Page 18 of Staying for Her

“This is Billie, she’s my fiancée.” My voice is clear as I take Billie’s hand in mine and wait for the barrage of comments that are coming our way. But when no one speaks, I look up to see my family staring at me with shock plastered on their faces.

“You actually are engaged?” my mother chokes out, her eyes flicking to my sister, who looks pissed. “When did this happen!” She looks toward my father, who then looks at me.

“This morning.” I wanted to be as truthful as I can be, needing to be rooted in some kind of truth right now. My eyes cast down to see Billie’s, peering up at me and a smile gracing her beautiful face.

“You cannot be serious. This morning?” My father’s voice is like thunder in the room as all eyes land on his powerful form. “Son, I know you want this money and I understand that your mother gave you an ultimatum, but we were hoping you would just allow us to find a suitable bride for you, one that fits our… standards.” His eyes rake over her from head to toe and I can see her fight the urge to shrink down. “That’s all we want.”

That’s all they’ve ever wanted, was to marry me off like some kind of fifth-century aristocrat. But that’s not who I am. That’s not who I will ever be.

“Well, he’s taken,” Billie states matter-of-factly, and as much as I love that she’s sticking up for our relationship, I know that wasn’t the best thing to say right now.

So I take her hand and pull her toward my side, folding her against me as I lean down and whisper in her ear.

“Calm yourself, baby, just let me do the talking, okay?” I plead, her eyes telling me she wants to do anything but follow my directions and God, I love her for it.

“I know you guys wanted to set me up, it was one of the reasons I left home when I did and never came back,” I say through gritted teeth, the tension washing off me in waves.

My mother opens her mouth to spew some ridiculous lies, but I continue before she can.

“But I wanted to bring Billie here because I wanted you to meet the woman that I’m going to spend the rest of my life with. Can we at least be civil and try and get along?” I never thought I would plead with my parents to accept someone, but the thought of Billie sitting here in front of a firing squad causes every muscle in my body to lock. I can’t do that to her.

“Fine,” my mother mutters as she gestures for us to sit on the couch opposite them.

We do as we’re told and once we’re sitting, I place a hand on Billie’s knee. My mother’s eyes flash at the contact and I squeeze, loving the small intake of breath I hear from my girl.

“So, Billie? Is that short for something?” my father asks, my shoulders relaxing at the simple question.

“Yes, it’s short for Elizabeth. But I always hated that name and so I went by Billie,” she confesses, a small smile creeping out the corner of my mouth as her eyes peer up at me.

“Your poor mother,” my sister mutters under her breath and my eyes flick up to hers and Lena’s eyes widen. “What? I’m just being honest. Imagine naming your kid a regal, elegant name and then she decides to name herself after a boy?” Lena’s disapproval fills the space around us and when I look at my father for some kind of support, because surely he won’t stand for someone to be disrespected in his home, I get nothing. Typical.

“Actually,” Billie says, her voice hard and strong, her eyes never leaving my sister. “My mother was the one that came up with the nickname. I actually had trouble pronouncing Elizabeth as a child and that’s why I hated it, so she thought Billie would be easier.”

God, the fierceness washing off her right now is sexy as hell.

“So you were stupid too? You really picked a good one, Lucas,” Lena jokes, my mother joining in on the laughter and I growl, my fingers digging into the couch as I try to control my need to throw something across the room.

“It’s okay,” Billie whispers in my ear, her fingers lightly playing with the hair at the base of my skull until I begin to relax.

“What do you do for work?” my mother asks, and I narrow my eyes, knowing I’m on thin ice here, and if they say anything else, I’m likely to storm out.

“I’m a wedding photographer. But I also do family portraits and some baby sessions as well.”

I smile, knowing how much her business means to her and praying that my family doesn’t diminish it. But of course, my father has to open his mouth.

“So you don’t have a real job?”

I take a breath, closing my eyes as I think of what to say that won’t ruin the entire night. Yet the longer I sit here, the more I want to drag Billie out of here. I can’t subject her to this much longer.

“Well, photography is a skill that not everyone can do, and from the reviews of my clients, I would say that I’m pretty damn good at it. And since I do it full time and seem to pay my own way, I’m pretty sure that makes it a real job.”

The respect she’s still giving my father is incredible because if that was me, I would be up and out of my chair, throwing shit across the room. I know this because it happened when I said I wanted to work on bikes.

“What happens when those clients dry up? Have you thought about the long term and how your hobby can’t possibly sustain your lifestyle?”

Billie rolls her eyes, crossing her legs and crossing her arms over her knees, leaning over and glaring at my father. If I wasn’t in my childhood home, that move alone would cause me to pick her up and carry her into the nearest room and show her just how sexy I think she looks right now.

“Since my lifestyle is pretty simple, and I haven’t had a problem keeping clients for the past seven years, I think I’ll be okay.”

---