“Hello. I’m Rhys Kent. It’s so very nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor.” With his enigmatic smile, he’d already charmed Mom. She had a huge grin on her face. “From pictures, I didn’t realize what Lilah was saying, but now I see that it’s a huge compliment when she says I resemble you.” Immediately, my father was all smiles, too.
“Hello Rhys. Welcome to our home. We weren’t expecting you,” Mom said and moved us all into the family room. No sooner had we sat, than my three brothers joined us.
“Hi. I’m Rhys. You must be DJ.”
“Yeah, uh, hi.” My younger brother sounded like any teenager. “May I be excused?” he asked Mom. “I need to finish my homework before Jacob and I head to the baseball game.”
“Yes, DJ, you may be excused.” There was so much love in Mom’s eyes. Being the youngest, and Dad’s mini-me, DJ would always be the favorite. That was the same for all the youngests. Jacob, Maxie, and Nicolette held center-court at every family function.
“Nice meeting you,” my brother surprisingly blurted as he hopped upstairs.
“Same here. I hope we can chat soon.” I was so proud of Rhys for trying to acquaint himself with this intimidating family. “So, where can I find this ‘May I Date Your Daughter?’ application?” he asked with sincerity.
No surprise, Dad had one nearby and handed it to him. “Has Delilah told you about our voting policy?”
Rhys couldn’t hide his amusement. “She has, and I can’t wait to meet all the family members who have a vote. My Lilah has been nervous since I asked her to marry me. I thought the best thing to do would be to come here and settle her worries. I think I’m a fairly likeable guy. I’m hoping you will all agree with me.”
I could tell Mom was about there. She liked him a lot. Dad, despite having his ego stroked in the beginning, wasn’t as taken.
“What do you do, Rhys?” Henry asked.
“How do you plan on supporting our sister?” Scottie joined.
“You’re holding back my brilliant girl from achieving all that she can. Her future is on hold because of you. What will you do to help her succeed? I don’t like her waiting for you to decide what you’ll do with your life.” Dad was a bit harsh with his statement. Once Rhys was voted into the family, our lives would move on as planned.
“I’d like to hear about your family, Rhys. Do your parents and brothers approve of our baby girl?” Mom was the last one to ask.
My fiancé didn’t bat an eye at all these questions. He answered them like a pro. Starting with my mother, he explained, “Mum and Father love Lilah almost as much as I do. Love, adore, infatuated, obsessed—take your pick, they wanted us married the moment they met her. My brothers and their wives, aside from the small complaint that Mum and Dad have completely forgotten them, find Lilah simply charming.”
I added, “Rhys’ family is very much like ours, Mom. They are close. You can ask Uncle Michael and Auntie Chloe. The Kents and Benningtons are longtime family friends.” That satisfied Mom, for now.
Next, Rhys spoke to my brothers. “Depending on our marriage plans, I will attend Oxford Graduate School and earn a degree in diplomatic studies. Since Lilah is gifted with languages, I was hoping she’d continue in linguistics and we could live around the world. As for finances, our family has some money set aside for me, and we should be fine dipping into those funds where needed. Once I’m employed, the basics should be covered with my paycheck. Anything extra will be covered with my trust fund.” My brothers had nothing to say in response. If I explained to Henry and Scottie how deep the Kent family coffer ran, they wouldn’t ever worry again about their sister being provided for—not that wealth impressed them or my parents.
Last, Rhys had to respond to my dad’s question, but with tact. It was my parents holding us back right now. “Just like you tried with your fiancée, I’d like to travel the world with my wife the first year. According to Lilah, between your family and ours, I think we have homes just about everywhere. It would be nice to take advantage of such luxury before we have to face responsibilities and before we have children. Marrying young, we can enjoy life a few years before we’re wedded to our kids.”
I loved Rhys’ answers and I loved this man. Dad went silent—though he didn’t stay that way for long. “Where will you settle? I don’t want to be one of those fathers who sees his daughter and grandchildren once a year.”
“Once we’re settled, I was hoping I could buy Michael and Chloe’s home on this block. Lilah says there are no other homes for purchase. If that’s not possible, I thought it would be nice to buy a home nearby. That appears to be the only viable answer to staying close to you and Mrs. Taylor. Of course, we’ll spend much time in England, too. During those months, you’re welcome to stay with us. All our homes have guest homes on the properties.”
It was comical to see my talkative father, speechless. I knew better than to laugh, but a smile couldn’t be helped. Even Mom held back a giggle when she saw Dad thinking of a counter-argument.
“How about we invite the family over for dinner tonight and have them get to know you? I think a vote is imminent.” Mom was the best! She liked Rhys and wanted us to succeed.
“Sounds good,” Dad agreed. “Fill out your form and if the family feels you’ve passed the meet and greet, we’ll go over your application and decide on when to vote.”
“Yes, Sir.”
That was it. My family left us alone in the family room and they went about their business.
“You did it! I knew my family would love you.” I hugged my fiancé tightly; I was so damn happy.
He hugged me back just as firmly. “I can’t say they loved me, but I was thrilled when I saw a smile on your mother’s face. She really is beautiful, Lilah. You are the spitting image of your mom.”
“I can’t wait until the rest of my family meets you. Ellie’s been singing your praises to her family, so I know at least Auntie Emily is on your side. All the women will love you.”
“Unfortunately, my fair lady, your family is mostly men,” he lamented with a smile. “What shall we do until tonight’s dinner?”
“How about I call out all my cousins? You can meet them and win them over before the rest of the family arrives. That way, you’ll have a head start.”
“Where will we meet the lot? You said there are close to one hundred cousins?”
“We can meet at the park. I’ll call a few restaurants and order snacks. In the meanwhile, let’s enlist Ellie and James. They’ll help us. James is the nicest one on this cul-de-sac.”
“Sounds like you have everything figured out, my fair lady. At this rate, we can marry next month.”
“Next month??? A little soon, don’t you think?”
“The sooner the better, Lilah.”
I seriously loved this man! I couldn’t wait to start our future ASAP.