"Thank you. My dad would be livid if he found out I was the reason we're running late."

"Of course. Just throw the blame on me, and you'll still be daddy's perfect boy, it isn't like he can whoop my ass."

As I stepped out of the car, I was immediately struck by the biting cold of the winter evening. Talk about a rude awakening. I looked up and watched my breath materialize as a visible puff of condensation before it slowly drifted away and vanished into the rather clear, starry night.

I thought the thin black jacket would have done the job or at least kept me warm until I entered the restaurant, but that wasn't the case. I pulled it closer to my body before a soft groan left my pouty lips as we began walking through the parking lot. I grumbled about the cost of valet parking and felt him gently push at my arm, which made me giggle at him. We should have splurged and just got it for once, or at least Robert could have dropped me off at the front door.

Rounding the corner, our chatter and laughter filled the crisp night air. It was such a contrast to the hushed murmurs of the other restaurantgoers. Just as we were about to leave the shadows of the parking lot, and enter the gloriously warm entrance, I winced hard and nearly lost my balance as I collided with something hard. I grunted softly, feeling a strong grip on my hip pulling me back upright. Confused and slightly disoriented, I blinked and tried to make sense of what had just happened. My gaze locked onto the person who had both knocked me down and stopped me from falling all in one motion. My mouth fell open as I stared into his piercing blue eyes.

"Dad!" I heard my fiancé’s voice calling out from somewhere behind me, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from the man in front of me.

His intense gaze remained fixed on mine as he kept the entire length of the front of my body, molded to his. Slowly, his eyes trailed down my face to the ample view of my tits peeking out of the v-cut of my dress and back up again. With a gentle yet firm movement, he released me, and I could feel the steadiness return to my legs. His gaze then shifted to his son, who stood there with a bewildered expression. I continued to stare at him in stunned silence, my mouth hung open a little as I watched him gracefully slip the large coat off his shoulders, a curious gesture.

He draped the coat around my shoulders, his eyes never left his son’s, as I inhaled his scent. It was the smell of his cologne mingled with nicotine and something sweet. Then there was the warmth, gods he was so warm. Shamelessly I pull the jacket tighter around my body, feeling dwarfed by the sheer size of his coat. I almost immediately began comparing him to my fiancé. The size difference alone led me to believe that perhaps my future mother-in-law stepped out on the big guy at some point. Why else would they appear so drastically different?

"Sorry about that. I'm…" I was cut off almost immediately by the deepest voice I'd ever heard.

"You're late," even though I enjoyed how his voice caressed me, the nerve of his words shot up my spine and made my smile falter as my fingers gripped tighter around the collar of the jacket.

I sensed the edge in Cade's voice, but I tried to brush it off as a typical reaction to tardiness. "Yeah, sorry about that. It was my fault," I noticed my fiancé move behind me as if to be shielded from his dad. Odd.

"Yea. You know how women are," the softly spoken words of my fiancé murmured as he rustled with something behind me.

I noticed the subtle clenching of his father's jaw, his voice carried a tinge of frustration.

"As much as I would love to pretend that this is your problem, darlin', you and I both know, it's not. I'm willing to bet it was your fault, Robby," I blush a little, and shift before him, taking an involuntary step backward.

I detected a tremor in my fiancé's voice. "Dad, please let's just go inside, and ju-"

Cade's nostrils flared as he leaned in closer, his words had that edge to them that made my heart rate speed up once more. "No, we can't just go inside and forget about this, you know why? Because your mother's been excited to meet this young lady for the past few days. You've disappointed me to the point that I fully expect it, don't treat your mother with the same contempt. At least own up to it, man up to it, and apologize."

I winced at the almost hostile way that my fiancé's father was talking to him. I glanced over my shoulder to Robert, seeing that he had paled slightly. He looked so different as if he were fearful of even being in the presence of his father. Let alone refute these allegations.

I frowned and looked back at Cade. "Hey! That's not true. He is a kind and loving person. He owns up to his mistakes, and if we were late because of him he would say so."

Those icy blue pools turn on me, making me tense but it does something far naughtier to me, something that I don't even want to acknowledge as I glared up at him.

"I understand you're trying to protect him, but the more you protect him the less of a man he'll look. He doesn't need your help in that area, do you, Robby."

"I," Robert's voice broke as he sighed softly.

"Robert, you don't have to take these accusations," my hand reached out, almost involuntarily, to touch Robert's arm, but he yanked away from me.

Unexpectedly, Robert's voice grew colder, and he spoke with a bitter resolve, "Em, Please stop lying. It'll only make you look worse."

His voice was the last voice I expected that sentence to come from, but here we were. My mouth falls open as I turn to glare at him watching as Robert's eyes meet mine with a glimmer of something I couldn’t place.

"Pathetic," his father spat softly.

I frowned and kept my eyes on Robert, my mouth opened, before I pressed my lips together. I shook my head slowly and watched as he slid his hands in his pockets while his eyes drifted towards the darkened parking lot.

"Unbelievable," was the only word that left my lips in a whisper, before I sighed and walked into the restaurant.

The chill outside had left me too cold to blush from how angry I felt, and the warmth that enveloped me on entering was a welcome relief. The scent of his jacket still clung to me, and I couldn't help but frown a little harder as I watched the two men through the window. It seemed like his father was the only one that had something to say, while my normally confident fiancé simply stood there, and resembled a wounded kitten. It was a side of him I had never seen before.

I couldn't escape the feeling of being torn apart. Even though my temper seemed to only grow thanks to how he dealt with me, my heart ached for him. I tried to calm myself down, which was made easier by how he appeared in front of his father, so vulnerable, and fragile. I instinctively pulled the oversized jacket tighter around myself as I shifted slightly on my feet, while I chewed on the choice to go back out there.

"Excuse me."

Lost in my thoughts and the heated scene outside, I was jolted back to reality by a soft voice. I turned to see a beautiful blonde woman who stood beside me, her smile was full of warmth and friendliness. Part of me was thankful for this momentary distraction from the emotional tailspin I had been caught in.

"Hello?"

The woman's voice was inviting; her eyes sparkled with curiosity. "You wouldn't happen to be Emma?" she asked with a grin.

I hesitated for a moment, then nodded, still trying to process the abrupt change in the situation. The woman's excitement was palpable as she let out a loud squeal and pulled me into a tight hug. Although I was taken aback, I couldn't help but be swept up in the stranger's enthusiasm. My arms instinctively wrapped around the woman in response. The hug was exactly what I needed to break down the emotional wall I slowly started to build.

“Oh goodness me, you are even cuter than Robby said. Awww Look at that hair, it’s so curly,” her eyes went big as she grinned happily at me.

“Oh. Uh. Thank you, Ma’am.” I stammered as she patted at my curly afro.

“Oh, no need for the Ma’am and Sir stick. I’m Grace, but you can call me Mama!” The woman said as she hugged me again, and squealed once more, her happiness was infectious.

"Oh, thank you, Mama." It came out so naturally.

I couldn't help but smile as the warmth of Grace's embrace and her infectious enthusiasm slowly melted away some of the frustration that had consumed me. Maybe this was what I needed. I giggled a little and hugged Grace back, this time with even more warmth.

“How did you know it was me?”

“Oh, that jacket, it's Cade's,” she tugged at the jacket, and I nodded in agreement.

I nearly forgot that I had it on, and suddenly I felt awkward wearing it. I slipped out of the large jacket and handed it over to her. Just as she took it, I regretted it, as a brisk rush of air swept through the front of the restaurant, which caused my already short red dress to lift just slightly. I glanced over, my eyes fixed on my fiancé as he entered, his normally fair face now flushed a bright crimson, his gaze stubbornly locked onto the floor. Even though I was irritated with him, I didn't want to see him sad. A frown creased my brow as I observed his uncharacteristic behavior, and I couldn't help but shoot a disapproving glare in the direction of his father before I returned my attention to him.

"Sorry, I made us late, Mama," he mumbled, his words tinged with unease.

My confusion deepened, and a hint of frustration bubbled within me as I watched him. This was far more than an unfamiliar side of him, and I was left to wonder how he had ended up in such a state.

"Oh, Baby Boy, it's okay," Grace chimed in, her voice brimming with happiness as she turned her gaze towards me, "I was just saying hello to our Baby Girl. I just hate that it took us this long to get together."

My fiancé stammered, "yeah. Sorry, we've just been a little rushed, what with the planning and-"

"And." interrupted Cade, his voice clipped and demanding, causing my chocolate eyes to lock onto those piercing steel blue orbs once more. It was insane how quickly he could rile me up.

"And work," I added quickly, my tone firm as he turned his sights on me. I glared at him and didn't care for the subtle squint in his eyes. "And visiting other family members. It's just been hard to squeeze everything in."

"Dear, no need for any more explanations," Grace interjected, her warm demeanor returning as she tugged at my arm and my fiancé's, leading us away. Cade followed behind us, and I couldn't help but feel a surge of frustration towards him. What a wonderful occasion this had turned out to be.

As we were escorted to our table, I couldn't help but notice that it was situated furthest away from everything else. It seemed as though it had been added as an afterthought, only used when no other options were available. Or perhaps it was reserved for the most exclusive diners, a notion that I rolled my eyes at. We all settled into our seats, and to my dismay, Cade chose to sit next to me before my fiancé could voice any protest.

"Oh, this is going to be so lovely," Grace exclaimed happily as she perused her menu.

I couldn't help but shift my gaze sideways since I felt my soon-to-be father-in-law's eyes on me. The look I saw dared me to say something about the way he seated us. However, I bit down on any complaints. Despite how rough the initial meeting had gone, I was determined to make a good impression for the sake of my fiancé. A subtle frown tugged at my lips as I turned my attention to the menu, and ran my finger along the options as I contemplated my choices. Just then the waiter arrived to take our drink orders, and Cade's commanding voice silenced the table.

His tone sliced through the air like a knife, "We'll take a bottle of champagne and a selection of your top appetizers."

I frowned firmly, turning my attention to him, watching as he looked over the menu. I cleared my throat, catching the attention of the waiter, as I kept my eyes on Cade, who glanced over at me.

"I'll have a Cherry Martini, dry, please," I looked away just as Cade's brows began to furrow.

My attention went to the waiter, who looked to Cade as if to make sure that was okay.

As if he sensed the rise in tension, he hesitated for a moment and looked between us before he spoke, "Alright, we can get that out to you. Will this all be on one check?"

I looked back to Cade but found myself frozen when I saw the display of emotions that played across his face. I could see disapproval, but there was also something else. The subtle quirk of his brow, and the slightest lift in the corner of his lip as he looked me over appreciatively before he brought his eyes to land on mine again.

"Yes," His eyes squinted at me as if he dared me to speak against him, fuck that, dare I did!

"No," I watched, almost fascinated as he let his jaw roll slowly before his brow lifted. But before he could speak, I couldn’t help but interject. "I can pay for my food."

"You may pay for your food when you take yourself out to eat, but when I am the one who invited you here, I will be taking care of the bill," Cade’s eyes roamed me once more, that look set my heart to flutter again, "and anything else I need to."

His eyes came back to mine, and we stayed locked there for a few tense moments. I reluctantly moved my gaze toward my fiancé, who was displeased with my confrontational attitude. I then shifted my gaze back to my soon-to-be father-in-law and pursed my lips, lifting my shoulder slightly.

"I suppose, I can let this one slide," I conceded softly, my eyes returned to the menu, though my mind was far from the restaurant's offerings.

Why was his gaze so intense? His domineering attitude was so attractive? The sensations were odd, not just that, my fiancé and soon-to-be mother-in-law were sitting right across from us, and bore witness to the entire exchange. I could feel his eyes on me, as I kept my gaze on the menu. My eyes shifted over to the side, as I felt him lay his arm on the back of my chair, my brows furrowed slightly as I pressed back a little, as I tried to tell him to remove his hand, but it didn’t have the desired outcome. He didn't drop his hand, instead, he curled those strong fingers around my arm and made my body tremble as my heart rate sped up. His fingers stroked slowly up, and down before he gripped firmly enough to make me gasp a little, then he went back to gently stroking along my arm. The drinks came, and I was over the moon as I gripped onto mine, and drank down a few healthy swigs.

We ordered the food without incident, but the entire time he kept his arm around me. The intimate gesture mingled so well with the alcohol that I accepted the grip, and longed for the squeezes against my arm that he would give me, as if rewarding me for being a good girl. My fiancé never made me feel like this before, I couldn't help my building arousal, but of course, I blamed that mostly on the alcohol. The food was rather tasty, and as I looked around the table, I frowned when I spied my fiancé leaning against the table, his cup nearly empty, as he grumbled incoherently to himself. I wondered how many cups he'd had, and how we were going to get home since my cup was nearly empty too.

Grace's voice broke my thoughts as she beamed happily between my fiancé and me. "Sooo. Are the wedding plans going well?"

I met her gaze, sensing her hopeful demeanor, and decided to ignore my fiancé's pouting session.

"Yes, so far, it's going well," I replied, a genuine smile formed on my face.

"Oh, good! Well, I can't wait to see how pretty you'll be. You're stunning, my dear," Grace complimented, her kind words warmed my heart.

"Wow, thank you. But you are just as stunning!" I replied, a grin spread across my face. I watched as her cheeks flushed pink, which prompted a soft giggle from me.

"Thank you," she beamed happily, and almost instantly, I felt at ease. “Don’t you both think she will be a beautiful bride?” She opens up the complement to the table.

“I think You’ll look stunning, especially if tonight is any indication,” Cade's voice came out easily as if he weren’t angry just a little while earlier.

The way his voice came out made my thighs squeeze tighter together as I looked over at him. I couldn't help but gulp a little before I offered him a soft smile. It was an unexpected compliment from him, and it made me weary, nervous, and giddy.

“T-Thank...