He glanced toward Eliza, who stood a few steps away.
“Eliza, babe, come here.”
She looked like she wanted to shake her head, telling him no. There was no way he was going to let her back out.
He thought he was going to have to order her, but she took the few tiny steps toward him, and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
“This is Eliza Drake, my fiancée.”
“Oh, my, you are gorgeous, just as I knew you would be. Let me see the ring,” Marsha said.
Trudy came rushing through after their brothers. “And me. Let me see. Let me see.”
They lifted Eliza’s bare hand. No engagement ring. It was in his pocket, where he’d kept it after picking the thing up.
“Oh, we had to make a stop, and Eliza is always freaking out about losing stuff. She is a bit of a klutz after all.” He reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out the box. “So, I offered to keep it.”
“In the very box that you bought it in? You just randomly have that lying around?” Trudy asked, arms folded.
Silence.
Shit.
They knew.
They knew he was lying to them all.
“I asked him to bring the box. Normally, he just puts it in his pocket or something like that. He told me that you guys like to have a lot of fun, and I was worried that I might lose it.”
They hadn’t tested it for fit. There was a chance their lies were going to blow right up in their faces.
She held her hand out, and he slowly slid the ring onto her finger. He was tempted to close his eyes while they went through this stage, not wanting to admit his fear of being caught out in the lie.
“Thank you, honey,” she said.
He took her hand when he saw it was a perfect fit. Pressing a kiss to her knuckles, he winked at her.
Eliza didn’t look impressed. She gave him a forced smile, and much to his surprise, he wanted her teasing, her happy. Pushing those feelings to one side, he held her hand as the introductions got underway.
His dad, Greg, pulled her in for a hug, as did Trudy. Each of his brothers got a turn, but when it came time to introduce their wives, his mother just wanted them to settle in.
“We’ve got time to do all the catching up later. I think we should just let them settle in, and you know, find their footing and all of that.” She clicked her fingers. “Let me show you to your room.”
He went to the trunk, where his dad helped to unload the bags.
As he leaned in, Eliza mouthed, “Room?”
He forced a smile to his lips. “Honey, why don’t you go with Mom? She will show you everything.”
Then he wouldn’t have to deal with her reaction immediately.
“Sure, yes, of course,” Eliza said.
Her back was ramrod straight, and as she went with his mother and Trudy, he was left alone with his dad. His brothers had already gone back inside with their wives.
“She’s not who I expected,” Greg said.
“Who were you expecting, Dad?”
“I don’t know. Someone I see in those pictures you keep. You know, the ones on the cover of magazines.”
“Ah, you mean a model?”
“Son, I’m not going to judge you, but she is your employee. Do you think that’s wise?” he asked.
He knew there was a chance that no matter who he brought with him his dad wouldn’t approve.
“Dad, you haven’t even met Eliza yet. Just … be around her, and you’ll see, she is incredible. I’m not taking advantage of her, and neither is she with me. This feeling between us is mutual, okay? She’s already feeling awkward about meeting you guys, especially knowing my reputation.” He took a deep breath. The lies fell from him so fast. He needed to put a check on himself.
They carried their cases through the house, and Preston didn’t need to be told where exactly they were. He went straight to his old bedroom.
This was his family’s home. It wasn’t like his apartment, though, with no memories, or artwork.
His parents were family people. They had memories on every single wall. Camping trips, special occasions. The odd picture that seemed to be taken just right. This was his family. His home.
Seeing all this, he didn’t feel swallowed by the legacy for the first time. This was his family.
“You don’t need to worry, sweetheart. I’m not too old to know what goes on between a newly engaged couple. There’s no need for a second bedroom. I’m so pleased to have you both under my roof.”
He entered the bedroom, and sure enough, Eliza stood there, fake smile and all.
“Honey,” she said.
“I told you not to worry about the second bedroom. My parents are forward-thinking and know that relationships have…” He couldn’t bring himself to say it.
“Sex?” Marsha asked.