“I’ve been looking forward to meeting you all week, Josh.” Her mom smiled and not surprisingly hugged Josh. He didn’t hesitate to return the embrace. He even dropped a polite kiss on Marilyn’s cheek.
“Courtney has told me a lot about you and her father, Mrs. Belmont.”
“You’re about to be family. Please call me Marilyn,” her mom said, touching his shoulder. “I’m going to see how dinner is coming along,” she continued. “Your sister went upstairs to take a call, but everyone else is in the living room. I’ll meet you in there.”
For private family gatherings, her parents preferred to use the smaller living room situated near the back of the house. When she paused in the doorway, she found her dad, Uncle Mark, and Uncle Jonathan seated in a small circle, more than likely discussing politics. Her sister-in-law, her cousin Jake, and his wife sat with Abby, her uncle Mark’s third wife, and Courtney’s aunt Judith, while Scott sat on the floor playing with his son.
Earlier in the week, she’d spoken with her dad. Tuesday night, not long after she arrived home, he called to offer his congratulations. Much like her mom, he’d questioned her decision to marry so soon. Then he’d gone on to offer his advice—advice that had included getting a prenup, something she already had an attorney working on, and thinking twice before marrying an actor. He wouldn’t bring up the matter with Josh there, but if they found themselves alone, he wouldn’t hesitate to again suggest she postpone the wedding. Although she recognized her dad only had her best interests in mind, his comments rubbed her the wrong way.
“What’s wrong?” Josh whispered, his breath warm against her skin.
Wrong? Nothing, except she needed to introduce Josh to her dad, and judging by the comments he’d made on the phone, he had already formed an opinion of him—an opinion that was anything but complimentary.
“Honestly, I’m a little nervous.” Josh was on the shortlist of people she could be honest with these days—a situation she didn’t at all care for.
She kept hold of his hand as she walked toward her dad, partially because it helped sell the act, but also because she simply liked the physical contact.
Dad won’t say anything with Josh standing there.
If Harrison Belmont was anything, it was proper and polite. Actually, both her parents were. In fact, she couldn’t remember a time when either of her parents had done something that embarrassed her, which was something most of her friends couldn’t say about their parents.
Her dad stood and met them before they reached the group. “Your mom was getting worried about you.” Harrison put his arms around her and kissed her cheek. “Did you hit a lot of traffic?”
Shaking her head, she returned the hug before stepping back. “We just got a late start.” Courtney put her arm around Josh’s waist. “Dad, this is Josh.”
Extending his hand in Josh’s direction, her dad offered up a tight smile. “It’s nice to meet you.” He gestured toward where he’d been sitting and clapped Josh on the shoulder. “Let me introduce you to Courtney’s uncles.”
Talk about being brought into the lion’s den. The way she saw it, Josh had no choice but to follow her dad, and she had no intention of sending him in alone.
By the time Josh finished shaking hands with her two uncles, Juliette had entered the room. No matter the time or place, her sister always looked as if she’d just come from one of her photo shoots. Tonight wasn’t any different.
“Arriving late. You really are becoming more like me,” her sister said as she hugged her. Unlike everyone else so far, when Juliette smiled at Josh it was genuine. “We met last year at one of Seth Vallencourt’s parties. It’s nice to see you again.”
Josh returned her sister’s embrace. “I remember, I was with….”
He didn’t need to finish his sentence. Thanks to her conversation with Juliette earlier this week, Courtney already knew whom he’d been with. A bowling ball settled in her stomach as she remembered how Juliette had said Selena Cruise had been draped all over Josh that night.
Who he’d been with before they met didn’t matter. At least, it shouldn’t matter, especially since they weren’t getting married for love. The evil green-eyed monster didn’t seem to realize that fact.
“I’m sorry I was gone so long. Your aunt Elizabeth called. She said she tried calling you earlier today but got your voice mail,” Mom said, entering the room and joining them.
Thanks a lot, Mom. Her lousy timing had saved Josh from finishing his sentence. While the party had happened months before they met, Courtney wondered if he would’ve been honest about whom had he been with that night.
“She asked me to pass along her and Warren’s congratulations. She wants you to call her when you have a chance,” her mom continued before turning her attention to the room as a whole. “Dinner will be ready in a few minutes.”
Before her mom could bring up the wedding or any other questions she didn’t want to answer right now, Courtney grabbed Josh’s hand and led him over to where the rest of the family was gathered. The move would only postpone her mom’s comments, but for now, she’d take what she could get.
Again, formal introductions seemed unnecessary. Even if they’d never seen any of Josh’s movies, the chances of her family members never seeing a picture of him somewhere was slim. Still, she did what her manners dictated and introduced Josh first to her aunt Judith and then to Abby, Uncle Mark’s third wife, a woman she’d known long before she married into the family nine years ago. She and Donna Sherbrooke, her uncle Mark’s first wife and her dad’s sister, had been best friends for years. Even after Aunt Donna’s death almost twenty years ago, Abby had remained close to the family. Once she’d introduced Josh to the women of the group, she moved on to perhaps her favorite person there.
“This gorgeous guy is Cooper,” she said, scooping up her nephew. Settling him on her hip, she kissed his forehead and again wondered how it was possible Cooper was already over a year old and walking. It truly seemed like just the other day she’d held him while making sure to support his tiny head.
“I guess it’s a good thing we’ve met,” Scott said, extending his hand toward Josh. “It’s nice to see you again.”
Annoying her older brother was one of those things she’d loved doing when they were younger and something she had never fully outgrown. These days she didn’t get much of an opportunity, since he spent most of his time in New York. “Hey, I was getting to you. Some people are simply more important though. Right, Cooper?” Cooper giggled when she tickled him.
She glanced away from her nephew as her brother’s words sank in. “You’ve met?” Trent and Josh were friends. They had been for years. Considering Trent’s lifestyle before he met his wife, it didn’t surprise her. But her brother had never been anything like Trent.
“When I was with Nicole, we attended a few of the same parties as Josh,” Scott replied.