quick response confirming his plan. The moment the email had left her in-box her stomach turned over with nerves.
There. She was truly committed now. A little over a week from now she would be meeting Rhys’s family. All at once.
She was the first to admit that she wasn’t at her best in large group situations, even under ideal circumstances—she was too much of a loner, or perhaps simply too used to being alone, to revel in rowdy group gatherings where people were expected to fight for the chance to be heard. And these were far from ideal circumstances. All Rhys’s family knew about her was that she’d met him in a bar, gone home with him and now was pregnant with his baby. Rhys might claim that they wouldn’t judge her for any of the above, but they would have to be an almost freakishly open-minded group of people not to have formed some idea of who and what she was.
There was no point kidding herself—meeting his family was going to be horrible and awkward and embarrassing, and she had no choice but to do it, even if her toes were curled inside her shoes the whole night. Rhys’s brothers and sisters were going to be uncles and aunts to her child. Their children would be her baby’s cousins, and Rhys’s parents would be her baby’s grandparents. She needed them to accept her. Or, at the very least, to accept her baby. She could live with their disapproval or dislike, as long as they loved her child.
Opening the calendar on her computer, she marked down the party for next Friday. Then she made a note to herself to buy a good bottle of wine and something nice for his sisters’ birthday. And maybe she should get her hair cut. It had been a while, and it might help her feel a little more prepared.
Please. It’s going to be a freakin’ nightmare, haircut or no haircut. Nothing’s going to change that.
But she would do it anyway. For her baby.
“THE THING YOU NEED to know about Mark is that even though he looks big and he talks loud, he’s a complete pussycat underneath.” Rhys changed lanes, preparing to make a left turn ahead.
“Okay.”
“Don’t talk about Wall Street and you’ll be fine.” He was aware of Charlie frowning as he signaled.
“Wall Street the place or the financial markets in general?” she asked.
“Both.” He turned the corner.
“Right.”
She sounded nervous. He’d be nervous, too, if he was her.
News flash, buddy—you are nervous.
It was true. He had no idea why. They were his family after all, not a firing squad. But there was no denying the tension in his chest and belly.
This felt like a big deal. Charlie meeting his family for the first time. The first of many meetings if things went well. The beginning of awkwardness and discomfort if it didn’t.
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “Look, you’ll be fine. They’re nice people. A bit loud and rude sometimes but nice.”
And Charlie was nice, too. Smart and funny in her own quiet way. The odds were good that everything would be fine.
A small silence fell as he drove through the dark residential street to his parents’ house.
“When was the last time you brought someone home for dinner?”
He glanced at her, surprised by the question. She was watching him, a small smile on her lips.
“I don’t know.” He thought for a moment. “Maybe ten years ago. Why?”
“You seem a little out of practice.”
He laughed, the sound loud inside the car. “Yeah. Maybe I am.”
“Although the last woman you brought home probably wasn’t pregnant, huh?”
“Not to my knowledge, no.”
“Then I guess it’s a voyage of discovery for all of us.”
He found a spot in front of the neighbor’s house and parked. He shut off the engine and turned to Charlie. Her face was in shadows and he could see the glint of her eyes but not the expression in them.
“You ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
“Then let’s do this.” He started to open the car door.
“Wait.” Charlie’s hand caught his sleeve. “How do I turn on the interior light?”
He reached across and flicked the map light on. She reached into her bag and pulled out a lipstick. He watched as she applied more color to her already pink mouth. It occurred to him that this was the first time he’d ever seen Charlie fuss over her appearance. Most women of his acquaintance—including his sisters and his mother—were constantly tweaking their hair or makeup or worrying about