She slipped her hand into mine and squeezed. We pulled up in front of the Hub, and I looked over at her. “I would like to introduce you to my parents, Beth. Bentley and Maddox are in there as well. Nan and Pops, probably. If you don’t want to meet them today, I’ll take you back to my place and we can do it another time.” I took in a deep breath. “Or not, if that’s what you prefer.”
“You want me to meet your parents?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure about that, Ronan?”
I turned to her. “I know we have a lot of talking to do. I know I have to earn back your trust. I have a long road ahead of me before you forgive me. But I want to show you everything. Show you who I am.” I shook my head. “I am not ashamed of you. I’m not hiding you. I want you to be clear on that. I am so fucking proud of you—of everything you do. How you look after Evan. All the responsibilities you carry with such grace and fortitude. Your selfless nature. All of it.”
Her eyes widened, tears forming in the corners. “Really?” she whispered.
“Don’t,” I begged. “I hate that I hurt you. I hate knowing I made you cry. That I’m still making you cry.” I wiped at the moisture on her cheeks. “Please give me a chance.”
She sniffed and smiled. “These are good tears, Ronan.” She pulled a tissue from her pocket and dabbed her face. “Yes, I would love to meet your parents.” She glanced down. “I would have dressed up more, though. Maybe brought flowers or a cake if I’d known.”
“You look beautiful. And they would much rather meet you than have flowers,” I assured her. “It’s time.”
Chapter Twenty
Beth
Ronan hesitated as I got out of the cart. There was an odd look on his face, and I stopped. “We could leave,” I offered. “You can introduce me to them another day.” I sucked in a fast breath as a thought hit me. “Unless you’ve changed your mind,” I whispered.
“No. No, I want you to meet them. Even more important, I want them to meet you. It’s just now I’ll have to share you.”
I reached up and cupped his face, something in his expression telling me he needed my touch right now. “What if I’m not ready to share you yet? What if I want all your time when we’re together to be with me?”
My words sank in, and the worry eased from his face. He covered my hand with his, pressing it into his skin. The scruff on his face was back, and it rasped against my palm as he smiled. “Oh, yeah, little bird? You don’t want to share me either?”
“I share you at my house already.” I sighed. “Evan and Lucy want you all the time. Now, I’ll have to share you with your family. I suppose it’s only fair.”
“I have the condo. We can hide out there on occasion. Just us.” His smile was wide now, the tension eased from his shoulders. “You wanna hide away with me there sometimes? Have me at your mercy?”
I leaned up on my tiptoes and kissed him. “Yes.”
He wrapped me in his huge arms, elevating me off the ground in a tight hug. “Thank you.”
I laughed. He made me feel tiny and delicate the way he lifted me effortlessly. I liked being held in his arms, and I had missed it.
He set me down and held out his hands. “Let me introduce you to my parents.”
At the door, he looked down at me. “Take a deep breath. Brace yourself.”
“I’m ready.”
He grinned. “They’re not.”
* * *
Ronan was right—they weren’t prepared.
We walked into a large, sunlit, multi-level area. To one side was a living room, filled with sofas and chairs, well-worn and comfortable-looking. There was a massive dining area and open kitchen. A large table was set with coffee, mugs, and a platter of pastries. Four couples sat around it, and I recognized the men from the other day, and their wives from pictures I had seen online and that Ronan had shown me earlier in his house.
Bentley Ridge, the serious-looking man from the other day sat next to his wife, Emmy. Today, his face was wreathed in smiles, his posture relaxed. He had his arm draped across the shoulders of his pretty wife. Her honey-colored hair was shot with silver and her expression sweet. She wore a shawl wrapped around her frame and looked tiny tucked beside Bentley. Maddox Riley sat across from them, laughing, his silver hair gleaming in the sun. He was relaxed and casual, his long legs crossed at the ankles. His wife, Dee, sipped coffee, shaking her head at whatever had just been said, her smile wide. Her free hand rested on Maddox’s leg, and his large one covered it, holding it to him. The oldest couple had to be Sandy and Jordan, Ronan’s grandparents in the blended family. They were a lovely couple, sitting close, fingers entwined on the table. Sandy was scolding Ronan’s dad, who was laughing loudly. He was an older version of Ronan, as tall and wide, his muscles rippling as he gestured. His wife, Cami, had shoulder-length dark hair, stylishly woven with gray and purple highlights. When she glanced over and saw us, she laid a hand on her husband’s arm, her eyes going wide.