Something Forever (9 page)

“
From your description, sounds like you’re craving a piece,” Becky said.

“Maybe my baby wants cake.”

“Baby must have food first. Eat some more. You hardly ate.”

“Yes, Auntie Becky.”

“Auntie Becky. I like the sound of that. I promise to be the best auntie.”

My eyes started to pool with tears. “Thanks, Becky. That means a lot to me. Blood is not thicker than water for sure.”

“Nope. I love you as if you were my own sister. You mean the world to me. Don’t you ever forget that.”

Becky’s words made
the tears I tried to hold back fall. Wiping them away, I said, “I won’t.”

Chapter 12

Becky

My heart thumped out of my normal beat; sweat dampened under my armpits. It was difficult to concentrate on the road ahead. The closer the GPS indicated we were to Matthew’s parents’ house, the faster my blood pumped through me. What was the matter with me? I’d never been so nervous in my life.

“Becky
...you missed the exit.” Jenna laughed out loud. The bouquet of flowers she was holding in her lap was practically blocking my view of her so that I had almost forgotten she was there.

“Oh shit. I’ll get off
at the next one and just go local.” I paused to look at the time. “Oh no, we’re going to be late.”

“
Becky, it’s okay. I already texted Max to tell him we were running late.”

My shoulders immediat
ely relaxed. I exhaled a deep breath I didn’t realize I was holding in.

“We’re here. Turn right at the light,” Jenna directed. She must have noticed that I wasn’t even looking at the GPS. I was in my own world
...again. I had to snap out of it, or I was going to make a big fool out of myself.

When we got there, Jenna rang the doorbell. I knew Matthew’s parents were well off, but holy crap
! They lived in a mansion, the kind you would find in a magazine that you could only dream about. For some reason, this made me even more nervous.

Before the door opened, I quickly ran my fingers through my hair, straighten
ed my sweater dress, and asked Jenna if I had anything on my teeth. Her lips pinched together, trying not to laugh. “Don’t worry, Becky. They’ll love you.”

Just as she said her last word, the door opened.

“Hello, Jenna,” a lean, well-dressed lady, wearing black trousers and a magenta cowl neck sweater, greeted us. She had beautiful blonde, shoulder-length hair and was a little bit taller than Jenna. After she gave Jenna a hug, she turned to me and offered one, too. “You must be Becca. I’ve heard so much about you.” I had to smile at that. I wanted to tell her my real name, but decided not to. After that hug and seeing her beautiful friendly smile, I became relaxed.

“Mrs. Knight, it
’s such a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you from Matthew and Jenna.” Even though I really hadn’t other than the fact that Jenna told me that she was really sweet, I fibbed. Matthew and I mentioned our parents, of course, and the topic of them came up, but we never went into details.

Mrs. Knight
’s cheeks turned a little flushed. “Call me Ellen, and please...come in.” She stepped aside.

I tried my best not to gawk, but I couldn’t help it. The
foyer was absolutely beautiful. From the crystal chandelier, to the table that held a tall vase, and the double staircases, I couldn’t wait to see what the rest of the house looked like. Having been on her yacht, I already knew she had elegant taste.

“These are for you,” I said,
“but we’ll help you carry them to the kitchen.”

“Thank you. Y
ou shouldn’t have.” Her eyes beamed with happiness. “Max and Matthew are in the backyard. They don’t know you’re here. I wanted to say hello first.”

After we
set the dessert and the flowers on the counter, I was re-introduced to Carlos. He clearly remembered me from Valentine’s Day. His friendly greeting and smile indicated that he did. I didn’t know why I felt so embarrassed...maybe it was the fact that he knew Matthew and I had sex on the yacht.

“Y
ou can go out this way.” Ellen opened the door for us with a smile. Before we had a chance to take a step, a tall man appeared. At first I thought it was Max, but it was Mr. Knight. The resemblance was uncanny. With salt and pepper-colored hair, he was dashingly handsome. If this was how Max would look in his older years, Jenna was very lucky.

“Jenna.” Mr. Knight was excited to see her. After giving her a hug, he turned to me.
“And you must be Becca. It’s a pleasure to meet the first woman Matthew has brought home in a very long time.” Mr. Knight reached for me with uncertainty, but when I leaned toward him, he embraced me warmly.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Knight,” I said, still in his arms.

Mr. Knight released me with a grin. “The pleasure is all mine. Please, call me Rob.”

I smiled at that and turned when I saw a body from the corner of my eyes. Knowing it was Matthew, I
diverted my attention away from Rob.

“Becca.” Matthew planted a quick kiss on my lips.

Matthew kissing me in front of his dad made me feel embarrassed all of sudden. It wasn’t like he smothered me; it was just a peck. Perhaps it was the fact that his parents were a well-known couple...a couple I’d admired and read about in the newspaper.

“Good to see you, Becca,”
Matthew said, his eyes piercing mine, bringing me back to attention. I could see so much affection for me in those eyes. Sometimes I wondered if he was real. Did I really get lucky this time? Was this forever?

“Time to eat,” Ellen said, walking out of the kitchen back door with Carlos.

Matthew seized my hand and took me to the table where Jenna, Max, and Rob were already seated. Had Matthew and I been staring into each other’s eyes that long? Time seemed to stand still when he looked at me that way.

The backyard was bigger than I had imagined it to be. With a swimming pool, tennis court, basket
ball court, and a section for golf, this could be a mini vacation place, especially when the palm trees and the décor made you feel like you were on a tropical island.

Most of the dishes were
already displayed on the table. Carlos brought out the last one and headed back in. There was more than enough to feed the six of us. I was very grateful that they would go out of their way for Jenna and me, to make us feel welcomed.

“Please, help yourself and
eat plenty,” Ellen said, handing the plates to us.

Matthew took the
initiative and started scooping food on my plate. No guy had ever cared enough to put food on my plate before. This wasn’t the first time Matthew had done this, but every time he did made me feel even more blessed and special. Seeing Max doing the same thing for Jenna made me respect him as well. When I saw Rob doing the same for Ellen, I knew that Max and Matthew must have learned this simple but meaningful gesture of love from their dad.

“Thanks,” I said softly.

“Becca,” Rob started to say until Max interrupted.

“Dad,
” Max chuckled. “Becca’s real name is Becky. Matthew likes to call her Becca. I thought you should know.”

“Oh.
Sorry.” Rob leaned back into his chair, looking slightly embarrassed, then took a sip of his wine.

“That’s ok
ay,” I said quickly. I glanced at Matthew with a small laugh. “I’m getting used to it. I kind of like it.”

“Then, Becca it is.” Rob clapped
his hands happily with a smile and crossed his arms on the table. Leaning forward, he looked like he was dying to ask a question. “Your job seems very interesting.”

I stopped myself from placing
a piece of steak in my mouth. “I love my job. Though sometimes it can be stressful, much like any job, I get to read stories created by many talented potential authors.”

“Is there any particular genre you like to read?”

“Young adult paranormal romance,” Matthew blurted, then shoved a broccoli in his mouth. He had no idea everyone was gawking at him since his eyes were on his food. Till...it was so silent that he finally figured it out and looked up. “What?” He chuckled. “I don’t read that stuff. Becca told me about them.” He shrugged his shoulders and got back into his food.

After laughter was shared at the table, it
became quiet as we dug into our food.

“Jenna and I have good news to share with everyone,” Max said all of
a sudden. After he’d gotten all of our attention, he spoke again. “As you all knew, Jenna and I are engaged. We’ve decided to move up the wedding date.”

“That’s fantastic.” Ellen’s eyes sparkled. “When?”

Max held Jenna’s hand, kissed the back of it, and gave her one hell of a sexy wink. It was his way of letting her know everything was going to be fine. He was so sweet that way. Then he turned to his parents. “We didn’t plan this, but we’re happy about the news I’m about to tell you.”

“What is it
?” Rob asked impatiently. “Max, you’re killing us. Stop rambling.”

Ellen’s eyes were watery. Her hands covered her mouth as if to stop saying what she wanted to say. She definitely knew what was up. At this point, I was afraid for Jenna. When Jenna placed her head down, I knew she
’d seen Ellen’s reaction. I was nervous for her. Please let Ellen’s expression be a happy one. It was hard to tell.

“You’re going to be grandparents soon,” Max announced.

Silence.

Matthew squeezed my hand so
tightly, I thought he was going to break it. Or was I holding his hand tightly? He looked at me, letting me know everything was going to be okay.

Dead silence.

Ellen burst into tears. Rob stood up, looking baffled.

Oh shit! I
swore if they said anything negative, I would have lost all respect for them. My fear vanished when Ellen dashed toward Jenna and embraced her. “I’m going to be a grandmother!” Ellen squealed. Tears escaped her eyes, falling over her cheeks.

Jenna got out
of her chair, looking surprised and happy. With tears flowing down her face, she gave Ellen a proper hug.

“Congr
atulations, Max,” Rob said, with a hug. “Finally, we’ll have grandchildren before we get too old.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

After
the tears were wiped, everyone settled back down. Ellen looked at Matthew and me. “I’m going to assume we’re the last ones to know.”

I smiled and kept my mouth shut.

Matthew shrugged his shoulders. “I’m his brother and you’re our parents. You said parents before friends.”

“That’s right. No matter how old you are, we are your parents first, then friends.”
Ellen turned to Jenna. “My dear, soon to be mother of our grandchild, you have nothing to worry about. I understand your dilemma and what you must have been thinking. I assure you, we will embrace our grandchild with loving arms.” Ellen slipped her hands into Rob’s. “We were so busy as working parents that we missed too much of Max and Matthew’s childhood. It’s going to be different for our grandchildren. I promise.” Ellen started tearing again.

“Let’s toast,” Matthew said, raising his glass. “To Max and Jenna’s wedding and their child.”

With a clink of glasses, everyone took a sip.

“When’s the weddi
ng? We have to hurry and plan. Many vendors get booked up so fast. Sometimes you have to wait for a couple of years,” Ellen informed.

“Jenna and I
already discussed having a small wedding with our family and close friends. Becky is going to be her maid of honor and Matthew will be my best man. That is all,” Max said. “I’ve already spoken to Pastor Sam. He agreed to marry us. We would plan this wedding sooner, but one of Jenna’s closet friends is getting married in three weeks. We also need to get ready for the fashion show in Australia.”

“Ther
e’s so much to do,” Ellen said. “I can make some phone calls. We can...oh my...we can...can we? ” I could tell Ellen was running with thoughts in her mind from her smile and her sparkling eyes.

“Mom,” Max chuckled. “Slow down. I think I read your mind.
And yes, Jenna and I were thinking that it might be a wonderful idea to have the wedding at our favorite getaway. The Grand Del Mar in San Diego.”

“San Diego
, here we come.” Ellen nodded her head in delight and slipped her hand around Rob’s arm. When she snuggled closer to him, he kissed her forehead. It was the sweetest sight. “I’ll make some phone calls for you, Max.” She turned to Jenna. “Please, let me help you. With my connections, they will treat you like a queen and cater to your needs.”

“I can use all
of the help I can get,” Jenna said with a smile. “We don’t have much time.”

“Perfect.
I’ll make an appointment for your wedding dress. We need to contact the florist. Decide on the flavor of the cake. Oh, the invitations. We need to get those out. There’s so much to do. The list goes on. I’ll contact you as soon as I talk to the manager at Del Mar.”

I wasn’t sure how long the list would be, but it
had taken Nicole at least half a year to prepare everything for the wedding and the reception. With Ellen’s connections, I was sure Jenna was in good hands.