Page 42 of Promise Me, Katie (Bennett Sisters #1)

“I didn’t disappear with your dad. We had a private conversation, that’s all,” Matthew said, seeing the uneasiness in Katherine’s eyes.

Of course, he couldn’t tell her the Chief had taken him aside to ask when he intended to tell Katherine about Max and Beth Ann. “Everything’s fine. Stop worrying.”

Katherine studied his face. Her first instinct was to dissect his response, but she wanted to keep trusting Matthew because that’s what she’d been doing, even though the slight change in his demeanor when she asked made her think otherwise.

“What did he say?”

Matthew hesitated. “He wanted to know if and when you and I were going to have a certain serious talk.”

“Oh my gosh, are you kidding me?”

“He’s only looking out for you.”

Katherine glanced at her father. “I know, but that’s embarrassing.”

“He’s your dad, and he loves you. Look around. Everyone does.”

Katherine looked at the faces up and down the table, and her eyes welled up. “I know,” she whispered, desperate not to cry in front of everyone.

Just then, the conversation about football heated up, and Matthew was drawn into a debate about who he thought should’ve won the last Super Bowl. As Katherine watched how the man by her side interacted with the men around the table, she felt at ease to see him blending in so well with her family.

Later, when dessert was winding down, Katherine slipped back into the kitchen to wash dishes and pack up leftovers. Her mother had made enough food for an army, which worked out well since Ginny always insisted everyone take a little something home with them.

When her sisters entered the kitchen in a chattering cluster, she readied herself for the inquisition to begin. Fortunately, they were followed by her mother, along with Sarah Brandon and Haven Harper.

“You have to let us help,” Sarah insisted. “I love my Matt, but I can only sit through so many conversations about football.”

“Here,” Katherine said, splitting a stack of plastic containers on the counter between Sarah and Haven. “If you can put an assortment of cookies in each of these, that would be great.”

“Oh, bless you.” Sarah smiled. “My Matthew was right about you, Katie. You’re an angel.”

Although the compliment was nice, Mrs. Brandon had no idea what she was starting.

“Of course she is!” Andie pounced first, wrapping an arm around Katherine. “Our littleKatieis just the sweetest.”

“That’sKatherineto you, Alexandra ,” she said, wriggling free and snapping her sister with a dish towel.

“From the time she could talk, Katherine’s never allowed any of us to ever call her Katie,” Ginny explained. “Even when she was quite small, she’d say, in the tiniest, squeakiest little voice—”

“Mom, please don’t,” Katherine begged but she spoke too late as her sisters joined their mother.

“—my name’s not Katie, my name’s Kafwhin!”

As they all laughed, Katherine opened a cupboard door and stooped down like she was about to crawl inside.

“Oh, darling, don’t do that,” her mother insisted, laughing along with the others. “You were very sweet. You sounded just like Mia does.”

“Maybe it was sweet when I was four, but now it’s just embarrassing.”

About then, Matthew walked in and looked around at the women engaged in boisterous laughter.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, as Katherine rushed over to cover his ears.

“Nothing you need to hear.”

“Oh, thismustbe good,” he chuckled, grabbing her hands. “Now someone’s definitely gottatell me.”

When Ginny saw the horrified help me look on Katherine’s face, she quickly came to the rescue.

“I’m sorry, Matthew, but what happens in the kitchen stays in the kitchen. And if anyone talks, then no one,and I mean no one , goes home with any leftovers.”

“Sorry, pal,” Georgie said as the room fell silent. “Maybe next time.”

As everyone quietly returned to what they’d been doing, Matthew admired the effectiveness of Mrs. Bennett’s threat. “Well, I guess that’s that.” He shrugged, turning to his mother. “Mom, would you and Dad mind taking Libby home soon? She’s pretty tired.”

“Are you coming home tonight?”

Matthew lowered his voice, not sure how much Katherine’s mother and sisters knew about them. “I’d like to stay at Katie’s place again if that’s okay.”

“Of course it is,” Sarah said as everyone else pretended not to listen. “And don’t worry, Dad and I know what to do now if Libby wakes up. You stay put and get some sleep.”

As they talked, Katherine tried to act casual as she washed dishes, but it wasn’t easy when she could feel that many eyes on her.

“Thanks, Mom,” Matthew finally said, kissing Sarah on the cheek. “You’re the best.”

Then everyone watched as Matthew walked up behind Katherine and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Got a minute to walk my folks out?”

“Of course.” She wiped her hands on a dish towel before kissing her mother on the cheek. “Thanks for tonight, Mom. This was really great.”

“Yes, it was,” Sarah agreed. “Thank you for having us over.”

Mrs. Bennett thanked Sarah for coming, handing her a brown paper bag filled with leftovers and an assortment of sweets. Then Sarah hugged Ginny and promised to have the entire Bennett family over for a barbecue on their riverfront property.

Watching their families make future plans was something neither Katherine nor Matthew expected.

“The kids are gonna love it,” Matt said once Sarah shared the idea with him on their way out the door. “The water’s deep enough for the adults and bigger kids to go inner-tubing but shallow enough by the bank for the little ones to splash around.”

“And when it’s dark out,” Sarah added, with a twinkle in her eye, “Matt builds a big bonfire for s’mores.”

When Ginny and Jerome’s grandchildren all cheered at the idea of s’mores and swimming, Libby joined them, her tiny hands clapping.

** *

When it was their turn to leave, Katherine gave long hugs to everyone and told them that she loved them. Hugging her father last, she whispered, “I don’t want you to worry about me, Daddy. Matthew and I will get around to having that talkwhen the time is right.”

“ Talk ?” Jerome glanced at Matthew.

“Yes, Daddy, and don’t play coy. I know you asked Matthew when he was going to have a serious talk with me.”

Instantly, her father paled.

“Oh, don’t do that.” Katherine grabbed his hand to reassure him she wouldn’t get hurt. “You shouldn’t worry so much. Everything’s gonna be alright. And don’t be mad at Matthew for telling me. We’ve promised to be completely honest with each other and not keep secrets.”

Jerome looked up as Matthew approached Katherine, resting his hands on her shoulders.

“I’m sorry, baby girl. I wasn’t tryin’ to tell either of you how to go about your business.”

“I know.”

“But I do appreciate you havin’ a man in your life who wants the best for you.” Jerome reached out to shake Matthew’s hand. “And I can understand wanting to wait for the right time.”

“Thank you for your confidence, sir.”

Just then, Katherine’s mother stepped forward, catching the tail end of the conversation. “Of course, we have confidence in you. Look how happy you’ve made our girl.” She beamed, looping an arm through her husband’s. “Darling, do you remember whenwefirst met?”

“Of course I do. But we were a lot younger than these two, so we were lucky we made it. Still, age and experience doesn’t necessarily make it any easier.

There’s a whole lotta struggles in relationships, but the key is to not let anything get in the way of God’s plan.

It’s what we’ve done all these years and look how far we’ve come. ”

As Mr. Bennett spoke, the room around them grew silent while everyone became enraptured by his sentimental words.

“Isn’t he lovely!” Mrs. Bennett declared, with nothing less than pure admiration in her eyes. “I wish the very same love for all of you.”

** *

“Did you have a good time?” Katherine asked Matthew once they were buckled up and on the road. “Did you like everyone?”

“I did. Everyone was great.”

“What about Andrew, James, and Cameron?”

Matthew glanced at her. “Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know, I guess, because I’ve never seen you with any of your friends before.”

“You’ve seen me with Justin and Peter.”

“That’s true,” Katherine said, biting her bottom lip. “Do you think you’d wanna do it again sometime? You know, not any time soon, but sometime in the near future?”

“Sure, it was fun,” Matthew answered, focusing on the road.

“It seemed like your parents had fun. Do youreallythink they’d wanna get together again?”

“Why so many questions?” Matthew turned to look at Katherine. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Maybe the more important question is, did you have a good time?”

“Yes.”

“And do you wanna do it again?”

“Yes.”

Though Katherine answered quickly, she sounded unsure, and Matthew didn’t want her feeling any more doubt than she already seemed to be.

“Good, because I think everyone will enjoy getting to know each other more. And I’m sure your family’s going to like the riverfront property. The kids can run wild, and the adults can relax. Even Cameron might loosen up a bit.”

“Oh, poor Cam,” Katherine sighed. “Is it really that obvious?”

“To me, it is. But I wouldn’t be much of a cop if I couldn’t read people. Although sometimes that can be a curse. I’ve seen things I could’ve happily gone without ever knowing.”

“I bet,” Katherine said, knowing first hand how the job sometimes took a toll on her dad over the years. “But Cameron’s always been quiet. Especially around my dad. It took him a while to really trust Cam, and some bad circumstances set up a shaky foundation between them.”

“He doesn’t seem like a bad guy.”

“Cam? A bad guy?” Katherine scoffed. “Not even if he tried. Don’t let the Marlon Brando-style brooding fool you. Cameron’s always been a good guy with a great heart.”

“If Cameron’s such a good guy, what would make your dad question whether he could trust him with Ellie? There’s only so many reasons why a father doesn’t trust someone around his daughter.”

“It’s complicated,” Katherine said.

“It’s not that complicated. Disrespect, drugs, drinking, bad attitude, or sex,” Matthew said. “Dads have the right to be protective of their daughters. But if you say Cam’s always been a good guy, four of those five things don’t fit. So, that obviously leaves sex.”

“Wow! Cop brain!”Katherine laughed.

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No, and if it was, I wouldn’t know the difference. I grew up with it, so it’s not a big deal to me. But there really were complications in their situation. And my dad’s first impressions weren’t exactly fair.”

“The Chief unfair?”

“I know, it’s hard to believe. If Jerome Bennett is anything other than quiet and reserved, it’s fair. Still, Ellie went through a tough situation around the time she and Cameron started dating, which unfairly affected my dad’s opinion of him.”

“But they worked it out?”

“Of course they did. Any misunderstanding can be worked out.”

“I agree,” Matthew said. “As long as both sides are willing.”