Page 71 of When You Became Mine

I shook my head, clearing it of the ridiculous thought just as my mom clapped her hands under her chin and declared, “Thank God. Otherwise that arranged marriage would have been kind of a downer, huh, honey?”

I’d been taking a swallow of my water when she’d managed to shock me enough to cause me to choke, the liquid shooting out of my nose. Sputtering still, I squeaked, “Arranged marriage?”

Mrs. Reed laughed. “She’s kidding.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “I knew that,” I mumbled, my cheeks heating at how dumb I was being.

I looked around the room and asked, “You guys are all okay with this?” I gestured at Lawson’s hand on my leg.

“You two are grown,” my mom spoke up, a rare occurrence, and my head snapped to where she was seated next to Mr. Reed. “You’re free to date whoever you want. I do appreciate the fact Lawson’s a good man, though.” She pinned Lawson with a stare. “You are a good man, right?”

I saw Lawson’s throat bob as he swallowed and then he gave a jerk of his chin. “Yes, ma’am.”

My mom shrugged. “I’m okay with it.” She looked at Mrs. Reed. “You okay with it, Peg?”

Walter Reed spoke up, “Hell, I would have been okay with it ten years ago. Would’ve saved me a lot of listening to Peg worry about how her baby boy was never going to find a wife.”

Mrs. Reed huffed. “Oh, you just hush, Walt.” She turned back to where we sat and grinned. “I didn’t worry nearly as much as he says.”

“So, this isn’t…weird to you?” I asked again.

My mother pushed out of the chair she was seated in and came over to the couch, wedging herself in between Georgia and me. She put her arm around my shoulders and pulled me in close to her side. “You happy?” she murmured.

I nodded.

“Lawson treat you well?” she asked quietly.

I nodded again.

“You treat Lawson well?”

I shook my head.

Mom laughed and gave my shoulder a squeeze. “Then it’s not weird at all.”

I pressed my lips to her cheek and she moved back to her chair. When I leaned into Lawson’s side he put his lips to my ear. “Told you.”

I jabbed him with my elbow and grumbled. “You don’t have to always rub in that you’re right and I’m wrong, you know.”

My mom began talking to the Reeds about another family in town and just as quickly as the issue of Lawson and I appeared, it was gone and the evening was back to normal. Only, not nearly as uncomfortable as it had been just minutes earlier.

I hadn’t realized how badly I needed my family’s approval, but now that I had it, I felt like there was nothing that could stop Lawson and me.

Our relationship was new, but it felt right. And for the first time in a long time, I was truly happy.

30

Lawson

I shifted the candlesticks to the right an inch before stepping back and studying the table. I shook my head and moved the plates again, noticing they almost slipped through my hands as I set them back down.

“Get a grip,” I growled at myself, turning away from the table, and wiped my sweaty palms down the thigh of my jeans.

I was acting like a teenager.

I’d picked up Piper’s favorite food and wine, gone by the bakery and gotten a tray of the brownie cookies she always raved about, and had set the table with actual dinnerware instead of our usual paper plates and plastic forks.

I’d loved Piper my entire life.

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