Page 37 of The Rancher's Vengeful Heart

"I'll bring her over for dinner," Lucius promised.

"That sounds good."

Lucius could only wince as an awkward pause followed. His entire life, he hadneverfelt the need to introduce any of the women he dated to his parents, much less bring any of them home. Was that why he was having a hard time figuring out what else he had to say about his new wife?

"I'm sorry I'm bad at this," Lucius finally said in a stiff voice.

"You're doing a lot better than you think, Lucius."

The amusement in Alrich's voice took Lucius back to the old days. He was a teenage boy again, and his stepfather was back to being unfathomable.

"Couples who marry for practical reasons are often the ones who are also quicker to give up at the first sign of trouble. It's when you don't have the words, but your heart remains firm..."

Lucius closed his eyes as the meaning behind Aldrich's words hit home.

I love her.

And he only realized he had said this out loud when he heard his mother's heartfelt gasp.

"Oh, Lucius. Oh, Aldrich. Did you hear what our boy just said?"

Lucius could feel another flush staining his skin. His mother might be the only soft-spoken member of their family, but Joy also had a way with words that made them feel like little kids again.

"I can't believe you're all grown up now," Joy exclaimed tearfully. "I've been praying all this time, but a part of me never really...oh, Lucius. You've made me so happy. And excited. When are you bringing her over? And her name is Tassina, isn't it? What does she like? Does she have any—-"

"It's your son's wedding day, sweetheart," Aldrich interrupted his wife with a chuckle. Let's give Lucius and his wife some time together before we start bombarding their questions."

Lucius felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders after speaking to his parents. It came as no surprise to him that even his own mother hadn't been inclined to hope that he had it in him to fall in love.

With Stanley Young as their biological father, it was already a miracle that he and his other siblings hadn't turned into homicidal, cocaine-snorting narcissists. Or maybe it wasn't a miracle at all, with a mother like theirs, and later on, a stepfather in Aldrich Lim, who was the opposite of Stanley.

Regardless of the reason, Lucius had come to realize just how much it mattered to have his parents' blessings, and when he joined his wife in Foxtown's most expensive suite after his shower, and he saw the glow on her face—-

"Did you have a good talk with your best friend?"

"Really...good." Her voice caught in the end, with her attention distracted by the way Lucius had gotten rid of his jacket andcravat. He started unbuttoning his shirt next, and Tassi found herself gulping as inch after bronzed inch of his muscular chest was bared to her sight.

"I spoke to my parents as well."

"O-Oh?" Tassy was feeling hot in the face with Lucius now standing bare-chested in front of her.

"But—-"

B-Bu...b-bulge!

"I'm afraid—-"

Afraid, yes, she absolutely was afraid by that...that bulge she had just noticed!

"I can't—-"

Can't that be real? Can't that fit? Can't that—-

"—-say the same."

Can...he repeat that?

She gave herself a mental shake and struggled to recall the context of their conversation. Lucius had asked about how her talk with Stella went, she had told him their talk had been really good, and then he had told her about his own conversation with his parents—-

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