Fall for Me (12 page)

Nick shoved his chair back from the table at the same time Suzy slammed her glass down. Beth looked at the usually cool Nick in surprise as he stood up and leaned over the table, looking at both of her parents. “Do you even hear yourselves?” he asked in a deathly quiet voice. Without giving her parents time to reply, he continued. “I am constantly in awe of your daughters. They are smart, funny, intelligent, compassionate, and beautiful. Everyone who knows them loves them. I’m starting to think they must be adopted. I can’t imagine you two even having children, much less having two as outstanding as Beth and Suzy.”

Beth’s father sputtered, “Now, listen here, young man.”

“No, you listen here,” Nick hissed. “I have always wondered why someone as beautiful and special as Beth would have so many self-esteem issues, and now I know. Have you ever just once praised her or Suzy for anything? Did you actually try to help her eat healthier, or did you just ridicule her for being overweight? Didn’t it ever occur to either of you that she might be using food to escape from her life? As my mother will tell you, Gray and I were both heavier when we were young. Not once did our mother insult or criticize us. Instead, we learned to cook our own healthy meals and we took up a lot of hobbies as a family such as biking and swimming. Never did she say we were doing it because we were obese.”

Beth wrapped her hand around Nick’s arm, trying to calm him down. She had never seen him this upset before. “Nick, it’s okay. Really I’m fine.”

Nick looked down at her and cupped her face lightly with his hand. His gaze locked on hers and in a softer voice he said, “No, princess, it’s not okay.” Then, closing his eyes briefly, he murmured, “I can’t sit here and let them treat you like this. Are you ready to go?”

She slid her hand into his outstretched palm and let him pull her to her feet. Her mother and father sat across the table staring daggers at both of them. Gray and Suzy stood at the same time. Gray looked around the table and settled his gaze on Beth and Suzy’s parents. “Linda, Harris, I completely agree with my brother. Your daughters are two of the most amazing women I have ever had the good fortune to meet, and I ask that you not upset either one of them in my home again.”

“Now, see here, Grayson—” Harris began.

“No, sir,” Grayson said firmly. “I’m not interested in continuing this conversation. Out of respect for your daughter, my fiancée, I’m going to let this go without further comment, and I expect you to do the same. There will never be any other remarks in my home that involve any type of negativity concerning Suzy or Beth.”

Beth looked over to see that Suzy was suspiciously close to tears. She knew exactly what her sister was feeling. When had they ever had anyone stand up for them? To have the Merimon family defending them now was something that she would never forget. She and Suzy had learned to let their parents vent long ago. Suzy would rebel in some way later, but during a lecture, they just wanted it to be over. Vicky and John had remained quiet through the confrontation and she was surprised and relieved to see the smile of support that they bestowed on her.

Nick clasped Beth’s hand and they walked to the head of the table to give Suzy and Gray a hug good-bye. Suzy whispered in her ear, “Same old shit, different day.”

Beth hugged her tighter and whispered back, “I didn’t think I would make it through a meal without a fat comment.”

Nick’s mother walked over to embrace Beth, and said, “You take care of those babies. John and I are here for you if you need anything.” Vicky hugged Nick next and Beth couldn’t hear what she said to him, but she saw his lips curve into a smile. Nick’s father hugged them both next and invited them to Charleston for the weekend.

Beth then turned to her parents and gave them a tight smile. “Mom, Dad, it was good to see you again. I hope you have a safe trip home.” Her parents gave a polite nod in return and Nick and Beth were soon out the door and walking to Nick’s car. Even after the altercation with Nick, she knew her parents would stay until the official end of the evening. They might not say another word, but they would never disregard polite social rules and leave early. She felt sorry for Suzy, Gray, and Nick’s parents, who could possibly have to endure another few hours of her parents’ company.

Chapter Nineteen

Never had Nick felt more fortunate to have the parents that he did. He’d always thought Beth and Suzy were kidding when they talked about how uptight their parents were. Hell,
uptight
was too good for them. They were downright obnoxious. He couldn’t remember one polite word that they had uttered the entire evening. Every word and every eye roll from them was critical. No wonder Beth was so damn terrified to put a bite in her mouth. He could only imagine the criticism that she had endured growing up. It probably wouldn’t have mattered if she had been thin; they would still have found something that didn’t measure up to their standards. What was surprising was how well she and Suzy had turned out. They could have ended up being cold, uptight clones of their parents instead of the warm, loving people they were. Sure, they both had some quirky personality traits, but that only made them more unique.

Beth hadn’t said a word since they had gotten in his car. He had let the silence linger, thinking that she probably needed time to come to terms with the evening. Truthfully, he was a little afraid of what her reaction was going to be. He had told off her parents without even realizing he was about to do it. There was that saying:
I can talk about my family, but no one else can.
He may well have pissed her off and caused a bigger rift between her and her parents. When he had felt Beth shrinking into herself as her mother and father told the entire table about her weight battles, he had just snapped. This beautiful woman was carrying his children and he would not allow anyone to humiliate her in any way, even her own parents.

He could tell that his own parents were appalled as well. When he had hugged his mother, she had whispered in his ear, “My mixing bowls will be waiting for you when you are ready.” Almost every decision or heartache he’d had when he was growing up had been talked over in the kitchen. His mother had taught Nick and Gray to cook at an early age, and they both continued to go home when their problems were overwhelming. They both knew that the baking pans, and their mother’s and father’s listening ears, were always there waiting for them. Damn, he was blessed.

As wonderful and understanding as they were, he knew that his parents had been blindsided with the pregnancy announcement. There would be more questions and more explanations to make there. He didn’t really know why he hadn’t told them he was practically living with Beth. Maybe because he knew his father would give him “the talk” if he knew that Nick was dating Suzy’s baby sister.

Everything had happened so fast between them. It still felt like there had been a whirlwind around him since he first met Beth. They had amazing sex—a lot of it—and then, in the blink of an eye, he was practically living with her. On the rare occasions that he had stopped to ponder it, he had been helpless to pull back. Her vulnerability and insecurities were so at odds with her wild, uninhibited abandon in the bedroom. The women he had dated were usually overconfident and had seduction down to an art form. Beth, on the other hand, would lose herself completely in their lovemaking, giving and taking with equal measure. She would purr with pleasure in his arms as he praised her body. Then, the next morning, when their clothes were on, she turned back into reserved Beth. It was like living with two different women. Maybe that was why the usual boredom had never come. He never knew what to expect from her next and he loved it. He walked around with a near constant hard-on at home, wondering when she would turn back into insatiable Beth.

They arrived at Beth’s apartment without either of them saying a word to the other. Nick jogged around and opened the door for her, helping her out of the low-slung car. He entwined his fingers with hers as they made their way up the stairs and into the apartment.

She gave him a tired smile, saying, “I think I’m going to turn in for the night.”

“Beth, I’m sorry if I upset you.”

Suddenly, she started laughing. “Are you kidding? You were great! I have never seen my parents puckered up that tight before. Thank you for interrupting because their fat talks usually go on for much longer.”

Nick felt his relief flow. “So, you’re not mad?”

With another snicker, she said, “No way. It was worth all the misery that it will eventually bring. The good news is that they probably won’t be inviting us to dinner anytime soon.”

With a laugh, he said, “I can live with that. I’m just glad you’re okay with it.”

Waving her hand, she said, “Yeah, I’m fine.” Then with a sigh, she added, “Their delivery method may need some work, but they’re right. I’m not like normal pregnant women. I can’t use this pregnancy as a reason to let go. I have to be more careful than ever.”

Nick felt a ripple of unease as he studied Beth’s determined expression. “Princess, you never let go. I don’t think you have to worry about it. You barely eat enough to survive on now, and remember, you have to eat extra for the babies now, right?”

“I eat more than enough,” she snapped. “The doctor didn’t say anything about tripling the amount of my food to feed three people. If I did that, I would gain too much weight. The average weight of a baby when born is around seven pounds so if I gain eighty pounds, how much of it would actually be the babies?”

Nick could tell by her defensive tone that it was time to shut his mouth and end this conversation. Hadn’t Jason and Gray warned him to avoid talking about her weight? He was worried though that Beth didn’t know when to stop. Was there such a thing as too thin to her anymore? Her parents had scored a direct hit tonight. She may have enjoyed his defense of her, but she quite obviously believed every word they said. But he decided to back off instead of forcing the issue. She had dealt with enough tonight and he knew the stress wasn’t good for her.

Giving her a light kiss on the lips, he turned her toward the bedroom and said, “Go ahead and get some sleep, princess. I’m going to unwind some before I go to bed.”

With a smile of understanding, Beth said, “I can’t imagine why.”

* * *

How could anyone throw up as much as she had in the last week and still have gained five pounds? Hadn’t Suzy, Claire, and Ella tried to warn her against weighing herself on the scales at the mall? Since they had been right there outside the food court, she hadn’t been able to resist. She had been so sure she had lost weight. She had been so careful to watch her portion sizes this week and she had been sick every single morning, but still, her ass continued to expand.

Claire looked at her in sympathy. “It’s just the water weight gain, Beth. I had the same problem. Sometimes I was too sick to eat anything but crackers for days and I would still gain weight. I kept asking Jason where it was all going, but he never had an answer. Of course, he always had to return a call or something when I was venting so he probably wasn’t even listening.”

Shaking her head, Suzy said, “He was just avoiding you, Claire. I finally figured out that every time I say anything about my body other than ‘do me,’ Gray runs as if I’ve got the plague. I thought he had irritable bowel syndrome or something until I finally figured out that the bathroom is his easiest escape route after a difficult question. It’s the one place he is confident I won’t follow him.” With an evil smile, she added, “I’m thinking about testing my theory and going right in there with him the next time. Of course, if I’m wrong, it will probably be the end of our sex life.”

“Ugh,” Claire said, and laughed. “I don’t think it’s worth the risk to find out!”

Ella looked at them all with envy. “I don’t know why any of you would ever be worried about your body, you all look great.”

“So, Ella,” Suzy began, “is there a man on the horizon for you?”

Flushing, Ella mumbled, “Yes, but I can’t have him.”

All conversation ceased as everyone zeroed in on Ella. “All right, girl, you can’t leave us hanging like this. Who is the guy and why can’t you have him?” Suzy asked.

Clearly uncomfortable, Ella said, “Just, um . . . never mind.”

“Oh hell-to-the-no, Miss Goody Two-shoes, you aren’t getting off the hook. You know all of our issues and all about our guys, so let’s hear it,” Suzy demanded.

Beth wrapped an arm around her friend, giving Suzy and Claire a stern look. “It’s okay, Ella; you don’t have to say anything.” Beth had a pretty good feeling that she knew anyway and didn’t think any good could come of Suzy or Claire knowing about Ella’s crush on Declan.

“I’ve got to side with Suzy on this one, Ella,” Claire said. “When you’re in the girls club, you can’t hold back. We might be able to help you.”

Suzy pulled Ella over to a seating area in the corner of the mall and, after they were all settled, she said in a surprisingly gentle voice, “Okay, Ella, let’s hear it. Claire is right; maybe we can help.”

Ella turned an even brighter shade of red as she whispered, “It’s Declan.”

Suzy and Claire stared at her blankly. “Um, you don’t mean our Declan, do you?” Suzy asked.

Nodding her head miserably, Ella said, “Yes, but he treats me like his sister.”

With a snort, Suzy said, “Oh, baby, you are way out of your league. How can I explain this? You’re like Nemo swimming around in the ocean without a care in the world and Declan is like the piranha who comes along and eats you without warning.”

“Suzy!” Beth shouted.

“What? It’s the truth. Declan has been around the block a lot and Ella hasn’t taken her training wheels off yet. I know the man is sexy in a dark sort of way, but, sweetie, he would eat you for breakfast and not in a good way.” Suzy smirked.

Claire laughed under her breath before she could stop herself. “Ella, I think what Suzy is trying to say is that you don’t have much in common with Declan. Jason said that he served a couple of tours in the military. He has probably seen things that most of us never will. He seems haunted, for lack of a better word.”

Ella’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “I know, but he is so sweet to me. I’ve mentioned different things that I like to eat and drink a few times and he always shows up with whatever I mentioned a few days later. That means something, right?”

“Wow.” Claire sighed. “That is surprising. I can’t imagine him doing that. He’s always polite, but holds himself apart from everyone else. It’s amazing that he talks to you regularly, much less brings you things.”

“I think I scared him away,” Ella confessed.

Suzy perked up with interest. “Did you make a pass at him?”

Ella flushed again, saying, “No, of course not. I kind of asked him to dinner at my place.”

“You little tramp!”

“Suzy!” Beth groaned, clearly horrified.

“I’m kidding, sis. Get your panties out of a wad.” Suzy reached over and cuffed Ella on the shoulder with her knuckles. “You go, girl. You’re going to make him dinner before you hit on him.”

Beth looked on helplessly as Suzy openly laughed. Claire tried to keep a straight face, but snickered at poor Ella. If embarrassment could kill, Ella would be dead on the spot. “All right, everyone, give Ella a break. We are supposed to be helping her, not harassing her.” Turning to her friend, she asked gently, “What happened when you asked him for dinner?”

Staring down at her hands, Ella said, “He looked surprised and then he said that he already had plans. I was going to suggest another night, but he said he was late for a meeting and took off. That was days ago, and I haven’t seen him since then. I . . . I think he’s avoiding me now.”

“Ah, come on now, Ella, maybe he’s out of town. He travels a lot, doesn’t he?” Beth asked.

Everyone looked at Claire since she usually knew when any of the main group was out of town. Claire gave a grimace and said, “No, I know Declan is in the office this week because he’s been working on a contract with Jason.”

Shaking her head in disgust, Suzy said, “I’m not going to soft-pedal this to you, Ella; he is avoiding you. He’s been sniffing around your feet, but when you started sniffing back, he packed his toys and went home. To someone like Declan you must seem like the ultimate forbidden fruit. He’s probably used to women he can screw and then slip out before they wake up. Most of his women have probably been ridden hard and put up wet.”

Claire started laughing. “Where do you come up with this stuff?” Then, turning to Ella, she said, “I think what Suzy means is that Declan has a lot more experience than you and maybe he is afraid of hurting you.”

“Oh, come on.” Suzy snorted. “Ella doesn’t need everything I say explained to her. She knows what I’m talking about. Okay, give me a few days to think on this one. I’m sure we can come up with a plan for you to land Declan if you really want to. Look at Beth; she landed her man through wild sex on my kitchen counters and all over my damn house. I’m sure I can come up with something for you. Maybe Claire could loan you her house, though. I don’t think I can stomach any more naked bodies sliding across my granite countertops.”

When everyone got their laughter under control, Suzy added, “We’re going to have a barbecue on Saturday to rid our house of the evil from our last dinner party. I promise that my parents will not be there so you don’t have to make excuses.” Wiggling her eyebrows at Ella, she said, “I promise that Gray will make sure Declan is there so wear something hot. Oh, crap, never mind, I don’t trust you to know what that is, so let’s go pick out something for you right now.”

“Hey,” Beth said, “I thought we were going to look at wedding dresses for you and make some plans?”

“Nah, we can do that next week. Ella is our priority now.”

Beth couldn’t help but chuckle at Ella’s terrified expression. Putting her arm around her friend, Beth whispered in her ear, “Just go with it. If you argue, it will get more painful. It’s better to give in now because you can’t win.”