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“Pearl. It’s nice to meetcha. You work at Gem’s, right?”
I swallow tightly and nod. “Yes sir, Mr. Bennett.”
“Call me Sam,” he replies. His smile is easygoing, but I don’t miss the questioning glance he aims at River.
Sarah cuts him off by flinging herself at me. I flinch, but she hugs me so hard that I can’t breathe for a second. She seems to be over the moon.
“Pearl!” She releases me but grips my upper arms, beaming up into my face. “I’m so happy you’re here! River has never brought a girlfriend to meet me. You’re the only one.”
“Mom. Please. Let Pearl go,” River says. There’s a slight edge to his voice.
Sarah immediately drops her hand and steps back. She wraps her arms around her waist and bites her lip. Sam eases over to her, comforting her with an arm around her waist. “Why are you suddenly interested in introducing us to your dates, River?”
Sam pins River with a look. I have to give him credit because he doesn’t even miss a beat. “I just felt like it was time.” He drapes his arm over my shoulders, casually. “We just celebrated our two-year anniversary.”
Sarah’s jaw drops. Sam narrows his eyes.
“River!” his mother cries. “You’ve been dating for two years? Where have you been keeping her?”
“You sat at the dinner table and complained about the monogamy mindset way too many times for me to believe that, son.” Sam looks disbelieving.
My heart rate soars. I see River stiffen. His jaw clenches and something in his eyes hardens. “When have you ever given me the benefit of the doubt, Sam?” he tosses off.
Sarah jumps in, putting herself between the two men.
“Boys, please. We aren’t going to rehash old grievances here and now. This is a benefit for kids, for god’s sake.” She smiles gently at me. “I hope River will bring you around again. I would love to get to know you better when it’s a little quieter.”
I smile nervously at her and tip my head. “Yes ma’am. I’d like that.”
A tall man with dark hair and dashing good looks elbows his way into the circle. “Dad, can you give me your car keys? I forgot the cue cards for my speech in the car.”
River’s arm tightens around my waist.
“Pearl, this is my brother Rhett. Rhett, this is Pearl.” His lips form a thin smile. “My girlfriend. Rhett’s the doctor of the family.”
Rhett shoves a hand through his hair, squinting his eyes at the pair of us. His examination of me is a little longer, his eyes traveling down my figure. His lips part, surprised. “Girlfriend?” He offers me a handshake and the hint of a smile. “I think I recognize you from Gem’s, right? You must be amazing for River to bring you to meet our parents.”
Stiffening, I force a smile. “Nice to meet you, too.”
Rhett chuckles. “Sorry. I was just caught off guard. It really is a pleasure.”
He rumbles the last bit, looking contrite. He’s very attractive, as are all River’s brothers that I’ve met. But add a sparkling pair of light blue eyes and a white doctor’s coat to the mix?
Yeah, I can see that Rhett is probably a lady killer. He turns back to Sam and holds his hand out.
“Keys?” he prompts.
Sam hands them over just as a bunch of middle-aged ladies in their silk gowns and rustling crinolines inject themselves into our circle. The circle is demolished, quickly turning into small cliques of two and three.
“Sarah, darling!” crows one of the ladies. “This is such a lovely soiree. Thank you for inviting me. Have you met Loretta Haines?”
River looks down at me, his lips quirking. “I think this is our chance to escape.”
He pulls me away from the group, heading for the bar. I let out a huge breath and roll my shoulders a few times.
“That went better than I expected,” I admit. “Your family was nice.” I pause, wincing slightly. “Well, your mom and brother were, anyway. It seems like your dad wasn’t really convinced by our playacting.”
“Sam’s my stepdad,” River corrects me. “And you were perfect. He’s just really skeptical of me. There’s a lot of history there. It’s a long story, honestly. Too much for tonight.”
