Page 99 of Obey

“And you’re still with that delicious drink of water, right?” Her eyes narrow like she’ll kick me out of her knitting cult if I say I’m not with Jagger, and considering how some of the ladies behind her are already on the edge of their seats waiting for an answer, she probably has the votes.

My cheeks burn. “Yes, ma’am. I am still with Jagger.”

Philomena fans herself. “Lucky bitch.”

Mama introduces herself to the ladies and while they make space, I order three drinks. Mariam is on her way. I can’t tell if Mama and Mariam schemed to quick-learn how to knit and crochet so we could do this activity together when Mama is in town, or if they’ve always been crafty and simply needed an excuse to get out and hang out.

The dads are watching sports together, and Jagger’s doing some extra hours at the shop so we can get away early to go out for Addison’s birthday dinner. Except, it’s not at all her birthday dinner. It’s her engagement dinner.

I found Thor staring at the ring last week in Protocol. Poor guy was pooping his pants. I assured him I wouldn’t spill the beans, and she will absolutely, positively say yes to his proposal.

The ring is blindingly gorgeous. Like, a weapon-of-mass-destruction level huge. Way too big for me, but absolutely perfect for Adi. She’s going to love it. I told him that, too.

By the time I sit down with our sloshing mugs of various hot drinks, Mariam has already crammed herself in between Betty and Philomena and is making new friends as she untangles two projects that were shoved in her bag.

“Stitch and Bitch with the mother in law, Talia.” Betty clicks her tongue.

“Does this mean you and Jagger are going to tie the knot soon?” Philomena smirks over at me, expectation in her eyes.

I flap my hand at them, ignoring the stares of both Mama and Mariam. “It’s barely been seven months you guys.”

“When you know, you know.” One of the other ladies pokes me in the arm. “And we all knew when we got snowed in. Get with the program, Talia, dear.”

It’s hard not to laugh, but she’s also not wrong. I do love Jagger with all my heart, and if the last six months have taught me anything, it’s that the more time that passes, the more I love him. There’s no taking anything back at this point. We’re end game. I know it, and he knows it, but I’m not going to rush or push him into anything.

“He’ll be ready when he’s ready, y’all.” Leaning into my Southern roots makes Mama smile. “And if he’s never ready, he’s never ready. I don’t need a piece of paper to tell me that he loves me. I feel that in here.” I touch my chest.

“Okay, but y’all’re gonna give me grandbabies, right?” The concern in Mama’s voice makes me giggle, especially when Mariam puts down her coffee cup and levels me with a stare.

“Talia, baby, please don’t tell me we’re not getting grandbabies. I know it’s your body, your choice and all, but... you’d make the most beautiful human beings this world has ever seen.” She already knows we want kids, in fact, we want kids more than we want to get married.

I’m tempted to throw my skein of yarn at her. “Yes, Mama, yes Mariam, yes, Betty, Gertie and Philomena, we are hoping to have a whole army of little Jaggers and Talias running around tugging on all your yarn projects.”

Mama claps her hands together, Mariam picks her coffee up and takes a long slurp before nodding. My suspicions that they’ve already picked out our kids’ names are confirmed as I watch both our mothers interact with the women we met whenfate brought us together and snowed us in at the hotel. They’ve even picked out the flowers for the wedding, and one of the women in the group’s grandson is in a band that would be “perfect” for my vibe.

I’m not sure what vibe that is, but it’s making them happy to talk about a future for Jagger and I, and since that discussion also makes me happy, I can’t bring myself to ask them to stop, even if it may never come to pass.

By six o’clock, I’m starving. I came so close to blurting out the surprise to Addison as we drove to the restaurant for her birthday meal. As much as my guy hates people, and groups of people, he’s becoming more social for my benefit.

And my getting closer with the girls is giving him an excuse or permission to get closer to the guys, too. He may pretend he hates people, but his own people...? He really freakin’ loves, and he’s even getting better about showing it.

It’s been enjoyable to watch. He hugged Thor last week, and the poor guy thought Jagger was dying or something.

Speaking of Thor, he’s pale as a sheet. He’s recently cut his hair, so he can’t even hide behind the curtain of locks. Jagger knocks Thor’s knee with his own shortly after we’re seated.

I’m not sure Addison has noticed her guy is a bag of nervous energy, but I’m drowning in it, gulping it down as it rolls off him in waves. Hopefully he’s not going to make us all wait until the end of the night before he pops the question.

Slade and Paige are the last of our party to be seated, and from the disheveled nature of Slade’s tie and the lipstick marks on his cheek, they’ve been here for longer than we’ve known.

It’s weird to me that they’re together considering how much Paige loathed him when we first met, but it works. I guess all that chemistry meant it couldn’t not work, right?

The server pours champagne for everyone, except Mackenzie who told us last week she and Austin are expecting. My heart isso full for my friends. I may not have known them for as long as they’ve known each other but each of them is family to me all the same.

Thor picks up a spoon and clinks his glass, bringing a hush to the table. “Can I have everyone’s attention please?”

At this point, there’s not a single person in the restaurant who isn’t watching us.

“I know we’re here tonight to belatedly celebrate Addison’s birthday from last week, but that’s not really why I asked you all to join us.”

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