Page 93 of Somebody to Save
Like he was offended, Andrew glanced back over at his brother. “What are youAndrew-ing me for? It’s the truth. I never thought you would find someone who would make you fold so easily.”
Beckett gave his brother a frustrated glare, and I bit the inside of my cheek, still trying to do anything and everything I could to hide my smile.
“Anyway,” Andrew continued. “I’m excited to get to know you better, Addie. I’m going to run to the restroom before we really get started.” He jogged out the main doors and took a hard right toward the bathrooms.
Beckett began apologizing for his brother, but I waved him off.
“You have nothing to apologize for. I like him. He seems really nice.”
“He is very nice…and also a pain.”
“As I’ve heard siblings are supposed to be,” I said. “And if you and your brother are here, does that mean…”
I peered around Beckett’s large frame and out the doors.
“That my parents are also here? Yes.”
That nervousness I’d tried so hard to keep at bay, flared uponce again. The butterflies in my stomach turned to nausea, and I tried to swallow down the bile rising up my throat.
“God, you look like you’re going to puke,” Beckett commented unhelpfully. He stepped up beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, dipping down to whisper in my ear. “They’re going to love you, Bubbles. Almost as much as I do.”
I jerked my attention up to him, but his face didn’t show any proof of his admission. And I didn’t have the opportunity to react or respond to it when his parents walked into the room and beelined for us.
“Oh my gosh, this must be Addison,” his mom, Jackie, exclaimed.
Swallowing my shock, I plastered on a smile and reached my hand forward. “Yes, it’s so nice to meet you, Ms. Crawford.”
But she didn’t take my offered hand. Instead, she wrapped her arms around me in a sweet, calming embrace. She squeezed once and then stepped back, keeping her hands against my shoulders like she didn’t want me to run off while she got a good look.
She was as beautiful as her photos. Her dark brown hair was swept up in a low updo, and her makeup was pristine. Her cream gown complimented her tan skin, and it wasn’t until she’d hugged me and I saw her next to Beckett that I realized how tall she was.
“Please call me Jackie, and it’s so nice to finally meet you. You are even more beautiful in person.”
“I could say the same about you. You look amazing tonight. Your dress is fantastic.”
She beamed and glanced over at her son. I thought I’d noticed tears welling in her eyes, but then again, maybe it was a trick of all the candlelight.
“Finally.” A voice from behind her spoke up, and Jackie stepped aside. If Andrew was a slightly younger version ofBeckett, his dad, I imagined, was exactly what I expected him to look like in thirty years.
His hair was mostly white with some darker strands throughout and was cut very similar to Andrew’s. His wide smile was surrounded by more mostly white facial hair, and his tux was impeccable.
“I get to meet the beautiful Addison,” he said and offered me his hand. “Unlike my wife, I wait until the second time we meet to go in for the hug. I’m Beckett’s father, Gavin.”
“It’s so great to meet you, Gavin.” Hoping they didn’t hear the nervous quiver in my voice, Beckett stepped closer to me and rested a supportive hand against the small of my back. “Congratulations on thirty years of business. That’s quite an achievement.”
“It is definitely something worth celebrating, but there were a ton of people who helped get to this point. Including my wife and son.” He tossed an arm around his wife’s waist and kissed her cheek. Jackie smiled and patted his chest when Andrew walked up behind him.
“Excuse me,” he said. “Sons.Sons,plural, helped you. He might be the oldest and best at sucking up, but I still count.”
Gavin shook his head and nudged his son’s arm. “Of course, you do. Anyway, Addison, Beckett said you were integral in planning this event? I can tell you already, it’s better than I imagined.”
“Dad, call her Addie,” Andrew chimed in. He glanced between Beckett and me, then held his hand up to stage whisper, “Only Beckett gets to call her Addison.”
I could feel Beckett’s eye roll, but I just laughed. “It’s not a big deal. I’ll answer to either. But to answer your question, yes, I work for Grant Events, who planned the entire night. Under Beckett and Natalie’s guidance, but it turned out really well.”
“If by guidance you mean me nodding and agreeing to whatever you suggested, then sure, we can go with that,” Beckett chimed in and kissed the top of my head like it was no big dealto show affection around his parents, who, by all accounts, also didn’t seem to care. If anything, they seemed pleased with the display, which was more than I hoped for.
“Well, we were hoping to meet your grandmothers soon, too,” Jackie said. “We’re going to be in town for a long stretch coming up, so maybe we can all get together? Beckett has told us nothing but amazing things. Especially about Nana.”
