“Nothing. Just routine checkup. Don’t you worry.”
“Okay. You call me when you feel better, okay?”
“Absolutely.”
She hung up the phone and carefully looked at Marc again from underneath her lashes. This strong powerful man was her future. Adam and all of his bullshit was her past.
Marc disconnected his call, smiling at her. “Finished?”
“Yeah.”
“Who was it?” He looked curious.
“Becca, my friend.” Kelly studied his face. “Why do you ask? I didn’t ask who you called.”
A smirk. “I just want to make sure I don’t have competition. You’re mine, don’t you forget that.”
Kelly rolled her eyes. She felt annoyed by his possessiveness, but at the same time, his lavish attention was kind of cute. Her ex had never made her feel wanted. It was nice to know that she was still desirable.
Marc opened the limo door for her. They were back on the road.
They arrived at Marc’s gargantuan house a few minutes later. He pulled her gently out of the limo and looked down at her. “Are you ready for this?” he asked. “I’ve kept it small this time so we don’t overwhelm you, just my closest friends and family. I know they can be a bit much at first. But rest assured that everyone here already loves you.”
Kelly didn’t know how that was possible since no one had even met her yet, but she knew this was a necessary evil. If she was going to be with Marc, she had to meet his family and the rest of his clan. She allowed him to escort her inside even as she felt the old feelings of insecurity surfaced again inside of her. But with Marc by her side, she coped, and it didn’t take long before she started to enjoy herself.
She met Marc’s half-brother, Reid, and his cousins, Alex and Juan. His father, Martin, was a larger-than-life personality who had her laughing so hard her sides hurt. Marc was a gracious host, and over dinner, he told them all funny, yet touching, anecdotes about her that she didn’t even remember telling him. He made her sound vibrant and exciting.
Her cheeks hurt from smiling so much. At dinner, she found herself sitting next to Reid. It didn’t take a genius to recognize the warm, open, affection and admiration between the two men.
“So when do you think the two of you will tie the knot?” Reid asked her.
“I hadn’t really thought about it,” she said. “All of this has been a whirlwind to me.”
“Marc has that effect on people.” The handsome man chuckled. “And lucky you, you’re not susceptible to that whole persuasion thing of his. It can be a bit annoying for us. Last week he was pissed at me for something stupid, he made me eat a basket of onions. He charmed me into thinking it was apples. I had terrible heartb
urn for days, I thought I was gonna die. The bastard. I should slip some laxative into his coffee or something as payback.” Another side of Marc she didn’t know. “Marc’s a prankster?”
“We all are. We’ve pranked one another since we were kids. Old habit, I guess.”
She looked back at Marc and saw him wink at her. “So what’s your superpower, Reid?” she asked. “Or is it a secret?”
“I’m really fast,” he said with a note of pride in his voice.
“What do you mean, fast?”
“You know the Flash?”
“Is that some kind of comic book superhero?”
“Yeah, I can run as fast as him. But I’m much cooler, I should say. I don’t run around wearing spandex.”
That got her to smile. “They said superheroes’ power is in their costumes. Otherwise, why would Superman run around with underwear outside his pants?”
Reid barked a laugh. “So true. And don’t get me started with Wonder Woman.”
“The new remake movie or the original with Lynda Carter?”
“Lynda Carter starred on season two. Cathy Lee Crosby was in the pilot season. I loved Lynda Carter. I had such a crush with her when I was growing up.”