Chapter 39

39

TALLULAH

N iall and I had been living together for a few weeks now, and so far, everything about it was amazing. Life was grand and arguments were few.

It turned out that we liked the toilet paper put on the same way around. Neither of us had any problem with shedding clothes and leaving them on the floor at first, as long as they were in the hamper by the time we left the room. We both needed our morning coffee before we got started with the day and we both loved watching movies in bed while we fell asleep.

With my clothes in the closet, my toiletries in the bathroom, and a home office just for me decked out on the first floor, this place was really starting to feel like home. I was even getting comfortable being here without him, which was wonderful considering that I now worked mostly from here while he went into the office every day.

Possibly the biggest boon of all was having Miss Jenny in the area. I still liked working on the porch sometimes or just having a quick sandwich or coffee out there when I took a break, and whenever I was outside, Miss Jenny was there too.

Such an institution in this neighborhood and yet, such a sweet, caring, flamboyant person to boot. I loved her.

The only point of contention between us all so far was that Miss Jenny was of the opinion I should take Niall’s credit card and go shopping for the house. She insisted that I should add my personal touch to it now, and once she’d said so to Niall, he had been all for it.

On the other side, I was a lone figure of refusal. Even Sayra and Jake had taken Miss Jenny and Niall’s side. It seemed no one could understand why I didn’t want to redecorate at his expense, but the truth was that I adored this house exactly the way it was.

Niall had kept a lot of the original furniture and décor, specifically in the parts of the house that were open to the public for tours, and it would completely ruin the aesthetic to stick a bunch of modern paintings on the walls or put cutesy knickknacks everywhere.

It’d taken a while to reach a compromise, and I definitely couldn’t confidently say that Niall was happy with the middle ground we’d agreed to. I’d bought some new bedding for our bedroom and a few other small things for the living room, but I’d left the rest as it had been.

Every now and then, he was still making suggestions as to rooms I could redecorate or things I could change, which was what made me so sure he wasn’t satisfied with our compromise. I would get there, though. Eventually.

For now, I was perfectly happy with our new, royal blue bedding and the space in my office, which I had added a few personal touches to. As I leaned back in my chair, I looked around, eyeing the indoor plants I’d bought to brighten the room and the quirky, Alice in Wonderland-esque teapot decoration I was using as a paperweight on my desk.

I smiled and closed my laptop for the day when I caught sight of the time on the melted clock I’d hung on the bookshelf. Work at the moment was nice and slow, which had given me time to settle in. I had more than enough to do, but the pace was such that I never had to come in here after hours at the moment.

I was wrapping up preparations on the remaining fall-themed festivals and events happening at Niall’s properties. I already had all the private parties being hosted at his venues organized, and the Thanksgiving dinners that would be held at the plantation were practically finalized.

I’d inherited most of the arrangements for those from my predecessor, who hadn’t been formally appointed as a project manager, but rather just an employee who had taken the lead on some of the events. It had been easy to see that his heart hadn’t been in the job, and I’d made a few tweaks to ensure that this year’s dinners would be something to remember.

I had made myself at home on cloud nine ever since Niall had proposed, and as I stood up from behind my desk, I decided to try to cook him dinner. I had a bit of time before he’d be getting home from the office and I hadn’t really ventured into the kitchen yet as the person doing the feeding, rather than being fed when Niall cooked.

Striding out of the office with my mind made up and a dish in mind, I took off down the corridor and smiled when I realized the route I’d chosen put me directly on the path to where I’d first laid eyes on him. It was hard to believe how far we’d come since then, but as I reached the spot where Cathy had decided to take off just before Niall had come around the corner, I paused.

This was one place I realized I’d like to mark with our personal story, even if other members of the public might end up venturing here. Deciding I’d make this a photo wall with pictures depicting our relationship, I grinned and hurried to the kitchen, getting started with dinner before I pulled out my phone and scrolled through the photographic evidence of how we’d grown together.

Of course, as someone who wasn’t very good at cooking to begin with, my distraction resulted in a burning scent filling the air. I looked up, groaning when I saw wisps of smoke escaping the oven. Tossing my phone down on the counter, I slid off the stool I’d been on and raced over, shutting off the heat and opening the door.

The wisps of smoke turned into plumes as soon as I cracked the door and I coughed, quickly opening it all the way before retreating. “Damn it. It was just pies! How did I mess up pies ?”

A chuckle rang out from behind me and I twisted. Niall walked into the kitchen. He set his laptop bag and keys down on the counter, those blue eyes twinkling as he strode over to me. “I’ve got some spare cash lying around. We’ll order in.”

My lips pursed and I narrowed my eyes at him, but when he winked, I burst out laughing. “Did you really have to get home while I was talking to myself?”

He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “I could leave and give you a minute to berate yourself properly?”

As he said it, he reached me and pulled me into his arms, kissing me. “Better yet, I can cook for us.”

“I know, but I wanted to surprise you.”

“I am surprised. I’ve never come home to a smoky kitchen before.” He grinned, sliding out of his jacket and slinging it over the back of a stool. “Do you only feel like pies, or should we check out what options we have?”

“I’m not even hungry anymore,” I said, walking back up to him and sliding my arms around his waist, tipping my head up to look into his eyes. “Take me to bed, Mr. Morrison. At least I don’t feel useless there.”

He laughed when I smirked up at him, dropping a quick kiss on the tip of my nose. “I guess it’s a good thing I’m not marrying you for your chef skills.”

I scoffed down more laughter. “What chef skills? You’re making it sound like I have some, which obviously, I don’t. I’m going to learn, though. You can’t do all the cooking in the house.”

Lowering his mouth to mine, he spoke against my lips as his hands traveled to my hips. “Why not? I do like the way you show your gratitude.”

He was just leaning in to kiss me again when my phone rang, clattering as it vibrated on the counter. I moaned in protest but reached for the device anyway, taking the call blindly as my gaze remained fixed on his.

“Tallulah speaking,” I said, hoping that whatever it was about, it would be quick.

Then I heard the voice at the other end of the line and I seriously considered hanging up. “Tallulah? It’s Mom. We need to talk.”

My stomach plummeted, shattering as it hit the floor. Niall frowned at the look on my face, his eyes on mine as he moved backward to sit down and brought me with him. Holding my free hand, he spread his legs and pulled me closer to stand between them as I pulled the phone away from my ear and hit speaker.

“Hello, Mother,” I said, my voice dull. “What could we possibly need to talk about?”

“I heard about your supposed engagement through Anita. You remember Anita from church? She saw an article about it on a news site out of New Orleans. Her son lives there. They keep in touch.”

“Okay,” I said slowly. “What about it?”

“It’s ridiculous,” she said, her tone clipped. “What are you thinking, getting engaged to another man? Let alone a man like that. He has a reputation, you know. He’s a womanizer and a trust fund baby. He’s not serious about you.”

I looked into his eyes. “I haven’t spoken to you in years and this is how you start the conversation?”

“Well, of course. I’m concerned about you. Is that how all that debt of yours got paid off? Are you whoring yourself out to this man? It’s despicable, Tallulah.”

“It wasn’t my debt. It was Carter’s, but you already knew that. Why did you call me, Mother? You’re not concerned about me. You haven’t cared about me at all for at least two and a half years, so what’s this really about?”

“Don’t be childish,” she snapped. “You’re my only child. Of course, I care about you. We were simply letting you have your little tantrum, but it’s time to come home now.”

Niall’s eyebrows shot up, but I shook my head at him. I had this. I knew he wanted to intervene and protect me, but his support was all I needed right now. “It’s not a tantrum and I am home. I’m engaged to be married to a man I love who accepts me for who I am. That’s really all you need to know about him.”

“Stop this insolence,” she seethed. “If you come home, to your real home, right now, fixing things with Carter is still an option.”

“Did he put you up to this?” I asked.

She scoffed. “No, in fact, after he asked us to call you about the debt, he told us to just leave you alone. That’s why I’m calling now. First that, and now I hear you’re engaged. He’s going to move on, Tallulah. He’s already starting to.”

I sighed, tears starting to prick at the backs of my eyes as it finally dawned on me that my parents really were never going to change. All this time, I’d held out just the tiniest bit of hope that if I ever spoke to them again, they would actually care about how I was doing, but it was clear now that they didn’t.

All they cared about—still—was that I’d left Carter, contrary to their wishes, and that I hadn’t gone back to him. Gathering all the strength and courage I had, I drew in a deep breath through my nostrils and finally gave it to her straight.

“I would rather fuck myself with a sandpaper dildo than be with Carter again. Is that clear enough for you? He’s a garbage human being and so are you for pushing me to get back with that abusive prick. I have a wonderful man in my life and a job that I’m really good at. If you can’t accept that and if you still can’t accept or understand the choices I’ve made, there’s no point in talking any further. Don’t call me again.”

With that, I hung up the phone and Niall looked at me like I was a superhero. “I’m so proud of you for standing up for yourself. That woman really is terrible. But you handled yourself like a champ.”

Despite the tears in my eyes, I felt a surge of empowerment shooting through me. I suddenly felt stronger and better than I had before. It was like I finally had some sense of closure, and as much as it hurt, I was grateful for it.

“What would you say to a picnic at the plantation for dinner?” I asked, even managing a smile as I looked into his eyes. “We could pick up something to eat on the way, but I think it could be nice to have a romantic picnic on the lawn where I want to get married.”

His eyes widened and a slow grin spread his lips. “Really? You want to get married there?”

I looped my arms around his neck and nodded. “More than anything in the whole wide world. Next fall. What do you say?”

“I say yes. Of course, but next time you propose to me, put some feeling into it,” he joked as he held me tighter. “Say some pretty things. Maybe get me flowers.”

I laughed through the tears that were still clinging to my eyes, and I bent over to lay a big, fat kiss on him. Despite my biological family being such assholes, I’d found a new family right here, in him, and between him, Jake, Sayra, my old roommate Cathy, and all of our elderly neighbors, I couldn’t think of a better family to have.

This was my home now. These were my people. Right here, with Niall, was exactly where I belonged, and I refused to let my past stand in the way of even a single moment of our happiness any longer.

That conversation with my mother had freed me of the last of the hold they’d had on me. I was officially turning the page to start a whole new chapter of my life, and I already knew it was going to be by far the best one yet.