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He flipped his hair over his shoulders in dramatic fashion. “Psh, blackmail? I look fabulous bows and all.”
This is how holidays should be; good times with family. If only the nerves in the pit of my stomach would go away. They only intensified when Malcolm would get close to me, or hell, even look in my direction. I picked up my wine glass and took a sip. I could get through this.
Dinner ready. Mom and Momma D helped me get the dining room all set for its inaugural use. I looked around the table. A sense of happy bliss filled me seeing it packed with all of his family. It’d been awhile since all his siblings were together. It was crazy and noisy, but everyone was laughing and having a great time. I knew Mom and Dad wouldn’t miss out, but Dorian’s acceptance of the invitation shocked me. Her pleasant behavior was even more shocking. She and Macy were even managing to be civil to each other. That was something to truly be thankful for.
Malcolm reached over and took ahold of my hand. “You okay?”
I nodded and gave a weak smile. The look he gave told me he wasn’t sure if he believed me or not. Damn nerves. I’d thought this through. It had been all I could think about for the last few days, but now I felt sick to my stomach. I took a deep breath before finishing off the wine in my glass.
“What’s going on with you? You’ve been acting kind of off all day.”
Macy looked over at us when she heard his comment. “I’m sure trying to organize all this wasn’t easy, and I don’t recall you doing anything other than sneaking tastes.”
Malcolm flipped her the bird. Momma D looked over, frowning at both of them. They both pointed to each other, trying to put the blame on the other one. They’d never change, not that I wanted them to.
Malcolm and Macy gave me a strange look when I pushed my chair back and stood. My stomach did flips. I hated being center of attention.
“Excuse me. I just need a moment.”
The chatter died down, and all eyes were on me. Shit this was a bad idea.
“I, um, I wanted to say thank you for coming. It really means a lot that you guys are all here to share the first holiday with us in the new house.” I played with the ring on my finger, taking it on and off. Twirling it around. I could do this. “With you all here, this seems like as good a time as any to let you all know that Malcolm and I are getting married.” I transferred the ring from my right hand to the left, before stealing a nervous glance at Malcolm.
A flurry of questions and congrats rang out. Malcolm and I continued to stare at each other. I gave a shrug. He laughed.
“I can’t believe you kept this secret from me. When did he ask you?” Macy asked.
He continued to look at me as he answered Macy’s question. “I didn’t.”
The excited talks turned to confused murmurs.
“I don’t understand. What’s happening?” This time it was Mom who spoke.
Malcolm stood, reaching out for my left hand. His thumb ran across the ring he’d given me months ago. Everyone else faded away. Their questions went unanswered. In that moment, there was only us.
“Are you serious right now?”
I nodded. “When a girl knows what she wants, she goes for it.”
“This is so sudden. I...man, am I ready for this step?”
I frowned, suddenly worried I’d just made a huge fool of myself. That was until a huge smile spread across his face. He slipped his arm around my waist, pulling me to him. His lips covered mine, and I was lost in him until I heard a long drawn-out “ew” from one of his nieces. Everyone started laughing, and claps rang out.
“So, that’s a yes then?”
“Hell yeah. Are we hopping a plane to Ve
gas later?”
“Hell no, you’re not,” Macy answered for me.
“I think we’d have to go into witness protection if we tried.”
“Sounds like it,” he agreed.
Everyone got up to give us hugs and congratulations. Dorian stood and came over to me. She stood there for a moment and I hoped she wouldn’t ruin this. To my surprise, she hugged me.
“I’m happy for you. You deserve this.”
