Sinful Ever After (Sinful Serenade Book 5) - Crystal Kaswell Page 0,16

exhausted.

I kiss her cheek. "Meet me at the hotel. I'm going to walk your parents home."

She looks from her parents to me and offers a sleepy nod. She rises to her tiptoes to whisper in my ear. "If you stay out too late, I won't have the energy to fuck you when you get back."

Her cheeks flush a soft shade of pink.

Damn. I hate to miss out on Meg screaming my name, but making sure her parents are on board is important.

I kiss her goodbye, and we separate.

Susan and Douglass are staying at the Bellagio, the hotel famous for its fountain shows. It's only a few hotels away. They spend the walk lost in the same memories that captured them during dinner. I listen with rapt attention. Meg has always been an adorable little nerd. Turns out she had a phase in elementary school where she collected dinosaurs. Her room was flush with them. Her parents were convinced she would end up a paleontologist.

They were relieved when she moved on to dolls, and even more relieved when she started performing surgery on the dolls.

The fountains are roaring when we arrive. They dance to Elton John's Your Song.

Susan's eyes go wide. She grabs onto the concrete railing.

"I'll meet you up in the room." Douglass plants a chaste kiss on her cheek and makes his way to the hotel entrance.

There's no chemistry between them. No passion. It's clear Meg's parents support each other, but there's a distance too.

That must have a lot to do with why Meg is scared. Not that my parents are a better example. If anything, my parents make hers look like models of everlasting romance.

Susan pulls her arms over her chest. She rubs her triceps, but she's still shivering.

I shift my leather jacket off my shoulders and offer it to her. It's a cold night, but I don't mind the bite of the chill.

She waves it away. "No, thank you. The cold is nice." She makes eye contact. Her lips curl into a smile then her attention goes back to the fountains. "You love Megara a lot, don't you?"

"I do."

"I know you'll take care of her. But, Miles, if you get in the way of her studying medicine, I'll do everything in my power to get you out of her life."

I fight my desire to laugh. Susan has no idea how badly I want the world for Meg. "I won't."

Her voice softens. "Not on purpose. But I know what happens when you're in love. I've been there. I can count on one hand the female classmates who stayed in medical school after they got married. They told themselves they'd go back, but they never did. They moved to the suburbs and switched to raising a family." Her eyes meet mine. "That can be a fulfilling priority. God knows, I love Megara, and I... Rosie... it brought me a wealth of joy, raising children, but Meg-"

"She won't be happy if she gives up medicine. I know that." The fountains flash with a burst of white light. "You had kids, and you're quite the surgeon now. Must be possible to make it work."

"It is. It's hard, but it's worth it." Susan presses her lips together. "I was much older when I got pregnant with Rosie. Well out of medical school."

"I can't believe that."

She laughs. "You must have done well when you were single. You're a charmer."

I nod.

"You don't have to charm me. I see the way my daughter lights up around you. I know you bring joy into her life." She watches as the fountain show ends and the lights turn off. Her eyes stay on the pool of dark water. "I'm sure some of those women were happier raising a family instead of practicing medicine. Is that what you want?"

I press my palm against the concrete. I can't say I've given family much thought. Fuck knows, I don't want to follow in my parents’ footsteps and fuck some poor kid up. Better to opt out of the whole thing. Not sure whether I ever want kids. Meg isn't sure either. It's not something we dwell on.

Susan is a woman with her shit together. I need a better answer than fuck if I know.

I turn toward her, keeping my expression neutral. "We're waiting to see how it feels to really have a life together."

Her brow knots with confusion. "What do you have now?"

"She lives with you."

"You're saying she's moving out after the wedding? I didn't agree to that." She smiles,