K A I

Chapter |12| Mother In Law From Hell

E M E R Y ' S P. O. V

I yank out my helix piercing, as well as the other two I have littered on my ears, leaving only a diamond stud in each.

Just as my mother loves.

God this night is going to kill me.

My parents have already expressed their displeasure that I'm bringing around my boyfriend of five months. Not to the mention the fact his last name is Romano and his occupation title does not resemble Doctor in anyway.

I've already briefed Kai on what to expect. The last boyfriend I brought round was obliterated with questions regarding foetal medicine. He was a nurse, and I liked him but that wasn't enough for my overbearing mother.

"Can you put this on for me?" I glance back at Kai through our low light bedroom.

He grabs the steel chain and delicately drapes it around my neck. I stifle a moan as his fingers dance along my bare skin. Then brushes my hair over one shoulder so his lips can meet the cold skin there.

"How long do you think we have?" I feel his fingers trail down my spine, lingering over the zip on my dress.

"Definitely not long enough to fuck." My mother is surgeon. She would be able to deduce our lateness and my wild hair as for us favouring s*x over punctuality.

"But long enough for me to make you c*m so hard you forget all worries." Kai dips his head lower, working his imprint on my cream skin. His hand skates up my thigh now, dipping under my dress.

Uh f**k. "Kai," I wrench away from him, standing by the dresser so there's a good foot between us. "We can't. You don't know my mother. She'll sniff out my post orgasmic glow and hate you even more."

He fights a smile. "How can she hate me? She doesn't even know me."

"You didn't graduate Harvard with an MD, you hear a rule and see it as a challenge to break, you're completely undisciplined and you smile. Way. Too. Much."

That only widens his grin.

"She hates smiling? Next you'll be telling me she dresses in green fur at Christmas and steals all your presents."

"My mother would never dress as the grinch. It's too much fun, but she did give me a Marnie doll once with its head decapitated and tell me to fix it."

"What the f**k?"

"I glued it back on but she said in real life Barbie would dead without a head, even if she lacked a brain to begin with."

"f**k. It's official. I'm scared of your mother."

I laugh, walking into his open arms. I love his hold, his hug. He gives the best hugs but I'll never tell him. It'll inflate his ego too much.

"I know it's not fair. Your mother is so nice and warm. She's like a care bear."

"My mom is like a care bear."

As we pull away, I stare up at him. Lip pouting and puppy dog eyes on full display. "Promise that no matter what happens we don't like her come between us. My mom is vulture for all my relationships. There's only one she been one she's accepted and it's because she set us up. Just promise me you don't let her scare you off."

"I won't Emery. I've seen scarier things than your mom." He isn't joking like usual. Instead, his eyes are almost haunted.

"Like what?"

Suddenly, he snaps himself of whatever stupor he was just in and grins. "Like Kieron buck n***d with a rash all over his a*s. God, Hawaii did him no favours." He laughs but I can hear the sadness in his voice.

He's using his defence mechanism on me and I don't know why. I thought we had grown closer and closer but there's something that makes us freeze, that holds us back.

This makes me think Kai doesn't want to let me in. He's pushing me away, even if he doesn't know it.

"Kai I..."

He sidesteps and walks towards the door. "We should get going. Don't want your mom to kill me before I see your teenage bedroom. I expect One Direction posters everywhere."

***

"Remember not to smile too much, but also don't frown too much. Think about your answers because her questions are usually tricks and...mention how much you like me. A lot."

Okay so maybe that last part for me.

"Babe, I've got this." He kisses my head, arm fixed around my waist just as the door swings open.

"Emery!" I hug my father, still wearing his white work coat. DR D Grayson embroidered on the front.

"Dad. How is she?" I murmur.

"Quiet." He gives me a look as we pull away. We both know that's not good. That means she's thinking, deliberating her actions.

"This is Kai. Kai, my father, Dean Grayson."

"Nice to meet you sir." They shake hands.

"Please call me Dean." My dad is lovely but he's definitely wrapped around my mother's finger, and no matter hard I pull at his strings, they'll never come undone.

If she doesn't like him, my father can't either.

"Sorry, I've just gotten home."

"Late surgery?" I grew up enamoured by his stories. My mom was also a surgeon but she stepped away from the bush career when she fell pregnant with me. Now she's on the hospital board, practically running the intern programme.

"Ten hours. I can barely feel my hands but we saved a life." I love how he always accredits everyone on his team, even if he's the one doing the fine cutting.

"It must be exhausting. Being a surgeon?" Kai and my father make small talk as we enter the dining room. The kitchen conjoins and the smell of roast chicken cooking in the oven lingers.

There she sits. The Queen herself.

My mother's hair is rich red like mine with specks of grey and always neatly tied into a bun. She rises to hug me and then tugs on my dress.

"Mom!" My cheeks flame, especially since Kai is in hearing distance.

"What happened to the black one I sent you?"

"I wanted to wear this one."

"Hmm." That's her signature sigh of disproval. Luckily, I'm her daughter so that's all I receive. She once made her assistant change outfits mid hospital fundraiser just because it clashed with hers.

"Mom, this is Kai. My boyfriend." I'm always incredibly proud whenever I introduce Kai as mine. He's always the hottest and most charming guy in the room, so naturally everyone else is envious.

My mother however...

She stares him down like he's s**t on the bottom of his shoe. Kai doesn't waver, he continues smiling softly and matches her stare unwavering. Eventually she concedes and offers up her hand.

"Eleanor Grayson."

"Lovely to meet you Eleanor."

My mom gestures for us to take a seat at her regal dining table. My father sits opposite me, instead of at the other head, besides my mother. Whilst she, of course takes the head chair.

"I wish I could say the same but I only found out you existed a mere...what two weeks I suppose? Not a lot of time to plan a whole dinner, as well taking time off work."

"I apologise sincerely for any disruption I may have of caused. Obviously, that wasn't my intention." Emery..." He spares me a loving glance, one I can't seem to break away from. "is my first girlfriend. I've never met the parents before, so I'm quite inexperienced in the matter."

I hide my frown. Kai is being polite, well mannered, respectful, but I can't seem to feel like I'm stopping him from being himself. This isn't the man I'm completely enamoured by, but it's a version of himself my parents may accept.

"I understand Emery has already met your parents, your entire family. Does yours take precedence over mine?" Oh mom.

"Of course not, that's not what I meant at all."

"Mom, please. It was me that kept putting this off because every time I invite a boyfriend around you become completely insane."

"Emery!" She reprimands.

"Mom." I seethe. "Kai isn't like the others. I do care about your opinion, but not enough to sit here and let you berate him for the rest of the dinner."

She seems astonished that I'm speaking against her. My father is equally stunned. "Well, a few months with him and you've already turned into a completely irrational little girl."

"Woman, mom. I'm a woman now, and he's a man, and..." I turn to Kai and he grabs my hand in show of solidarity, support.

For a moment, I lose myself in the sheer intensity of his gaze. On his smile that verges on his lips. God, I'm going to say it.

Right now, in-front of my crazy mother, I'm going to say out loud the very words I've burrowed deep for so long.

"And I love him." Kai eyes spark with shock. I struggle to hold back my tears. "I think I've loved him for a while now, and ever since we've been together, he's been nothing but perfect. The perfect man, the perfect boyfriend, the perfect soul to equal mine."

I finally tear away from him, our eyes both glistening wet, and focus on my mom. "I love him mom. Let that be enough."

My dad reaches over the table and squeezes my other hand. "I'm happy for you Em." s**t. With the use of my childhood nickname, I break down, sobbing fat ugly tears. My mom excuses herself.

Kai wraps his arm around my shoulders, turning me towards him so I'm bawling into his smart white shirt. I stain it with my tears and snot, hiccuping insensibly.

"I'm sorry." I try to wipe at the mess, but only make it worse.

He laughs quietly, wiping away the smeared mascara with his sleeve. "You love me Emery Grayson."

"I do Kai Romano. I really f*****g do."

He cups my face, kissing me like a soft lullaby that calms the subtle storm inside of me. When he pulls back, he settles his forehead against mine, thumb still skimming my cheek.

"I don't if I can yet. I feel it, I do but I just need..."

"It's okay. Take all the time you need, I'm right here." I rest his palm against my heart, as if somehow he can feel the strong intensity of my love that will refuse to ever leave me.

"Goddam you're perfect." I smile leaning in to kiss him again.

My mother's stern cough interrupts us. We stare up at her as she plants a large cooked chicken in the middle of the table. "We better eat then." She doesn't say anything much than that.

Kai and I take that as an equal blessing, digging into the meal ravenously. My mom is a skilled cook, I'll give her that.

We finish eating when she finally voices herself again. "What are you plans Kai? For the future?"

"I'm not sure yet, though I do know your daughter is definitely there." He grins at me, I smile back.

My mom watches us distastefully. She hates grinning.

"Career wise I meant. You must have some sort of profession."

"Fortunately my family are very wealthy, and I mostly just do odd jobs for my sister and brother in law who head the company now. I work alongside my brother most times, so I get to spend a lot of time with him."

"And what is it your family is in?"

My father barks out a laugh. "Darling, you've heard of the Romanos. Everyone has."

I made a point to my parents to not mention that my boyfriend is the son of a millionaire. Money is an awkward topic for most people, especially with my parents that believe medicine is the only true beneficial career path.

"Of course but I want to hear it from Kai."

"Mostly shipping, funds, loans...it's sort of ever evolving."

"So you're a business man?" The strange thing is I don't know what Kai does specifically. He always replied with some stuff here and there, work on a few deals, visit a few clients...boring really.

"I guess, yeah, but I don't think I would ever take a permanent position at the company."

"And why is that?" This is starting sound like a job interview now.

"Just because I'm happy with how I work now."

"Hmm." f**k. She's wearing the look she reserves when she's right about something, when she's planning to blow everything up.

My mom leaves the table for a moment, only to return with a brown envelope. I look to my dad, but he shrugs, curious as well.

"When I heard my daughter was dating a Romano, of course I made it my business to have you investigated. How could I not? You're an egocentric party boy that frequents bars and strip clubs and is hanging around my daughter."

"Mom he's changed. He's not like that anymore." I'm embarrassed. God I'm so embarrassed I can barely look at him.

"This is about more than just his s*x habits, Emery. Do you know the rumours that plague his family? How they made their money? What they still do now?"

"What are you talking about?" I've never once researched into the Romanos. Kai maybe once but I shut it down after I found an article on how he was caught leaving the bathroom at Ghost with two women.

I trust my boyfriend. I trust the man I love wholeheartedly, even more than my mother because I know she twists truth to make them darker than they are.

She emptied the contents. Photos litter the table. Mostly of Kai at night, some of him with Kieron too. I zero on one of the most recents ones.

I recognise the date. Kai was working late, he didn't get home until early morning. I was worried. Really worried.

His shirt is covered in splatters of something, it's too dark to tell what but the thing is hand is unmistakable. A g*n.

"He's a criminal, Emery. A cold blooded killer."

________________________________

A/N: I hate to leave it there guys but it's a good cliffhanger ??

What do you think of Emery's mother??

Thoughts on how Emery will react??