Undeniably His(96)

My dad shakes his head and exchanges glances with my mom. He winds his arm around her as they stroll toward the house. “Don’t get any ideas, sweetheart. I’m not going back to work.”

“Doing what? Robbing the New York Bank and Trust?” she teases. I steady my eyes on them as we walk toward the house, enjoying their playful banter that I have grown accustomed to over the years.

Kalin steps onto the entryway and is looking dashing in a gray cotton sport shirt and navy blue Italian sport jacket.

I step ahead of them and introduce them to Kalin. “Kalin, these are my parents. This is my mom, Emma. She’s a schoolteacher.”

Kalin shakes her outstretched hand.

“What a pleasure it is to meet you. I can see where Annabelle gets her striking beauty.”

“Oh, well, thank you Mr. Davis.” My mom turns to me and smiles.

I blush at his words. Striking beauty. It’s true. My mom was stunning and still is, with a wealth of auburn hair and ocean-blue eyes in an oval, angelic face. I am told I look just like her, which I always considered a great compliment.

“This is my dad, Michael.”

“It’s a pleasure, Mr. Davis.” My dad shakes his extended hand.

My dad is a rugged Texan, born and raised. His dark hair is thinner and streaked with gray now, but he still has his ruggedly handsome face. I smile at both of them. Our parents are still together, and would do anything for us. Kalin and I have that in common. Maybe love is real after all, and the hopeless romantics were right all along. I smile at Kalin at the thought, and he tilts his head and gazes at me in a curious expression.

“Lia, I’m so glad you could make it. You look lovely as usual.”

“Hi, Kalin. It’s nice to see you healthy and back home.” Lia gives him a hug and I take a breath of gratitude, seeing everyone together.

“You don’t work on that car yourself, do you Lia?” Kalin lifts his chin in an amused and curious expression.

“No, I have to keep my hands clean for when I cook. Annabelle is very particular now, thanks to you,” she says, squinting at Kalin while nudging my shoulder with hers.

“She’s right. She saved me from famine many times,” I confess.

“There will be no starving on my watch. Please come inside,” Kalin says with an outstretched hand. “If you haven’t eaten, we have a breakfast bar and coffee. Or tea if you prefer.”

Lia steps ahead of me, and Kalin turns me toward him and plants a soft and gentle kiss on my mouth.

“At least you didn’t tell them to take a hike,” I whisper.

“I’ll clear the whole house out if I have to,” he whispers hot against my ear. I swallow. I know he’s playing with me, but the thought causes warmth to rush through me just the same.

Kalin turns to my parents. “Mr. and Mrs. Ried, my parents are still in town and wanted to meet you too. They’re out and about right now exploring the scenery. They are also staying here. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” my mom insists. “This is a special occasion. We’re just glad to be here.” Her smile is thoughtful.

“There are eight bedrooms, each with a private bathroom, so there is plenty of room,” Kalin reassures us.

“Oh, my. Eight bedrooms,” my mom says, as if thinking out loud.

Kalin leads us into the sunroom, which is already prepared with an assortment of fruits, coffee, pastries, scrambled eggs, and tea. My dad fixes my mom a cup of tea before grabbing some food and coffee. Lia and I cheerfully prepare a plateful of fruit and set it on the coffee table. After making some more coffee, we indulge in pain au chocolat rolls still hot from the oven.

Kalin smiles at me from across the room, and it suddenly dawns on me that we have all invited ourselves over to his beautiful Hampton hideaway. The people that I love most in the world are right here in this room, and Kalin has generously opened his home up to us for no other reason than he knows how much they mean to me. The events of the past week have tested all of us in our own way, and have taken us all by surprise before we barely even had a chance to celebrate Kalin’s recovery. I’m reminded of the very fine line that brought us here together alive and well and happy.

Peter and Lauren arrive from their morning walk, and Kalin introduces them to my parents. Lauren insists on taking them on a morning walk after breakfast to show them the gardens, scenery, and beach. My parents oblige, and I sit back, content that they will have a chance to get to know each other.

My dad takes a deep breath and draws attention to the elephant in the room. “So is this where everything happened last week?”

Kalin chews through a bite of croissant and takes a sip of coffee. “It was actually out by the bay on the dock, Mr. Ried. We had just gotten back from a cruise celebrating our breakthrough in the evidence. We were sure arrest warrants were about to be issued. Apparently our visitors felt the same way,” he grumbles.