My Future Husband

Chapter 23

We finish making food, everyone sitting around the table to eat. Kage just keeps smiling at me, stroking my back, making sure I’m comfortable. It’s really... sweet.

I think he loves being with his family as much as I love being with mine. He hasn’t said it, but he’s really missed them while he’s been in Westbrooke.

Valerie is gentle, naturally nurturing, but I also get the impression she’s not a woman to mess with. Every time Letitia goes to open her mouth, her mother shoot her a look that makes her slam it shut again.

“Oh my fucking God.” I don’t mean to swear at her dinner table, but this is the best mac and cheese I’ve had in my entire life! “What did you put in this?” I can usually taste everything in a meal, know exactly what went into it, but there’s something here I just can’t put my finger on.

This. This is what I’ve been searching for!

“Family secret.” She grins, pouring a second helping into my bowl.

I will give her ten more cute blue-eyed grandchildren if she will just give me this damn recipe!

“Been a while since you ate something that didn’t come from an a la carte menu?”

“Jesus Christ, Laticia! Will you shut the fuck up? Enough of these little fucking digs. I told you that just because she has rich fucking brothers, doesn't mean that she’s not a regular fucking person. She grew up the same way we did, on the same fucking streets. Enough of your crap.” Kage isn’t the type of person to lose it on his sisters easily, and she doesn’t like it, but his hand slipping under the table to squeeze my thigh, that just pisses her off.

“Are we seriously just going to pretend that she didn't do anything? Just sit around and eat food with the same girl that’s hidden that little boy for over a year!” She slams her plate across the table, fists hitting the wood as her chair falls back. “I’m sorry, he may buy this whole ‘I didn’t have a choice’ bullshit, but I fucking don’t! Even if you did think he was dead, you should’ve found us, you knew we were here. That little boy has missed out on half his fucking family because you were so fucking selfish!”

“Laticia!” Valerie jumps to her feet. “We all know your opinion, you haven’t exactly been quiet about it, but it has nothing to do with you. That boy is Kage’s, not yours, you don't get a say in this! If Kage is okay with this, then you have to be too.” I don’t want to cause any issues between the family, the mother and daughter staring through each other, but something Valerie said hits Laticia hard.

“Yeah, your right, he isn’t ever going to be my kid. I don’t have any, why should anyone give a fuck about my opinion?!” She sends me one final ‘I’ll see you in hell’ glare, and storms right out of the house.

“Fuck, Mum... you shouldn't have said it like that.” Alicia passes her son to her brother, getting up and chasing after her.

“I didn’t mean... Oh no.” I don’t know what’s going on, Valerie dropping back into his seat and holding her head in her hands. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

“Look, I don’t want to cause any issues. Do you want me to go? I can get Brie to come here and pick me up.”

“No, it's not you.” Kage hands over Dimitri to Valerie. The boy is definitely a little shit, I've been watching him shove handfuls of mac and cheese inside his mum’s pockets without her noticing, but he still hugs his nan with everything he has, as Kage tilts his head for me to follow him upstairs.

“What happened?”

“Mum didn’t think.” He slams the door behind him. “Letitia... she’s got a thing when it comes to kids. She’s always loved them, always wanted them, and she’s the only one out of all of us that can’t have them.” Oh crap.