Embry sat in the passenger seat of Luke’s Rover as they cruised down the highway on the way to the Hamptons. She was on Thanksgiving break, which gave her a few days to recharge before finals began. She was lost in her thoughts as she stared out the window and watched the Pine Barrens go by in a blur. Butterflies kicked up a storm in her stomach the closer they got to her parents’ house. She hadn’t brought anyone home since Jack.
When she’d called her parents and asked if she could bring her boyfriend to Thanksgiving, they tried to hide the surprise in their voices. She’d been avoiding her parents since her mother had called about Jack. She gave them short conversations here or there, always making the excuse that she had to get back to studying. She hadn’t even told them she’d been seeing someone, and then she sprung him on them. They’d handled it well though, welcoming Luke without asking too many questions. She and Luke only planned on staying a day or two since she had to get back to study for finals, but she was excited to show him her hometown and spend some time with her family.
Luke pulled into her driveway a while later. “Nice place.”
Embry felt warmth envelope her at the sight of her childhood home. It was nice. It was a modest log cabin, set back from the road and surrounded by acres of land. She was flooded with memories as she sat staring out the windshield. When she’d run from Jack, she’d run from everything else too, including her loving and supportive parents. She didn’t know why she could never bring herself to tell them about Jack. She wasn’t sure if she was afraid of ruining their image of him or of her. She’d grown up surrounded by love, and she was ashamed that she’d fallen into an abusive relationship. Would her parents think less of her that she’d let someone treat her so poorly? Would they be angry that she kept it from them? She knew she needed to talk to them—and Luke—about Jack, but Thanksgiving was hardly the time or the place.
Luke ran his fingers down her cheek, recapturing her attention. “Ready, baby?”
Embry nodded. “I’m nervous.”
Luke leaned in to place a soft kiss on her lips. “I’ve got you.”
They’d talked multiple times about how they’d handle his profession with her parents. To put it simply, they were going to lie. Luke had been against the idea at first. He was willing to sacrifice their opinion of him and tell them the truth—hoping they’d respect him more for that—but Embry knew her parents wouldn’t overlook the fact that she was dating her professor. She and Luke had enough on their plate; the last thing they needed was to involve her parents. If it was up to him, he would’ve waited to meet her parents until they were no longer in their compromising situation, but he made it clear that if she wanted him at Thanksgiving, he’d be there. Somehow, even though he was the one who would be under scrutiny, he was reassuring her.
Luke walked around the car, helped her out, and tucked her into his side to shield her from the cold. White smoke curled out of the chimney, the smell of wood burning carrying on the breeze, and Embry was anxious to get out of the wintery weather and warm up with her family.
She stepped through the front door, Luke close behind her, and saw her mother coming down the hallway to greet them. Her mother was beautiful, but Embry looked nothing like her. Celia Jacobs was tall and willowy with rich brown hair. Embry had inherited only her height and her thick hair.
Her mother wiped her hands on her apron. “Come in, come in.”
The house smelled delicious, a mix of turkey, stuffing, and mulled spices. “It smells great in here, Mom,” Embry said as her mother pulled her into her arms.
“Oh, it’s so good to see you, sweetie,” her mother cooed.
“You too, Mom.” Embry felt as though she was five years old again. Extracting herself from her mother’s arms, she turned to introduce Luke and found her mother’s eyes already on him.
“You must be Luke,” her mother said with a smile.
“Mrs. Jacobs,” Luke said in his sexy southern rasp, bending to kiss her mother on the cheek. “Pleasure to meet you.”
Her mother swooned. “So nice to meet you, Luke. Please call me Celia.”
Embry chuckled to herself. That was easy.
“Is that my daughter?” her father’s voice called from the kitchen.
“Yes, Dean, they’re here!” her mother called. “Give me your coats and go say hi to your father.”
Handing off their jackets, Embry grabbed Luke and headed for the kitchen.
Her father spotted them, pulled off his apron, and pulled Embry into an embrace. “How’s my girl?” He held her out to give her the once-over.
“Good, Dad.” She motioned toward Luke. “Dad, this is my boyfriend, Luke.”
Luke approached and stuck his hand out to shake her father’s. “Sir.”
“Hello, Luke.” Her father gave Luke’s hand a solid shake. “Dean Jacobs. Nice to meet you.”
“You too, Mr. Jacobs. Thank you for having me.”
Her father nodded and turned back to Embry. He was a handsome man, tall, and still in good shape for his age. He had salt-and-pepper hair and wore thick-framed glasses. As far as features went, Embry was his spitting image. They had identical coloring, and she shared his nose and eyes, including the bright green color. She also mirrored his humor and personality.
“Why don’t you go help your mother finish setting the table and give me a few minutes to get to know Luke here?” He directed his attention back to Luke. “Do you know your way around a kitchen, son?”
“Yes, sir, I do.”
Embry smiled. She glanced at Luke, making sure he was comfortable. He gave her a wink, and she set off to help her mother.
Luke and Embry settled in at the dining room table as Embry’s mother poured some wine and her father carved the turkey. It would be a quiet Thanksgiving, just the four of them. Embry’s aunt and uncle alternated every other year with their families, and that was the off year. She was glad to have the time with just Luke and her parents. It would’ve been a bit overwhelming introducing him to the extended family as well. They chatted idly while they ate.
“Do I hear a bit of a southern accent, Luke? Where are you from?” Celia asked.
A slight blush stained Luke’s cheeks. “Yes, ma’am. I’m from Savannah, Georgia.”
“Oh! Savannah! Did you hear that, Dean?” her mom asked, pulling her father into the conversation. “We drove down to visit Embry a few times when she was at the University of Florida, and we always stopped in Savannah. We love it there. Beautiful town.”
“Yes, it is,” Luke said. He turned toward Embry with a smile and placed his hand on her thigh. “Have you been?”
His touch warmed her. She loved that he wasn’t afraid to show her affection in front of her family. “Nope. I hear it’s a great town.”
He nodded. “We’ll have to visit.”
She beamed at him, thrilled at the idea of visiting his hometown and meeting his family.
Her parents kept him talking about Savannah for quite some time. After that, they asked Luke all about his family. The conversation was nice and relaxed, until her father decided to go in for the kill.
“So what is it that you do, Lucas? You don’t mind if I call you Lucas, do you?”
“I don’t mind at all, sir. I’m an attorney.”
“Did you two meet through the law school?” her mother chimed in.
The interrogation had officially begun. Embry was glad that Luke seemed so comfortable because she was squirming in her seat.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said. “I stopped in to meet with a colleague, and Embry and I literally ran into each other in the hallway.”