Page 82 of Come A Little Closer

“I am surprised. I’ve never come home to a smoky kitchen before.” He grinned, sliding out of his jacket and slinging it over the back of a stool. “Do you only feel like pies, or should we check out what options we have?”

“I’m not even hungry anymore,” I said, walking back up to him and sliding my arms around his waist, tipping my head up to look into his eyes. “Take me to bed, Mr. Morrison. At least I don’t feel useless there.”

He laughed when I smirked up at him, dropping a quick kiss on the tip of my nose. “I guess it’s a good thing I’m not marrying you for your chef skills.”

I scoffed down more laughter. “What chef skills? You’re making it sound like I have some, which obviously, I don’t. I’m going to learn, though. You can’t do all the cooking in the house.”

Lowering his mouth to mine, he spoke against my lips as his hands traveled to my hips. “Why not? I do like the way you show your gratitude.”

He was just leaning in to kiss me again when my phone rang, clattering as it vibrated on the counter. I moaned in protest but reached for the device anyway, taking the call blindly as my gaze remained fixed on his.

“Tallulah speaking,” I said, hoping that whatever it was about, it would be quick.

Then I heard the voice at the other end of the line and I seriously considered hanging up. “Tallulah? It’s Mom. We need to talk.”

My stomach plummeted, shattering as it hit the floor. Niall frowned at the look on my face, his eyes on mine as he moved backward to sit down and brought me with him. Holding my free hand, he spread his legs and pulled me closer to stand between them as I pulled the phone away from my ear and hit speaker.

“Hello, Mother,” I said, my voice dull. “What could we possibly need to talk about?”

“I heard about your supposed engagement through Anita. You remember Anita from church? She saw an article about it on a news site out of New Orleans. Her son lives there. They keep in touch.”

“Okay,” I said slowly. “What about it?”

“It’s ridiculous,” she said, her tone clipped. “What are you thinking, getting engaged to another man? Let alone a man like that. He has a reputation, you know. He’s a womanizer and a trust fund baby. He’s not serious about you.”

I looked into his eyes. “I haven’t spoken to you in years and this is how you start the conversation?”

“Well, of course. I’m concerned about you. Is that how all that debt of yours got paid off? Are you whoring yourself out to this man? It’s despicable, Tallulah.”

“It wasn’t my debt. It was Carter’s, but you already knew that. Why did you call me, Mother? You’re not concerned about me. You haven’t cared about me at all for at least two and a half years, so what’s this really about?”

“Don’t be childish,” she snapped. “You’re my only child. Of course, I care about you. We were simply letting you have your little tantrum, but it’s time to come home now.”

Niall’s eyebrows shot up, but I shook my head at him. I had this. I knew he wanted to intervene and protect me, but his support was all I needed right now. “It’s not a tantrum and I am home. I’m engaged to be married to a man I love who accepts me for who I am. That’s really all you need to know about him.”

“Stop this insolence,” she seethed. “If you come home, to your real home, right now, fixing things with Carter is still an option.”

“Did he put you up to this?” I asked.

She scoffed. “No, in fact, after he asked us to call you about the debt, he told us to just leave you alone. That’s why I’m calling now. First that, and now I hear you’re engaged. He’s going to move on, Tallulah. He’s already starting to.”

I sighed, tears starting to prick at the backs of my eyes as it finally dawned on me that my parents really were never going to change. All this time, I’d held out just the tiniest bit of hope that if I ever spoke to them again, they would actually care about how I was doing, but it was clear now that they didn’t.

All they cared about—still—was that I’d left Carter, contrary to their wishes, and that I hadn’t gone back to him. Gathering all the strength and courage I had, I drew in a deep breath through my nostrils and finally gave it to her straight.

“I would rather fuck myself with a sandpaper dildo than be with Carter again. Is that clear enough for you? He’s a garbage human being and so are you for pushing me to get back with that abusive prick. I have a wonderful man in my life and a job that I’m really good at. If you can’t accept that and if you still can’t accept or understand the choices I’ve made, there’s no point in talking any further. Don’t call me again.”

With that, I hung up the phone and Niall looked at me like I was a superhero. “I’m so proud of you for standing up for yourself. That woman really is terrible. But you handled yourself like a champ.”

Despite the tears in my eyes, I felt a surge of empowerment shooting through me. I suddenly felt stronger and better than I had before. It was like I finally had some sense of closure, and as much as it hurt, I was grateful for it.

“What would you say to a picnic at the plantation for dinner?” I asked, even managing a smile as I looked into his eyes. “We could pick up something to eat on the way, but I think it could be nice to have a romantic picnic on the lawn where I want to get married.”

His eyes widened and a slow grin spread his lips. “Really? You want to get married there?”

I looped my arms around his neck and nodded. “More than anything in the whole wide world. Next fall. What do you say?”

“I say yes. Of course, but next time you propose to me, put some feeling into it,” he joked as he held me tighter. “Say some pretty things. Maybe get me flowers.”