Eyes Wide Open (The Blackstone Affair #3)(44)
Author: Raine Miller

I got the urge to smile when she said raspberry, my eyes flashing to meet Brynne’s. She gave me a smiley wink and followed Marie into the kitchen.

“What’s with the brush-off, Dad? Are we interrupting your evening or something? You could have said tonight wasn’t good, you know.”

Dad set his jaw and raised both brows, letting me know who was leading this little exchange. Amazing how a parent has that power. Taking me right back in time to my teenage years and squirming in the hot seat for some cock-up mess I’d gotten myself into.

“Actually, you are interrupting my evening, but that is neither here nor there. I’m always happy to see my son. No, I’m more incredulous that I’ve had to wait for the call from you, Ethan.” He speared me with searching eyes.

“Can we stop speaking in code here? You’re obviously bent about something.”

“Oh, yes, something,” he said curtly.

“What do you mean by that?” My voice cracked. Fuck! I was in trouble now. Dad knew? How?

“I think you know, son. In fact, I know you know.”

“You do?” Yeah, voice still cracking like an opera singer onstage. “How is that possible?”

He actually softened his expression a small bit. “It seems that a great deal of things are possible, son. Imagine my surprise to call up to Hannah’s and have my granddaughter tell me gleefully that Uncle Ethan and Auntie Brynne are preggers.”

Oh boy! I immediately went for my beard and dragged a hand over it. “So the little monster told you, huh?”

“Indeed.” Dad still kept up the harsh expression. “Zara had quite a bit to say about it.”

I held my hands up in surrender. “What do you want me to say, Dad? We got caught, all right? It wasn’t intentional, and I can attest we were as surprised about it as everyone else was!”

He folded his arms over his chest, seemingly unaffected by catching me off guard. “When is the wedding?”

I looked down at the floor, suddenly feeling ashamed I had no answer for him. “I’m working on it,” I mumbled.

“Please tell me you’re getting married right away.” Dad’s voice was getting louder. “You cannot wait until after the baby is born like some of these celebrities do!”

“Would you lower your voice?” I demanded. “Brynne is . . . well, she’s wary of commitment. It’s scary for her . . . because of her past.”

Dad flashed me a glare that told me pretty much what he thought of my explanation. “Too late for that, son. He snorted. “You’re already as committed as it gets. Having your child born without benefit of a legal marriage will be even scarier, I can assure you it will be. For you and for Brynne.” He shook his head at me. “Forget about the past, you need to think about the future.” He zeroed in on me like a dog after a steak. “Have you even proposed to her? I don’t see any ring on her finger.”

“I said I was working on it,” I snapped. And I really f**king am, Dad!

“Time won’t stand still, Ethan.”

“Really, Dad? Thanks for that bit of advice.” My sarcasm would have earned me a cuff along the jaw in my younger years. Now I just got narrowed eyes and another blast of frigid. An idea came to me that he might have shared our news already. “Does Marie know too?” I asked haughtily.

“She does not.” Dad gave me another hostile look with eye-roll added in before heading back to Brynne and Marie in the kitchen.

I stared at his retreating back in irritation, deciding some distance for now would be best. No sense in having a family row and upsetting everyone. Better just for me to suffer. I planted my arse on the sofa instead and wished for a cigarette. Or a whole pack.

Funny how the parents all reacted so differently to our news. Tom Bennett was happy for us, after he got over his initial shock, I think. He never demanded a wedding date, but simply wanted to see that we were happy and that I loved his daughter and was committed to taking care of her and our child. He’d even suggested plans to come over for a visit toward the end of fall, which thrilled Brynne.

Brynne’s mum didn’t ask about a wedding date either. Mrs. Exley was a different story, true, but then she didn’t like me, and I am sure she didn’t like the fact she was going to be a granny either. Too f**king bad for her then. A whole lot of cold silence had met us on the other end of the line when we rang her to share. Brynne hadn’t wanted to tell her mum on Skype as we had done with her dad, and I now understood why. Mum must’ve given off some evil looks when she heard our news and my sweet girl certainly didn’t need to see them. It had been bad enough trying to comfort her after putting down the phone. Yeah, the lines had been drawn in the sand and my opinion set. Brynne’s mum was a judgmental cow who clearly cared about her social position more than she cared about her daughter. Hopefully our dealings would be minimal.

So, yeah, my dad’s insta-hostility over our lack of a wedding date rather took me by surprise. Especially when two ounces of patience would put an end to his rabid concerns.

Within moments, Soot found my lap and made himself comfortable. He stared up at me with clear green eyes as I stroked his sleek shiny coat, wondering how the nice evening had evolved into getting my King Dickhead crown handed to me on a velvet cushion.

“I have a plan,” I said to the cat. “I do. I just haven’t shared with anyone yet.”

Soot blinked his clear green eyes at me in total understanding, and purred.

 Ethan pulled my chair out from the dinner table and helped me up. “I want to show Brynne the garden,” he announced.

“But shouldn’t we help clear away dinner?” I asked.

“No, please, my dear, let Ethan show you his mother’s lovely garden. I want you to see it.” Jonathan’s tone was final on this matter. I didn’t even contemplate arguing.

I looked up at Ethan and took his offered hand in mine. “Well, okay, if you don’t mind. The salmon and béarnaise was really nice. I’m impressed with your cooking skills, Jonathan.” I winked at Marie. “I knew about my aunt being a kitchen witch, but you surprise me.”

Jonathan shrugged. “I had to learn.” I instantly felt bad for reminding everyone of the loss of Ethan’s mom. A young boy had lost his mother, but Jonathan had lost his wife and soul mate. It was such a sad thing, but Jonathan had been prepared with years of practice in dealing with awkward moments like these, and he glided through this one like it was nothing. “Marie and I were quite a duo tonight, though. I did the fish and rice, she did the salad and dessert.” Jonathan flashed my smiling aunt a dashing wink. I wondered if they were . . . dating; a weird thought to think of them together romantically, but one that made me happy if it were true. Maybe they were just friends, but they sure did look cute together. I wondered what Ethan thought about seeing his dad with a woman.