Authors: Bijou Hunter
Winston
Not
a Green Pants Guy
Decked
out for golf, Meredith looks so damn sexy in her pink shorts and tank. I don't plan
on wearing anything so pastel. I'm also avoiding the normal old man golf pants.
Jeans and a yellow tee are as close as I'll get to embracing the golf
lifestyle.
"You
look nice," she says, pressing her hands against my chest. "I like
how your shirts are always tight."
"Don't
get me hard before we see your dad."
"Mom
will be there too."
"Yeah,
but I'm good with moms. I have trouble with dads. One of my ex-girlfriend's dad
chased me with a bat."
"Why?"
I
kiss her forehead and grin. "Let's just say I don't always think before I
speak."
Smiling,
Meredith wants to say something sarcastic, but she doesn't. I appreciate her
holding her tongue even if I can't.
We
take Meredith's little SUV to the country club golf course. During the drive, I
sit back and practice being quiet. Meredith laughs twice on the way, finding my
silence entertaining.
The
guard at the country club's front gate recognizes Meredith. He gives me a curt
nod then lets us through.
"Did
you ever take Sandy Schmuck's last name?" I ask after the guard refers to
her as Ms. Gordon.
"No.
I told Sandy I wanted to keep my father's name. Maybe I just knew we wouldn't
last and didn't want to change my name back and forth. I'm starting to wonder
if I always knew our relationship was doomed."
Wrapping
my fingers around her free hand, I grin. "You just didn't want to be
Meredith Moon, huh?"
"Well
there was that."
"Doctor
Moon will see you now," I tease and Meredith's grin widens.
"Are
you done with the silent act?"
"Can't
be sure. I guess we'll find out soon enough."
She
pulls the SUV to the front of the main building and a valet opens her door. I
watch her casually slide a twenty into the guy's hand. Meredith is in her
element and I feel like her fucking employee.
Her
beautiful smile quickly yanks me from my grumpiness. When Meredith rests her
hands on my forearms the ways she does during sex, my body lights up from her
touch.
"I
know today won't be as fun as the night on your bike, but please be open to the
experience. For my family, golfing isn't about the game. It's about spending
time together outside."
"You
could go camping."
"We
do."
"That
Richie Rich kind of camping, right?"
"Still
counts," she says, lifting on her toes to kiss my cheek. "Let's go
find Mom and Dad."
Meredith
takes my hand and leads me into the decorative building. We pass the dining
room full of the whitest people I've ever seen and I come from a long line of
Irish folks who can't tan. On our way out the back doors, I spot more diversity
and feel less like the odd man out.
"Stop
judging," Meredith whispers as we stand on the back deck. "I went
into your club with respect. Do the same for mine."
"I'll
try, but my club's still cooler."
Meredith
wraps me in her arms and smiles so sweetly up at me. "Your club might have
bigger balls, but mine has bigger bank accounts."
Grinning,
I kiss her with a bit too much heat. Tempting fate, I pay the price by having
her parents arrive as I'm sucking on their daughter's lips.
Steve
and Leslie Gordon give me big smiles. Like most lawyers, they lie well. I don't
know if I fake my smile as well. Steve is a handsome guy with the same blue
eyes as his daughter. Leslie gave the girls the rest of their looks. I just
pretend I'm looking at Meredith and my mood improves.
After
Bethany and her boyfriend the Dentist join us, we drive golf carts to the first
hole. Meredith rides with me while the Dentist drives.
"Meredith
isn't good at golf," Bethany assures me from the front seat. "Don't
worry about making a fool of yourself."
"Thanks,
Beth," Meredith deadpans. "You always have something sweet to
say."
Grinning
at her sister, Bethany leans over and whispers something to the Dentist. He
laughs in a way that makes me never want him to work on my teeth.
"Ignore
them," Meredith says, leaning her head against my arm. "It's not
about the game. Dad is awful and he knows it."
"I
might not suck at golf."
"I
didn't bring you here to wow us with your athleticism. I want you to spend time
with my family so they could get to know the man I love."
We
said the words for the first time last night. No big moment for the
declarations. I said the words while we fucked. She said them back. Later, she
smacked me on the ass while we made popcorn. When I turned to tickle her, she
said she loved me. I said she was the only woman I ever wanted. Then we ate
popcorn and returned to bed.
Now
I worry our easy relationship will hit the family sized speed bumps. "What
if they think I'm a piece of a shit?"
"If
I needed their approval, I would have brought you here before we got
together."
"You're
a rebel."
Meredith
holds my hand and her touch relaxes me. I know she will never ditch me with her
family. On the third hole, Meredith proves me wrong.
Somehow,
I end up stuck with Steve Gordon who watches me from behind his mirrored
glasses.
After
a few minutes of awkward silence, he asks, "Have you ever been to
jail?"
"No.
Have you?"
Steve
sizes me up then sighs. "Actually, I have. Back in college, I was arrested
for protesting animal exploitation."
I
cock an eyebrow. "I wouldn't figure you as the animal rights kind of
guy."
"Oh,
I'm not. I was looking to get in the pants of a redhead named Pam."
"Did
you?" I ask, struggling against a grin.
"Yeah,
but she was more trouble than I could handle. In college, I spent a lot of time
with those outraged social types. I wanted the passion they had, but I hated
the self-important crap they spewed. I also wanted a woman who wore
deodorant."
Smiling
now, I nod. "I know a few people who think deodorant is optional. It's
really not."
"No,
but people are odd."
"So
you decided to give up on the passionate activist women?"
"No.
I just found one whose activism I genuinely supported. Leslie is involved in
many charities. She used her law degree to help those less fortunate too. She
had all the things those other women had plus she's very hygienic."
Laughing,
I never expected to find any common ground with Meredith's dad. Steve proves to
be an ordinary guy and we end up talking baseball. Nearby, Meredith and Leslie
whisper about me.
"Meredith
cares about you. If you're looking for a fun, easy time, she might not be the
woman to have that with. She tends to get attached."
"I
love Meredith. It'd break my damn heart if she wasn't attached."
Steve
sighs like he's relieved, surprising me again. "Meredith wasted a lot of
time with Sandy. She tried being impulsive as a teenager. Once she went to
college though, she studied and worked hard. No goofing off. No letting loose.
She and Sandy were the dullest couple I'd ever spent time with and I have a
friend who falls asleep in the middle of conversations."
Studying
Steve, I can't keep myself from saying the words. "You're not what I
expected."
"I
know the feeling. Bethany made you sound like a thug. I don't know why I listen
to that child anymore. I don't think she's told the truth in twenty
years."
Grinning,
I look at Meredith peeking back at us. "Do you think she's really over Sandy?"
"I
honestly don't believe she was ever in love with him. He simply fit her image
of life. I doubt any of it was personal from her perspective."
I
smile at Meredith who grins back at me. Even falling in love with her, I didn't
understand how I could fit into her world. Hell, I figured her parents might
disown her if she married me. All that negative shit wasn't even close to being
on target.
"You
ought to invite your brother to join us sometime," Steve says as we return
to the clubhouse. "I've made a lot of contacts here over the years. I'd
imagine a businessman like him could make some too. I always hear people
talking about renovating their homes. Why not tap into that market?"
Smiling
like I've known this guy forever, I nod. "I'll let him know."
Steve
puts on his fake grin and gestures hello to someone. I glance back at Meredith
and Bethany who are both eyeing me in a weird way.
"Had
to happen eventually," Steve says to me then looks at the guy.
"Sandy, this is Winston. He and Meredith are together."
Sandy shakes my hand limply. He's completely unthreatening. Based on the dull expression
on his completely unremarkable face, I doubt he cares about seeing his ex-wife
with another man. He doesn't want her. Doesn't care if I have her.
I
hate him though.
I hate that he ever saw my woman naked or touched her
body. I want to rip off his fucking face for waking up next to Meredith for so
many years. The guy is nobody, yet I need to crush him to make my claim.
Shoving
my hands into my pockets, I keep from punching the guy. Meredith appears next
to me, says hi to Sandy, and wraps an arm through mine.
"Let's
go eat."
Walking
into the clubhouse, I remain grumpy. I want Sandy dead for no damn reason
besides Meredith should know no other man except me. I'm fully aware I'm being
an idiot. Even so, I make the decision not to mention my ex-girlfriends again.
If I say nothing about my past, maybe she won't mention Sandy and I won't need to
go homicidal.
"You
should key his car," Bethany says, sitting at the table with us.
"Ooh, let's teepee his house."
"No
revenge," Meredith mutters, dismissively waving a hand at her little
sister. "Had he not dumped me, I wouldn't be here with Winston. If anything,
Sandy deserves a gift basket."
Taking
Meredith's hand, I pull her outside. She smiles even though I'm freaking her
out. This trait is just another thing I love about her.
"I
need you to be brave," I say when we're alone under a big oak tree.
Meredith
opens her mouth to speak then decides to stay silent.
Cupping
her face, I stare into the eyes of my dream woman.
"I
love you. I don't care that it's happened fast. I don't care if you and I come
from different worlds. None of that means anything to me. I just know that
since I saw you in the bar that I can't get enough. It's not lust. It's not
sex. It's everything. I want to see you every day. I want to come home to you.
I want to know what you're thinking and what you're doing and how you're
feeling. I want that and I've never wanted that before. I don't need to date
for months or years to know you're the one for me, Meredith. I love you and
that's that."
Smiling,
she grips my hands. "I love you too. I try to convince myself that it's an
exciting phase, but I can't imagine losing you. In fact, I tried to imagine
that the other day at work and I cried like a baby. I haven't cried in years. I
didn't cry when Sandy dumped me, but I sobbed like a baby when I thought of
losing you. That's not lust."
"No,
it's not."
"It's
love."
"It's
fate. I look at you and see my future. I see kids and vacations and stuff I
never saw for me. Not in a real way. With you, it's so damn real I can reach
out and touch it."
I
caress her face and Meredith leans into my embrace. "I never believed in
fate until I met you."
Meredith
Death
Stare
Today
at brunch, Winston plans to break the news to his family about moving into my
place. He wakes up nervous in a way only a lot of fucking can calm. Even after
spending hours inside me, he remains edgy when we drive to his mom's house.
"You
think they won't like me."
Winston
grips the steering wheel. "No. I think they'll ask too many questions and
get pushy. I'm not in the mood."
"You're
afraid they'll disagree with you moving in."
"I'm
not afraid of anything," he grumbles.
I
shouldn't laugh, but I do. He's behaving like a little boy waiting for his
parents to get home and punish him.
"We'll
drop the big stuff on them as we're about to leave. Give them no chance to
frighten you with their questions."
Winston
glares at me until I laugh again. He finally shakes his head and grins.
"I
was so sure your family would be the end of us. Figured they'd make you stop
seeing me and I'd lose you."
"Make
me? I'm nearly thirty. No one makes me do anything besides the government and
the voices in my head."
Winston
smiles wider, yet he remains tense as we pull into the driveway of his mom's
bi-level. Before we walk inside, I tug him against me and inhale his clean
scent.
"You
need to settle down. I don't want your family to think I'm a bad influence on
you."
Holding
my face in his rough hands, Winston looks like he's ready to smash something.
"I
had a moment yesterday at the country club where I saw our future. I don't want
anything ruining that."
"The
only people with the power to ruin what we have are standing right here. I know
I'm not giving you up. That only leaves you."
His
blue eyes still anxious, Winston nods. "I've had women come and go. It
never bothered me when things were over. With you, I get so fucking freaked
when I even think of losing you."
"Then
don't lose me."
"That
simple?"
"Well
it certainly isn't complicated."
Winston
kisses me gently then smiles and kisses me until I can't breathe. His body
relaxes in my embrace and I relish having such power. Knowing how to soothe the
man I love feels magical. I'm still floating when we walk into his mom's house
where chaos awaits.
Judith
gives me the evil eye, sizing me up coldly. I simply smile at her because I
don't care if she hates me. I'm marrying her son and she'll have to deal with
this fact. Winston hasn't asked me yet, but I know he will. This meeting with
his family is the last step before he pops the question.
"I
like her," Judith announces suddenly. "I gave her my death stare and
she didn't back down. She didn't freak out either. She's a keeper."
With
this proclamation, I'm part of the family in everyone's eyes. Kemp and Boyle
welcome me. Mira and Heather promise to show me the ropes. I meet all the
nieces and nephews who have absolutely no interest in me. Through all the
introductions, Winston relaxes a little more until he's the guy I know and
love.