AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Talia turned slowly and took in the clearly thrilled woman. She was pretty and petite, but Talia saw the determination in her eyes, and didn’t mistake Fleet’s mother for a pushover.
“Hi Mrs. Eggers. Mr. Eggers,” she said shyly. And damn. How uncharacteristic was it for her to feel nervous? Of course, she’d never had to meet a boyfriend’s parents before, because…she’d never had what she considered a boyfriend. Hook-ups,yes. Significant others,no.
“Talia, I presume,” Mr. Eggers was the first to step forward and offer his hand, but before Talia could take it, Fleet huffed loudly.
“Geeze. Give me a break. Let me do the honors, will you? I feel like you’re all treating me like I’m incapable of anything but self-centricity right now, just because I’ve been under the knife, but you couldn’t be more wrong.I’dlike to make these introductions.”
They all turned sheepish looks to Fleet, and with a raise of her brows, Talia urged him to take over.
He cleared his throat.
“Mom, Dad, I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Talia Spires. Talia, this is Lodine and Jim Eggers.”
Talia got up and took the hand that Jim Eggers still had extended, getting a warm feeling when they connected that he didn’t disapprove of her at all. When she went to give the same gesture to Lodine, the woman avoided Talia’s outstretched digits and went directly for a hug.
“It’s so nice to meet you in person.” She wrapped Talia in an enthusiastic embrace that Talia returned while Lodine’s voice dropped to a whisper in her ear. “Since Fleet hasn’t introduced us to anyone of interest since high school, this is me, officially welcoming you into the family.”
Talia spluttered. “Thank you?”
Unaccustomed color moved up into her face. Talia wasn’t one for blushing, but something about this whole heart-warming situation was bringing out her girlie side.
“Mom, are you embarrassing Talia?” Fleet sounded amused.
“Not in the least,” his mother said, backing off and sending a wagging finger toward her son. “I’m just making sure she knows we already love her.”
Talia caught Fleet’s eye, and his gaze turned possessive. She guessed he liked his mother’s declaration, regardless that it had contained the word “love”. Not to say that Talia was averse to the term, herself. Since Fleet had been in the hospital, the word had been flitting around the edges of her brain. But she wouldn’t use it now. When she finally let Fleet know exactly how she felt about him, they’d be alone…and preferably in bed.
There was a slight moment of discomfort before…
“Did you get the good news, son?” Mr. Eggers spun the conversation off the “relationship ledge”.
“What good news?” both Talia and Fleet asked together, both clearly appreciating his intervention.
“After you fell asleep this afternoon, the surgeon came in and gave the okay for your release tomorrow.”
“No way,” Fleet answered excitedly, then turned to Talia. “Did you know?”
“Nope. I didn’t have a clue. I worked all day, remember?” She snorted. “But I’ll kill Kyle for not texting me with the update.”
“Oh. No need for that,” Mrs. Eggers assured her. “He’d already gone off duty by the time we got word. It was the other handsome Sothard brother watching Fleet’s door by then.”
“Spence?” Talia questioned.
“That’s right. Spencer.” The approving look on Lodine’s face showed that she was smitten with all the Sothard’s she’d met so far. “He said he’d let it be a surprise.”
Talia knew Spence’s gentle nature, and wasn’t taken aback at all that his soft heart thought the revelation of Fleet’s release should come while she and Fleet were together. Kyle, on the other hand? He would have made a massive guessing game out of it, and relished in any frustration he could cause her. Talia was just the littlest bit disappointed she wouldn’t be kicking his ass.
“That’s great,” Talia finally announced. “I’ve got some of my team on standby to go get all Fleet’s stuff he’ll need from his apartment.” She grabbed Fleet’s hand. “Just tell me what—”
“I hope I didn’t overstep, Talia,” Fleet’s mother cut in. “But once I heard the good news, Jim and I went back to Fleet’s apartment and I put together all the clothes and toiletries I thought he’d need…as well as his laptop.” She turned to her son. “I’m surprised it hasn’t been attached to you here in the hospital. I can’t remember a time when I’ve seen you without it.”
Fleet chuckled. “That’s because the doctor forbid me to use it until I was released.” He played it off as if it were nothing. But he couldn’t fool Talia. She could see the anticipation in his eyes that he’d soon be able to get his hands back onto some work.
“I hate to burst your bubble,” Talia told Fleet. “But I’ve chatted with your surgeon, and you’ll be limited to no more than an hour a day at the computer until she sees you again, and that screen-time will be divided into twenty-minute increments.”
“That sucks,” he grumbled, and…right. She could already tell he was planning a way to get around the order.
Talia bit back a snicker. Wait until she told him she’d asked the straight-laced surgeon about sex. And not just fucking.Nope. Once she’d been more or less shot down on that, she’d inquired if it would cause too much havoc on Fleet’s blood vessels if she gave him some oral attention.
