Page 22 of Unbreakable
"I love you too, babe," I say kissing each of her tear-streaked cheeks before claiming her mouth with mine.
An hour later Grace, Remi and I are in my truck as we cruise down the road. I told the girls we were going out for breakfast. When we make our way down a long paved driveway and park in front of a two-story colonial style home Grace asks, "Where are we? I thought you said we were going out for breakfast."
"We are. Ma cooks breakfast every Sunday," I say shutting down the truck and stepping out before Grace has a chance to say anything back. When I walk around to the passenger side door and open it, I am not at all surprised to see a furious looking Grace.
"I can't believe you brought me to meet your parents without telling me," she fumes, crossing her arms over her chest while not attempting to get out of the truck. In the meantime, Remi wastes no time flinging her door open and rushing over to the field about thirty yards to my right. Grace immediately jumps in her seat and darts her eyes over my shoulder to see where Remi is headed. "She's going to see the horses, babe. She's safe out here," I assure her with a soft tone.
Relaxing her posture, I step forward into the truck and snake my arms around her middle and scoot her body around to face me. Leaning in, I rest my forehead against hers. "I didn't tell you because I knew you would be nervous and work yourself into a frenzy. My parents have wanted to meet you for two years, babe." At my confession Grace's eyes go round. "Two years," she squeaks.
"Yeah, babe. My parents know about you. They knew about you since the first week we met. They're even excited to meet Remi. Ma has been chompin' at the bit. She likes havin' someone to spoil," I chuckle. "What do you say, babe? Want to come meet my folks?" I ask nudging her side, and my action earns me the sweet sound of her giggle.
Nodding, she says, "Yeah, I want to meet them. I'm sorry I got so worked up."
"You have nothin' to be sorry about, babe." I remind her again as I offer her my hand to help her step down out of the truck.
No sooner do I shut the door when my mother steps out of the house and onto the front porch followed by my dad, both wearing big ass smiles. By the time we make it to the front steps Remi runs up behind us and stands at her mom's side.
Before I have a chance to make introductions, my mother beats me to it by pulling Grace in for a hug. "It's so good to finally me you, Grace."
Returning her embrace, Grace replies, "It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Delane."
"Oh, honey, you can call me Karen. And this is my husband Charles." Once their introductions are over, my mother's attention turns to Remi. "And who is this beautiful young lady?"
"Ma, this is Grace's daughter Remi."
With a warm smile, my father speaks up. "I saw you over with the horses. Would you like to ride one sometime?" he asks.
"Yes!" she shouts with excitement. And just like that, my father has won Remi over. "Alright," my father chuckles. "How about we eat some breakfast and if it's okay with your momma, we'll go for a ride."
Remi turns to Grace. "Can I, Mom?"
"Sure you can, as long as it's no trouble."
"Oh, it's no trouble at all."
An hour and a half later after breakfast, Grace insisted on helping Ma with the dishes, and now the three of us are sitting on the porch watching my dad teach Remi how to saddle a horse. When I cut my eyes to Grace, she is beaming from ear to ear as she watches her daughter.
Over the next couple of hours, conversation flows as Ma asks how all the boys are doing and how excited she is that Logan and Bella are expecting. My parents love Logan and think of him as their grandson. They have pretty much taken on the grandparent role with all the guys. As the afternoon wears on, we say our goodbyes to my parents, and my mom hands me a foiled covered plate. "For Quinn," she tells me, and I smile and shake my head.
With a promise to come back next Sunday, we load up and head in the direction of the clubhouse. "Are you cool with hangin' at the clubhouse for a bit. The guys and I have church, and I think all the women are there. Bennett said something yesterday about Lisa getting everyone together for dinner. But if you're not feelin' up to it, I can take you home."
"No, I think dinner with everyone sounds nice." She says threading her hand through mine and I lift them, kissing the back of hers. When we pull up and park in front of the clubhouse Remi once again jumps out and runs inside, no doubt seeking out the children. I'm thrilled she has adapted and embraced the club and my family.
Inside, Grace and I are met by my brothers, O'Rourke, Nikolai, and Demetri sitting at the bar and Ember serving drinks. As soon as Quinn notices us, he stands from his perch and strides in our direction. He wastes no time taking the dish my mother gave me out of my hand, then mumbles a quick thanks before heading off in the direction of the room we hold church. I watch as all the other men follow suit.
I turn to Grace. "You going to be okay while I talk with the guys?"
"I'll go see what the girls are up to in the kitchen. I promise I'll be fine. Now go and quit worrying about me."
Going up to her tiptoes Grace kisses me before turning and making her way to the kitchen, and I head in the direction of church. Walking into the room, I cut my eyes around and note that everyone is here before closing the door and striding around the table to my seat. Slamming the gavel, I direct my first question to Demetri. "I want you to tell me everything you know about the De Burca family."
"The De Burcas' are the second most powerful Irish family in the Midwest. Last I heard they were looking to join forces with the Curran family who is the number one most powerful Irish family. They live in Boston. Once the two families unite, they will hold a great deal of power and essentially become the most powerful syndicate in this country." Demetri explains without sugar coating his words.
"Fuck me," I hear Logan from my right. Demetri's words even have Quinn's attention as he stops eating.
"What's the plan, Prez?" This coming from Gabriel who has remained silent throughout the meeting.
"It's time to prepare for war," I say without missing a beat. "It's time for my woman to stop hidin' and start livin'. She and Remi will never be able to do so unless Ronan is in the ground and that's where I plan on puttin' the motherfucker."
