Page 34 of Hat Trick (Titans Hockey #1)

I lace my hand with his and squeeze it. "I'm nervous." I admit.

He chuckles and shakes his head. "They'll love you."

"But what if they don't?" I tug his hand back a little, anxiously.

"But what if they do." He replies, winking to me. I take a deep breath in and out before following him to the reception area.

He drags me towards a table where it seems older members of the family sit. Without preamble, Luca marches us right up and pulls me to his side.

"Mom, Dad, I'd like to introduce you to my fiancé, Emily." Luca says with a smile, while I die a little on the inside.

An older woman who looks like Luca's twin gapes up at us in shock. A darker haired man with a mustache next to her narrows his eyes at his son.

Fuck. I try to break the tension and thrust my hand out at Luca's mother. "Hi. It's a pleasure to meet you both." I stutter out, praying they simply take my hand and accept it.

Luca's mother blinks at my outstretched hand and I die of embarrassment. Please, for all that is holy take my hand woman. Don't make it weird. Don't make a scene.

Finally, she blinks herself back to reality and takes my hand in a soft shake. "Emily." She repeats blandly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." I offer, trying to fill the awkward void.

"Ems, this is my mother Alice, and my father Chris." I disengage Luca's stunned mother before thrusting my hand out to his father. He takes it delicately and releases it immediately. I could not imagine a worse meeting-of-the-parents .

"So, Emily," his dad starts. "What do you do for a living?" Okay, this is a question I can answer.

"I'm Carter Rhodes' nanny, currently, and still in school to get my degree in child behavioral sciences."

"A nanny...and still in school..." his mother repeats, her meaning not lost on anyone. I have the sudden desire for the ground to open up and swallow me whole. Luca slides up behind me, wrapping his arms around me.

"Isn't she great? Working and putting herself through college." I love Luca. I love his optimism. I love his rose-colored glasses. But at the moment, he's the only one wearing them.

"Carter has a baby?!" His mother shouts.

Luca grins. "Yeah, it was kind of a surprise. He didn't know about Annie until CPS showed up with her in a car seat and said, 'good luck'."

"Luca, can I speak with you?" His dad asks, standing abruptly. Luca shrugs and follows his father.

And I'm alone with the mother.

"Sit, dear." She commands. And I obey.

She sits for a moment, staring at me, contemplating. I shift uncomfortably in my seat under her scrutiny.

"What's your angle?" She asks finally.

"Angle?"

"What have you done? What do you have, to have my son so secure in your claws."

I sigh. All I can give her is the truth.

"I have no angle; I have not done anything.

If anything, I've fought our relationship every step of the way.

But I love your son. And I believe he loves me.

And we're both foolish enough to think that that's enough in this life.

" I hang my head in a little bit of shame.

I know it's not that easy. 'Love conquers all' is a silly notion.

And it's the first time I've said it out loud, but yeah, I love Luca.

I've doubted him, us, every step of the way, but I love this man.

Silence settles between Alice and I, while other members of the wedding float and chat behind us, helping themselves to hors d'oeuvres and drinks.

Suddenly, Alice wraps her hand over top of mine on the tabletop. My gaze shoots up, surprised.

"I believe you, dear."

I look up in shock. "You do?"

"Yes. If you really did have an agenda, you'd be sitting here trying to convince me why you love my son, or at least that you didn't need the money. You look positively miserable that I don't approve. That's not the reaction of someone who's using my son. And you're not even wearing a ring."

I let out a strangled chuckle and look at the back of my left hand. "No. We're not, but today Luca wanted to play make believe. I think he would propose if it were possible, but it's not."

She nods as if she understands, but I go on.

"A few of his cousins were teasing about him being a playboy and I got defensive.

Luca and I are together, but he calls me his future wife all the time and I told them that.

They misinterpreted it to mean we were engaged, and Luca just went along with the mistake. "

Her blue eyes consider me. Blue eyes, just like the ones I stare into all the time.

"You care for him. You protect him. "

"I do. He's one of the best men I've ever met. He's kind, and considerate, funny and flirty, and so very misunderstood."

"But you understand him?" It's a question, but it's not really. She already knows the answer. She squeezes my hand in hers.

"I'm so glad I got to meet you, Emily. I think you'll be good for him."

Embarrassment sweeps over me.

"I'm sorry for the drama."

She waves a dismissive hand. "Think nothing of it. It's a wedding, there's bound to be drama." I smile, lightened by her easiness. Just then a rough hand wraps around the back of my neck and Luca plants a chaste kiss on my temple.

"Get everything sorted out?" he asks, staring down at me with adoration.

Luca's dad looks slightly more relaxed as he regains his chair next to Alice. "Yes, dear, now you young people go dance before the reception ends," she says, smiling broadly at us and shooing us away.

Luca holds his hand out and I take it, letting him lead me to the dance floor. He spins me into his chest and wraps his arms around my lower back. I raise my arms and clasp my hands around the back of his neck.

"Well, you sure know how to make an entrance," I chide. "They almost hated me before they even got a chance to know me." Luca simply shoots me that easy grin I've come to love so much.

"Nah, they know I'm a jokester. I explained it all to Dad and he gave me shit for scaring them, but then was relieved. I'm actually sorry I haven't introduced you before today. We'll have to have them over for dinner sometime, so they can properly get to know you. "

I nod, my shoulders relaxing as I let Luca sway us with the music of 'Amazed' by Lonestar. He leans down, pressing his cheek against mine and croons some of the lyrics.

"Every time our eyes meet

This feelin' inside me

Is almost more than I can take

Baby when you touch me

I can feel how much you love me

And it just blows me away

I've never been this close to anyone or anything

I can hear your thoughts

I can see your dreams

I don't know how you do what you do

I'm so in love with you

It just keeps gettin' better

I wanna spend the rest of my life

With you by my side

Forever and ever"

It's corny and sweet and over-the-top and everything Luca is. I can't help but giggle as my stomach swoops and spins and turns inside out with butterflies. When he pulls back to look at me his smile is blinding.

His smile slowly transforms into a grin and then into a wicked smirk as his eyes burn their way down my body and the butterflies burn up into a raging inferno.

"I can't wait to get you out of this dress," he growls into my ear.

I smirk back. I pick up one end of the belt of the wrap skirt and hand it to him. "One tug of this and I'm naked. "

He tosses his head back, closes his eyes and groans. "Woman, you can't say things like that in public."

I lean up on my toes and get closer to his ear. "Then I really shouldn't tell you that I'm not wearing any panties."

In a flash he pulls away from me, scoops an arm behind my knees and picks me up bridal-style.

I squeal at the sudden loss of gravity and wrap my arms around his shoulders.

He storms off, throwing a casual, 'Congratulations' to the newly married couple and marches to the gravel parking lot before tossing me, gently, into the car.

"The driver?" I ask, utterly confused.

"I dismissed him when we got here. I knew I was going to want you alone on the ride to the hotel."

I giggle in anticipation. This man knows exactly what he wants.

The drive to the hotel is about twenty minutes and a wicked thought comes into my mind: I've never given road head.

As he hits the main road, I loosen my seatbelt before turning toward Luca. He spies me out of the corner of my eye and asks, "What are you doing?"

I slide my knees under me before reaching over and undoing the belt on his slacks. "Fuck, Ems. You can't be serious."

I don't need to say anything, my grin in the low moonlight says it all. "Fffuuuucccckkkkk..." he groans.