I’d called in a favor from a judge who I’d helped out of a jam, and after getting our paperwork squared away, I led Eva down to his chambers. He called for us to enter after one knock and when we walked inside, he stood and gave us a friendly smile. When he greeted Eva, his hands and eyes didn’t linger, which made me like the guy even more. I wouldn’t have brought my fiancée to him if I didn’t know he was happily married and loved to boast about his children and grandchildren.
I shook his hand and thanked him for doing this on short notice, but before I could say more, there was a knock on the door. Eva gasped when it opened, and her mother walked inside, followed by her father and my parents.
Blair rushed over to Eva, and I had to fight the urge to drag her into my arms to make sure no one tried to take her away. I focused my energy on my dad instead, who held up his hands and stepped back. “It was Kendra, I swear.”
My mom stomped up to me and went up to the very tip of her toes to smack the side of my head. “Ouch,” I grumbled, rubbing the sting away.
“You deserve a whole lot more, Tucker Carrington,” she snapped. “Not inviting me to your wedding? Why wouldn’t you want me here?” Her eyes filled with tears, and I suddenly felt two inches tall. Shit. I hated it when my mom cried. I looked at my dad for help, but he just glared at me, silently ordering me to fix it.
I wrapped my mom up in a bear hug and kissed her cheek. “Of course, I wanted you here, Mom. I was just…we were in a hurry and—”
Eva scoffed, and I threw her a pleading glance, mouthing that I loved her. After a minute, she sighed and saved my ass. “I’m sorry. Mom, Penny, I swear we didn’t do this to shut you out.” Eva’s eyes met mine, and she gave me a tiny smirk, her eyes dancing with wicked mirth. I had a feeling I’d been wrong; Eva wasn’t saving me, she was throwing me to the wolves…without getting me arrested for kidnapping. “I’m pregnant, and we didn’t want to have the baby out of wedlock.”
Son of a bitch. She’d handed my ass over to her dad on a silver platter. I didn’t know what it said about me that it made her even sexier. Her intelligence and strength were as hot as her delectable body. She winked at me, clearly following the path of my thoughts and wiggled her ass a little more than necessary when she turned around and walked over to a small sitting area and took a seat. She had definitely earned herself a thorough spanking when we got home.
“You’re what?” Blair gasped at the same time that Justice shouted, “What the fuck?”
My dad groaned and dropped into the nearest chair, shaking his head, mumbling something about me being too much like my old man. If I hadn’t been so angry and frustrated by the whole situation, I might have laughed because it was true. I didn’t see that as a bad thing, however.
Unlike everyone else, my mom was ecstatic, and she clapped while bouncing on the balls of her feet excitedly. “A baby!”
The cacophony of sound was giving me a headache, and I was about out of patience in regard to my wedding.
“Quiet!” I shouted. Then I addressed all the parents as a group. “First of all, Eva and I are adults. We don’t have to ask permission to get married or have a baby, or anything else we decide to do as a couple. We are getting married. This isn’t up for discussion.” I held up my hand when Justice started to speak and was a little astonished when he backed off for the moment. “That being said, we love and respect you all, and I know I speak for Eva when I tell you that we are truly sorry for not telling you about this and are very happy that you’re here now.”
Eva stood and ran over to throw herself into my arms, almost bowling me over. “I love you,” she exclaimed as she hugged me tight. Everyone but her faded away, and I bent low to brush my lips over hers.
“I love you too, Eva-bear. How’s about we get hitched?”
She laughed and kissed me a little harder before stepping back and lifting her chin stubbornly. Then she pivoted on her heel to face her parents. “I love Tucker. We’re getting married. I’m so happy you’re here, but if you have a problem with it, now’s the time to leave.”
Justice grumbled, but I spotted the pride in his eyes as he gazed at his daughter. Blair started crying, but she had a big smile on her face. “Oh, honey,” she sniffled. “You’re all grown up. And now my baby is having a baby…”