyes off his mother. “I’d be remiss if I didn’t answer the question.”
It’s fleeting, but there’s a flash of approval in her expression.
“This shouldn’t come as a surprise to you. My intentions are to marry your son. Spend the rest of my life with him. Raise our family together, however big it grows.”
“With my son’s money?” Kate asks, a perfectly manicured eyebrow rising.
I’m not taken aback by her question or her tone. It’s perfectly reasonable for her to ask, considering she’s never met me, knows nothing about me, my family, or my background. I just showed up with her grandson one day. Okay, more like Knox showed up after I’d had her grandson, which could be even more reason for her not to trust me.
Having just become a mother myself, how can I deny one her inquest?