Emma Starr despite being a little cautious around Scarlett still threw them a family dinner. He knew the woman had warmed up to his fiancée. His mother could appreciate how Scarlett could be selfless even though the situation between them wasn't ideal. She would never admit that to Scarlett but he could tell by the tone that had changed and the little smiles she flashed his fiancée.
Scarlett was no Kim, she was her own person and his mother started to appreciate it.
They sat at the table, drinking coffee while his mother served them a great apple pie. Vanilla ice cream at the side and topped with lots of caramel. It wasn't healthy but it was damn good. As he glanced at Scarlett he could tell that she appreciated it.
Scarlett met his gaze and smiled.
Noah and Kim sat across them while Lily and Olivia were seated in the living room with their grandfather, playing a board game. They finished their apple pie ages ago.
"Let me take a look at your ring." Kim smirked when he threw her a look, "Lucy was throwing a fit because of it. It needed to be perfect for his future wife." She grinned when Scarlett blushed but still showed off her ring, "It is perfect, isn't it?"
"It is." Scarlett agreed without hesitation even though she looked embarrassed to admit it.
His mother who was taking it all in finally decided to speak up, "You know the first thing you need to do is look for a dress. Your whole wedding will be based on the theme of the dress, at least if you want to make a cohesive thing out of it."
"We will look into it." He brushed her off.
Noah stepped in, "Let them enjoy this moment a little longer, mother. They just got engaged."
"You did keep your promise" Lily called from the living room, making them laugh.
"Are you listening in on our conversation?" Kim asked, amused by the girls who were trying to catch glimpses of their conversation. Clearly, it was more interesting than their board game.
"No!" Lily called back.
"Clearly you are." Noah shook his head at her, "I'm going to check on them. Make sure they don't drive dad mad." He kissed Kim's temple and left the dining table, heading to the living room which was now filled with exciting laughter by the girls.
"He's a good dad," Scarlett whispered.
Kim beamed at her, "That he is. Don't worry uncle Lucy is great with kids too."
That was a sore subject, both Scarlett and his mother fell quiet. Kim looked upset by mentioning it but they couldn't ignore it forever. In a few months, his baby would be here and he did plan on them to be part of this family.
They needed to get used to the idea.
"I mean the baby is going to live with Dawn, that's how she wants it."
"You could ask for custody." His mother threw in.
"I'm not going to do that, she's a good person, mom. Our baby will be happy living with her. I will do what I can."
"If she allows it," Emma whispered.
Scarlett who tensed up beside him sat straight in her chair. He knew the good mood would fade now. She was ready for a fight. His mother wouldn't back down easily. These two would probably always have moments like these simply because they were too similar.
"She will because Dawn does intend for Lucian to be part of their child's life. I don't doubt her for a bit. I mean, sure it's awkward between us right now but it will pass. I'm certain once we get to know each other and had plenty of sundaes we'll be able to fall into a normal routine."
He chuckled, knowing only he got the joke.
The sundae was pretty good, but it couldn't compare to the apple pie they just had.
"You know instead of diving into wedding dress shopping, you might offer Dawn to shop for the baby. It's a way to spend some time together and set up a nice room for the child, right?" Kim suggested.
"I'll suggest that to Dawn." He nodded.
He did offer to support the baby financially, shopping for the baby was probably okay he assumed.
"You should tag along too if Dawn doesn't mind." Kim looked at Scarlett, "You are going to be part of the child's life too. It's best if everyone gets used to the idea soon."
He placed his hand on Scarlett's knee, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She didn't seem upset by the idea so he figured she would like to tag along. He first needed to speak to Dawn about it. He didn't want to overwhelm her.
When he flickered his eyes to Kim he returned her smile. She was what his mother and Scarlett needed but she couldn't always be around so he probably should pick up a thing or two about extinguishing the fire between his mother and future wife.
***
Driving Scarlett home was a challenge for him. The woman kept touching him, running her hand over his thigh or giving him a quick kiss against the cheek. She was playing around, having fun.
"You better be prepared to finish this little game you're playing." He warned her.
Scarlett gave him an over the top laugh which told him enough, but of course, the woman he fell in love with wouldn't leave it at that.
"Who says I'm playing?" She asked.
He glanced at her, smirking at seeing the fierce look in her eyes. He focused back on the road, not wanting the game to be over too quickly. Safety came first, always.
"This going back and forth between apartments does get tiring."
She was silent for a minute, taking in what he said. When her eyes took him in he could feel her smile at him, he didn't need to look at the sassy woman to know she had that victorious grin spread across her face.
"It does get really tiring." She agreed, he could hear that smile in her voice, "What are you going to do about it?"
The woman beside him wouldn't be Scarlett Archer without a little pushing and witty comments. She wanted to push now and he'd give her what she wanted. If she thought he'd chicken out he'd stun her completely.
"I'm going to move you to my apartment." He flashed her a quick smile, "How do you feel about that?"
She pursed her lips, acting as if she was thinking about it. He knew better, the woman had already made up her mind.
"Sounds like a plan to me."
It wasn't just a plan, it was a decision which they both made without needing to discuss it. He shook his head when he felt her smile at him again. She leaned in again and kissed his cheek.
***
Scarlett decided to stay home while he went shopping with Dawn. They moved in together and she wanted to make his place her own, whatever that meant. He wasn't scared, she knew him. He trusted her with their apartment.
Shopping with Dawn was an experience. She kept glancing at the price tags, she looked uncomfortable with him buying the furniture even though she agreed to his suggestion.
"I wouldn't have asked to do this if I didn't want it." He told her, walking beside her as they wandered the store.
"I know, it's just a lot to get used to, you know."
She barely spoke up, she was definitely uncomfortable.
He placed his hand on her shoulder, smiling at her when her eyes flickered to him, "Take a deep breath." He suggested and watched her do it, "And let it out." His smile widened when he heard her laugh after taking a deep breath.
"Are we practicing my breathing?" She joked.
He gave her shoulder an encouraging squeeze, "Couldn't hurt, right?"
She nodded and then let her eyes wander the store again. The continued their little adventure. They knew what they wanted to buy but the shop assistant wanted to be overly helpful which put Dawn off. Him too.
A friendly suggestion was okay, pushing the higher priced products because she knew they could afford it didn't sit well with him. He smiled through it though, he knew the last thing Dawn needed right now was more added stress.
He'd just push his own opinion through with a polite tone and a radiating smile. He learned that one from his mother.
It always worked.
They managed to buy everything they needed, their furniture, decorations and other small pieces like toys and onesies would be delivered to her house in two days. He helped Dawn climb into his car, making sure she was settled in well and then got behind the wheel.
"How is Scarlett?"
"Good." He answered, "She would have tagged along, but we just moved in together and she is quite finicky about decorating and organizing our closet. She does want to meet up again if you're okay with it."
She smiled, "Sundaes?"
He chuckled, "They were pretty good."
"Right?"
He nodded, fiddling with the radio station to put on some music. The mood between them was good but some soft music playing in the background would help make her feel more at ease too.
"When are you getting married?" She asked.
"After the baby is born."
He didn't hesitate about that. He wanted to be married to Scarlett quickly but he didn't want to risk having to leave his own wedding because Dawn would go into labor earlier than expected. His mother was happy with that decision because it gave her more time to plan the wedding.
Scarlett and his mother were very vocal about what they wanted for the wedding. Scarlett chose a dress which was so much like her. Whimsical-like, long lace sleeves with a subtle starry sky lace pattern on the skirt. It was something his mother absolutely hated.
It made Scarlett like the dress even more.
"Scarlett and my mother can't agree on a single thing concerning the wedding so we might have to call in a wedding planner."
Dawn frowned at that, "But the bride is always right." She told him, "This is special to Scarlett. Your mother had her wedding, she should give advice and only advice."
He chuckled, "Tell that to my mother, I dare you."
Dawn held her finger out to him, "You're her son, tell her to back off." She brushed her hand over her stomach, giving him a warning glance, "Promise me that you raise our baby the way you want and not the way your mother wants. She's their grandmother and again advice is always appreciated but at the end of the day you're the parent, not her."
He was amazed by her, "Did you secretly meet up with Scarlett?
"No, but if we're on the same page about these things than I like her even more."
Those words were such a relief to hear, he honestly didn't know how to respond. The warm smile that Dawn flashed him told him she didn't need to hear the words. He returned her smile.
***
"Scarlett?" He called as he entered their apartment.
"Kitchen!" She called back.
He tossed his phone and keys on the coffee table and made his way to the kitchen. He watched as Scarlett was cutting up broccoli while potatoes were simmering on the stove. He also noticed something in the oven.
"You are very efficient as always, Miss Archer."
He moved to the sink and washed his hands, smiling when he felt her kiss his cheek, "You know me." She then went back to cutting up the veggies.
"Need help?" He asked, drying his hands.
"Cut the veggies for me?" She asked, "I'm going to check on our chicken."
He did as told while Scarlett checked the chicken in the oven.
"How did it go?" She asked.
He chuckled, being reminded of how Dawn seemed to be rooting for Scarlett. His fiancée made quite an impression due to her choice of dessert.
"Well, it seems that Dawn is on your side about this wedding issue."
Scarlett beamed at him, "I see, so I wasn't acting like a bridezilla when I asked your mother politely to back off."
He laughed, "Politely?" He repeated, "Scar, you lost it and demanded of her to back off with a fucking scary look in your eyes which made my mother fall silent for like ten minutes. Everyone was so fucking surprised we all just stared at each other."
She shrugged, not looking apologetic about it at all, "It's my wedding." She trailed off.
He nodded, "That's what Dawn told me. I'm going to talk to my mother about it."
"Ah, I see. I should treat her to another sundae soon."
He grinned when Scarlett moved behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him so tight he could barely breathe.
"You feel so good." She muttered.
She was feeling him up, letting her hands wander his body. He couldn't help but laugh, she was being sexy and playful. She pulled away and trailed her fingers over his arm.
"I'll apologize to Emma, I suppose I was a little harsh."
"So family dinner at our place then?" He asked.
"The girls would love that."
They finished up cooking dinner together. The mood between them playful yet peaceful at the same time. It was like they did it every day. Marriage would just make things between them official. In his heart, he was already connected to her.