That evening, Cora and Jace arrived at her parents' mansion, both of them tense and on edge.
"Remember," Jace said as they walked up the driveway, "we're a happily married couple. Just stick to the plan."
Cora nodded, though her stomach was in knots.
The door opened to reveal Margaret Hayes, her expression cold and unreadable.
"Cora," Margaret said, her tone sharp. "And you must be Jace."
Jace extended a hand, his smile polite. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Hayes."
Margaret shook his hand, her grip firm. "We'll see about that."
Cora groaned inwardly as they followed her mother into the dining room, where the rest of the family was already gathered.
The dinner was… tense.
Margaret grilled Jace about his career, his family, and his intentions with Cora, while Robert and the boys watched silently, their expressions unreadable.
"So, Jace," Margaret said, her tone sharp, "what exactly are your plans for the future?"
Jace smiled politely. "I'm focused on growing my company and building a stable future for myself and Cora."
Margaret raised an eyebrow. "And what about children?"
Cora choked on her wine, her face turning red. "Mom!"
"What?" Margaret said, her tone innocent. "It's a valid question."
Jace cleared his throat, his expression calm. "We're taking things one step at a time. Right now, we're focused on building our relationship."
Margaret studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Fair enough."
The rest of the dinner passed in a blur of awkward small talk and tense silences. By the time dessert was served, Cora was ready to crawl under the table and hide.
As they left the mansion that night, Cora let out a long breath.
"Well," she said, glancing at Jace, "that could've gone worse."
Jace chuckled. "It could've gone better, too."
Cora groaned and leaned back against the car seat. "I can't believe we survived that."
Jace smiled, his tone soft. "We make a good team."
Cora felt a warmth spread through her chest at his words.
The next morning, Jace's phone rang at an ungodly hour. He groaned, fumbling for it on the nightstand, and squinted at the screen. It was his father.
"This can't be good," Jace muttered, sitting up and running a hand through his disheveled hair. He answered the call, bracing himself for the inevitable storm.
"Jace Hart," Victor's booming voice came through the line, "how dare you!"
Jace winced, holding the phone slightly away from his ear. "Good morning to you too, Dad."
"Don't 'good morning' me!" Victor snapped. "I just found out you had dinner with Cora's family last night. Her entire family. And yet, you haven't even introduced her to your own parents? What kind of son does that?"
Jace sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Dad, it's not what you think—"
"It's exactly what I think!" Victor interrupted. "You're embarrassed of us, aren't you? Is that it? You think we're not good enough for your fancy new wife?"
"Dad, no," Jace said, his tone exasperated. "It's just… complicated."
"Complicated?" Victor repeated, his voice rising. "Jace, I don't care how complicated it is. You're having lunch with us today. Your mother and I want to meet Cora. End of discussion."
Jace walked into the kitchen, where Cora was sitting at the island, nursing a cup of coffee. She looked up at him, her eyes narrowing at the expression on his face.
"What's wrong?" she asked, her tone wary.
"My dad just called," Jace said, pouring himself a cup of coffee.
Cora groaned. "Let me guess. He found out about the dinner last night."
"Bingo," Jace said, his tone dry. "And now he's demanding we have lunch with him and my mom today."
Cora groaned again, louder this time.
Jace said, sitting down next to her. "We don't have a choice. If we don't go, he'll never let us hear the end of it."
Cora sighed and nodded. "Okay. Let's get this over with."
A few hours later, Cora and Jace arrived at his parents' house, both of them tense and on edge.
"Remember," Jace said as they walked up the driveway, "we're a happily married couple. Nothing more, nothing less."
Cora nodded, though her stomach was in knots. She was wearing a simple but elegant dress, her hair styled in loose waves, and a pair of heels that were already killing her feet.
The door opened to reveal Victor Hart, his expression stern but with a glint of mischief in his eyes.
"Jace," Victor said, his tone sharp. "And you must be Cora."
Cora extended a hand, her smile polite but nervous. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hart."
Victor shook her hand, his grip firm. "Call me Victor, or dad, if it makes you comfortable. And welcome to the family."
Cora felt a flicker of unease at his words, but before she could respond, Eleanor Hart appeared, her smile warm and welcoming.
"Cora, darling," Eleanor said, pulling her into a hug. "It's so wonderful to finally meet you."
Cora blinked, caught off guard by the warmth of the gesture. "It's wonderful to meet you too, Mrs. Hart."
"Oh, please, call me Eleanor," she said, leading Cora into the dining room.
The lunch was… eventful.
Victor grilled Cora about her family, her career, and her plans for the future, while Eleanor tried to keep the conversation light and friendly.
"So, Cora," Victor said, his tone sharp, "what exactly do you do for a living?"
Cora hesitated, her smile faltering. "I'm an artist."
Victor raised an eyebrow. "An artist? What kind of artist?"
"I paint," Cora said, her tone defensive. "Abstract pieces, mostly."
Victor nodded, though his expression was skeptical. "And how exactly do you plan to support yourself with that?"
Cora opened her mouth to respond, but Jace cut her off.
"Dad," Jace said, his tone firm, "Cora's incredibly talented. Her work has been featured in galleries all over the city."
Victor raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Is that so?"
"It is," Jace said, his tone sharp.
There was a long silence, and then Eleanor clapped her hands together, her smile bright. "Well, I think it's wonderful that you're pursuing your passion, Cora. Not many people have the courage to do that."
Cora felt a flicker of gratitude at her words, but before she could respond, Victor spoke again.
"And what about children?" Victor asked, his tone blunt.
Cora's face turned red. "Excuse me?"
"Children," Victor repeated, his tone matter-of-fact. "When are you two planning to start a family?"
Cora glanced at Jace, her eyes wide with panic.
Jace cleared his throat, his expression calm. "We're taking things one step at a time, Dad."
Victor studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Keep in mind that I'm only growing old."
Jace rolled his eyes while his mother tried to change the subject again after realizing the discomfort on Cora's face.
The rest of the lunch passed in a blur of awkward small talk and tense silences. By the time dessert was served, Cora was ready to crawl under the table and hide.
As they left the house that afternoon, Cora let out a long breath that had been held thought all the night.