“And about the dinner? I’ve been trying to protect you from being put on the spot. The moment you step foot in my mom’s house, she’ll be trying to put a wedding dress on you. And trust me, Josie, I know how much you don’t want to stay in a small town. I heard you loud and clear. So forgive me for sparing my family the future disappointment when you leave after they all fall in love with you just like I did.”
“You—” She clears her throat. “You love me?”
“I do.” I sigh in defeat. “And unfortunately, I don’t know what I can do to convince you to stay here.”
“You just did.” Her eyes turn shiny with tears.
I don’t think I heard her right. “What?”
“You just did. I mean, you just did something to convince me to stay.”
“A love declaration?”
She shrugs. “I don’t need much.”
I step up to her and place my hands on her shoulders. “I’m sorry for running over here like a madman.” I take a deep breath before saying something I’ve never said before. “I didn’t know where you stood, and I felt insecure. It’s…” I chew on my cheek, looking for the right word, “a new feeling for me. One I’d rather not revisit.”
“Ken,” she sighs with aloudsmile that says it all, “you have such a big dick, you shouldn’t even know what the word ‘insecure’ means.”
And just like that, she once again makes light of the situation.
“Wait a minute.” I pull away, remembering what the parrot was saying before. The little shit didn’t finish the sentence at all, completely messing with the meaning. I’m never listening to that bird again.
“What happened?” Her brows pinch together with worry.
“How do you feel about parrot soup?”
Josie throws her head back with a loud laugh, making all the insecurities fade away.
ChapterThirty-Five
JOSIE
It’s been a few days since I found out the damn bird has the ability to spill all my secrets, and I’m on the hunt. But the feathery thing is missing. He clearly got word that I was out for his blood, so he disappeared into thin air. At least he’s not showing up around me. Kenneth swears he hasn’t seen him either, but I don’t trust him anymore because he has a soft spot for the damn gray rooster.
Today is the day I officially meet Kenneth’s family. Well, I’ve already met Leila and Alex (obviously), but today, I’ll get to meet the rest. Their mom is finally given free rein to throw that barbeque for Freya and the baby, and the whole town is invited.
It’s the end of September, and the air might get chilly in the evening, so they decided to host it inside the house as someone grills outside. I’m nervous about what I should wear since it’s a family gathering, and I need to impress everyone. But I feel like I’m my best powerhouse when I’m wearing heels. But heels are bad when you go to someone’s house and ruin their hardwood floor. Not even mentioning the sound I’ll make with all that clicking.
Impress his family with the power of an outfit or impress them with ‘me’? The choice is obvious. I sigh, pulling on my white sneakers.
“Are you ready?” Ken asks as he walks into the bedroom.
“I don’t know. What should I wear?” I stand up from the bench once I’m done tying my shoelaces. “Is this okay?” I smooth my black slacks and silky red shirt with my palms.
He smiles and comes up to me. “Are you nervous?”
“No. Yes! No!” I shake my head, trying to stop this mumbling. “No, I’m not okay, and yes, I’m nervous. I’m meeting your family for the first time. What if they don’t like me? Do I move out? Do you move in with me later? Do we even see each other after that?”
He takes my shoulders and pulls me into his embrace. His chest rumbles with silent laughter as he kisses the top of my head. “They’ll love you, Josie. If we ever have a fight, they’ll stand by you and kick me out of this house. Trust me.”
“But that’s not fair,” I say, pulling away a bit so I can look at his face. “It’s your home.”
“Ours, Joz. It’s ours.” He gives me a gentle kiss on my lips, lets go of me, and heads toward his side of the walk-in closet. Funny how his single kisses are always gentle, but every time we fuck, the kisses are consuming. I thought I wouldn’t like these tender touches and cheek kisses, but turns out, they spice up my life just as much as his animalistic fucking does. Go figure.
Kenneth moves around in the closet for a few seconds before he comes out with a box in his hands. He silently walks to me and places the box on the bed.
“What’s that?”
