Merry Mitchell (Mitchell/Healy Family #3.5) Read Online Free Page B

to wait, a part of me felt disappointed.
    “How crazy would that be?”
    “I’d have to cancel my tour and all of my plans for the next nine months.”
    “Or eighteen years,” I suggested.
    “True. Thank God I’m not, that’s all I’m going to say about that. I know your mom wants a grandchild, but she’s just going to have to wait a little longer. We still need to get married.”
    “I can call an official to come out here right now and get that taken care of.” It was the truth. They probably couldn’t come out right away, but certainly within the week.
    “Noah, we talked about that. We agreed we’d wait so it can be perfect.”
    “You’re right,” I lied. She had no clue I had it all arranged. She was going to be so surprised when she saw what I’d done for her. “I’m sorry, darlin’. You know I’m only givin’ you a hard time. We’ll get hitched, and eventually we’ll have a couple of kids. We’ve got a lifetime to make it happen.”
    Finally she smiled again, letting me know she was content with my response. I couldn’t lead on that I had a big secret. It was going to be the best day of our lives, so I didn’t feel bad at all about keeping it from her. She’d forgive me when she saw the whole family sitting in that barn waiting for her to walk down the aisle. I could hardly contain my excitement.
    Our little nap was short-lived. Rapping at our door, followed by my mother’s voice got us right out of bed. “Noah, it’s me.”
    “Be right down.” I looked over at Shalan, who was already rummaging around for her clothes. “Shit!”
    “She knows what we’re doing.”
    “She does not. Hurry up. Don’t come downstairs with a red face like you have right now.”
    It didn’t matter to me if my mother knew what we were doing. We were adults, who lived together, but Shalan always wanted everyone to think she was so innocent.
    I found my mother in the kitchen, paying us no mind at all. “Hey, what’s up?”
    She never turned around from what she was doing. “I started this sauce for Shalan. All she has to do is add the macaroni and bake it.”
    “Okay, I’ll tell her.”
    I saw her walk back out of the kitchen without a second glance. “Oh, and Noah, if you’re goin’ to have quickies in the middle of the day, when the whole family is on their way, you should probably lock the door, or at least put a note on it.”
    I scratched my head and watched as she turned around to face me, at the exact moment Shalan was walking down the stairs. I could see the horror in her eyes as she reveled in my mother’s words. “Thanks for the tip, mom. We’ll be more cautious. You know sometimes I just can’t help myself,” I knew she was going to kill me when my mother left. “She gets me all worked up. It’s all her fault.”
    She shook her head. “You are your father’s child. That’s for sure.” She turned to head out. “I’ll see you both at dinner, and Shalan honey, you might want to put your shirt on the right side before then.”
    When I looked over I saw her face as she realized her shirt was on backwards with the tag right under her chin. She sank down on the step and covered her face. “Oh my God. I’m so embarrassed.”
    It was entertaining to me. She was so cute when she was worried.
    “I can’t have dinner with them tonight. She’s going to tell your dad.”
    “My uncle Ty told me that one Thanksgiving my parents were caught doin’ it in the pantry.”
    Shalan looked up and let out a tiny snicker. “Really? They did that while everyone was around?”
    I shrugged. “Apparently. I guess I get it honestly.”
    “I better go get changed. I can’t look at your mom while I’m wearing these clothes. I might as well burn them now.”
    I laughed as she marched up the stairs, feeling humiliated.
    While I sat down waiting for my girlfriend to stop freaking out, I began going through the bag and box from my mother. It wasn’t surprising that I found a little present from my