Bobby meets the rest of the Lancel family.
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Chapter 17
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Dinner with the Lancels
I felt a mix of relief and nervousness as we arrived at Shayna's parent's house for dinner. I had taken only twenty minutes to get ready, but it took my wives almost two hours. Thanks to the maid's timely warning, that only put us half an hour late. I thought we were still a little early to have dinner, but I assumed her parents wanted to get to know me before we ate.
I'd like to say I wasn't nervous about meeting them, but I'm also trying to be as honest as possible in this journal.
I hate being late, and considering how important this meeting was for my short wife, I hated it all the more. Thankfully, her parents lived in a different neighborhood, and I was able to shave five minutes off that time with my less-than-safe driving.
Her parents lived in another gated community that didn't seem very different from ours. We were in Shayna's truck as we pulled into the driveway, which was only a little smaller than Consul Willmont's.
As we walked up to the door, I moved to walk right in, assuming that since we were expected and Shayna was with us, it would be fine. However, Shayna's disapproving hiss stopped me. "What are you doing?" she whispered, grabbing my wrist before I could open the door.
"This was your house, right?" I asked, confused. "Don't you just walk in?"
"I did when I lived here," Shayna informed me as though it was the most obvious statement in the world. "We need to be allowed in, now that I'm married."
This seemed like the most absurd thing in the world, but it wasn't my house, so I reached out and rang the doorbell with my right hand while I held our dinner gift in my other.
A moment later, a middle-aged woman opened the door that could be no other than Shayna's mother. Her skin tone was soft brown, but her blue eyes and facial features were a close match. She looked to be of mixed descent, like her daughter, but more Latina than black. Not to be crude, but if this is what I had to look forward to with my wife, I'm not complaining. This woman was a bit more handsome, but she carried her years with a quiet confidence that I found attractive.
I see you can be attracted to older women,
Charlotte mused in my head.
If you don't like my human guise, I could always take her form the next time we're alone.
You know that's not the case,
I mentally chided her.
I find you plenty attractive, even if I never thought I'd go for that goth milf look. And no, thank you. That'd be weird, thinking I was getting it on with my wife's mother.
Oh, you just like my big tits!
Charlotte replied with a cackle, but the older woman started speaking after taking the three of us in before I could respond to the succubus.
"You must be Bobby!" A wide smile split her lips. "What did you have to do to my daughter to get her to actually show up early?"
"Early?" I asked, confused. "I thought we were late."
"That was my doing," a young man in his late teens said, coming to the door. "When Dad told me to call her, I told her the wrong time, though I didn't expect them to be here this much earlier."
"Ethan!" Shayna snapped, rushing to enter the house and pushing past her mom. "You little twerp! What time were we supposed to be here?"
The older woman laughed as I tried not to cringe. Shayna wanted this to be perfect, and it looked like she was about to get into a fight with her younger sibling. "I see some things are still the same. Well, come in. Come in. Elly, it's so good to see you again. You look so happy! I'm glad you and Shayna were able to find a good-looking husband together."
"Thank you, Mrs. Lancel," Elly nodded, stepping up to hug the older woman. There was evident warmth between the two that warmed my heart to see, especially after knowing of Elly's difficult childhood.
I was surprised when I was pulled into a hug a moment after Elly was released. I awkwardly hugged her back before following Mrs. Lancel inside the house.
"I brought this for dinner," I said, holding out a bottle of wine that the maid had produced from somewhere. "I hope it's okay."
Mrs. Lancel took the bottle and examined it briefly, her eyes growing wide. "However did you get your hands on this?" she asked in a tone I couldn't tell if she was shocked or elated. "Aribertoโrest his soulโhad a couple of these in his cellar but would never reveal where he got them. I always wanted to try a little bit."
I had to struggle to keep from flinching at her words. Was the maid
trying
to get us in trouble? Thankfully, Charlotte came up with an excuse, and I stumbled over my words, trying to repeat it.
"I, um... Yeah. C-Consul Willmont gifted it to me after I returned from a mission." I had to swallow hard, the lie not coming easily to my lips.
"Was that the one you were injured on?" she asked, genuine concern in her gaze as she looked back at me. "Such a sad situation. Shayna was pretty worried about you until she heard you were okay. You Knights are always doing such dangerous tasks, but at least you're keeping us safe. I'm so thankful my husband chose a safer profession, though the early years were nerve-wracking."
I managed to nod, unsure or unable to speak, as we followed her into a large family room. Once again, I couldn't help but compare this home to the tiny shack I grew up in. The furniture looked more than a little expensive, and was that a minotaur-skin rug?
No, it's a fake,
Charlotte informed me.