Chapter 14

Nikki POV

I had completely chickened out earlier. Dad had called me 5, maybe 20 times before I finally picked up. Dad’s voice greeted me with the frustration of a person throwing a message into the ocean, waiting in total silence, and just as you lose hope, it suddenly floats right back to your feet. “Buttercup, the phones are mobile nowadays; you do get that right," he lectures me. 

I have always been daddy’s girl; I mean, I have 4 brothers, and I’m the princess in the house. My brothers are amazing; there are 3 older ones, me, and then my baby brother, who just turned 20. He was a surprise and only 2 years younger than me. Facing Dad now and letting him know I got spontaneously hitched may just cause him a heart attack. So I do what I do best when I’m up a creek; I deflect. I start with how Kenna fell head over heels, met an amazing guy, and will pretty soon be in the crosshairs of Satan's spawn, and yes, eventually I rat Kenna out for being about to get married. 

By that stage Mom and Dad were both on the call, Mom’s brain running a million miles a minute already in defense and legal mode. She tells me they are on their way and to avoid contact at all costs and keep Kenna safe. 

She wasn’t too thrilled about hearing Kenna was about to get hitched. Kenna had officially been Momma Beared the moment her mom passed. Mom had a room set up and all at the house so Kenna could be with us, but that girl is as stubborn as a mule at times. We all hated when she would leave and go home; family is not always blood but choice, and we chose her and Aunt Carol the day they set foot in town. I had never seen Mom cry before until the day we buried Aunt Carol; they had become like sisters, and Mom told me she knew everything about her family and had prepared, and when the time came, she would do what proper family does: step up and show up, Kenna was not alone. 

I wait at the airport with Nate, and my nerves are shot. My knee hops impatiently while I wait for the announcement that their plane has landed. “You good over there?" Nate looks at me, worried and stressed himself. It’s been 2 hours since Matt and Kenna walked down the aisle. It’s starting to sink in and really feel a little overwhelming knowing that I need to confess this. I can blow it off as a drunken encounter where stupidity and hormones reigned, but I won’t demean what I feel for Nate that way. 

"They are going to kill me," I tell him. “I don't regret it though. " I tell him as I squeeze his hand. He isn’t like other guys I have met. He is funny and charming. Incredibly good-looking, and no matter what, his eyes do not stray. Everywhere we have been, he is only ever looking at me, not the flashy costumes or barely dressed girls around us, and he actually hears me, asks my opinion, and asks my feelings before just deciding something. Before he told his parent, he had already told me he was not going to hide this and he was going to follow me till the ends of the earth; I was already a goner. 

The screen in front of us finally flashes, showing they landed. Knowing Mom and Dad, they both have carry-ons, so no baggage claim. Nate takes my hand, squeezing it gently. “You know he has guns, right?" I blurt out of nowhere. Nate gives me a grin. "Yep, but luckily they are not allowed on planes.” I snort at the answer. “He is ex-military as well. 2 of my brothers are seals," I look at him again nervously. “Here I thought they were kindergarten teachers giving ballet lessons in their spare time." He smiles again at me. 

And there they are with my youngest brother Bryce following right behind Mom and Dad. Nate follows the direction I’m looking at as they catch sight of me and start heading our way. Mom and Dad are already taking stock, seeing how Matt is holding my hand and the way I look like I’m about to be put under oath. The math is adding up faster then I expected and in 3, 2, 1… Dad’s eyes zero in on my left hand, the finger with the gleaming diamond ring on it. Mom follows a second later. Bryce, bless his heart, is completely oblivious. 

Dad stops in front of us first. "Pumpkin, is there something you would like to say first?" Deer in headlights moment, right here, right now. My mouth opens, closes, opens again, but nothing comes out. Nate extends his right hand. “Sheriff Calloway, Judge Calloway, I'm Nathaniel Westman; we have done things a little bit like putting the cart before the horse. I know how this looks. I cannot undo it, and to be honest, given the chance, I would not want to. I am going to spend the rest of my life making sure your daughter does not regret it.” Dad does not shake his hand, so he slowly drops it, realizing this is something he will have to earn. Mom is in assessment mode; she has already figured out this is Aunt Carol's nephew. I could practically see her eyebrow raise the minute he told her his name. 

Dad looks at me. "Does he make you happy?” he asks me. I blush and smile from ear to ear. "Yeah, he does," I answer honestly, looking over at Nate. Mom starts her interrogation (something tells me she probably knows the answer to some of it); her sharp eyes and quick mind could cut you down faster than my dad could get his gun unholstered, and her greatest weapon is research. “3 questions, 1. Where and what did you study. 2. What do you do for a living and how will you suppose my daughter, 3. What are your intentions going forward?” Mom’s glare could melt a glacier in 5 seconds; Nate, however, is calm and collected. I feel like my knees are about to give out. “Studied at Stanford, specializing in corporate law, compliance, contract management, and negotiations; didn't go into family law, as I did not want that to ever touch my relationship with my wife and family one day. I make a good income and have a small firm with one of my brothers in partnership with me; we make a decent living. Going forward, I plan to love my wife, treat her right, and put her first. I also have a feeling you knew a few of those details before the plane even took off." Mom looks at him, and a faint smile tugs at the corner of her lips. She looks at me then and simply says, “He will do.” Dad finally breaks the stand off and gives me the bear hug I was really needing. 

Bryce, a little slow on the uptake, catches the glint of the ring now, and protective brother mode steps into place. "Oh, we are so having a long, long heart-to-heart. Welcome to the family and good luck."

Out of the corner of my eye I see a guy on one knee and a girl nodding vigorously, and I realize Justin's girlfriend Jen must have also just deboarded her plane. Nate follows my gaze again and smiles. "Looks like in one day this family has multiplied." He took out his phone and snapped a quick pick as Justin slid the ring on. No doubt he will send it to his parent in the next minute as we all walk out to the car to our strategy meeting.