In Bed With Her Shithead Boss - Chapter 78: Chapter 78

Blair stared at all the cars lined up in the circular driveway of Roman’s family estate. Seriously, there had to be at least fifteen vehicles parked there.
“Are we late?” she asked, checking her phone for the time.
Roman chuckled, putting the car in park. “No, my mother most likely told everyone to be here before us.”
“Why would she do that?”
“Because she’s Eleanor Kingston, and she likes to orchestrate everything.” Roman squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry, it’s not to embarrass us. This is a celebration. You think this is bad wait until your pregnant with their first grandchild.”
Blair looked down at her engagement ring, still getting used to seeing it there. It had only been a few days since everything went down with Peter Warner, and her head was still spinning from all of it. This morning at work had been particularly brutal.
“I’m still processing Kara’s reaction when she saw me,” Blair said, remembering the shock on her assistant’s face. “I thought she was going to faint.”
Roman rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. “You did fake your own death. People tend to have strong reactions to seeing dead people walking around.”
“Even though you had sent the memo out letting everyone know I wasn’t dead. She cried for twenty minutes. Then she hugged me so hard I couldn’t breathe.” Blair shook her head. “I felt terrible. All those people at the office thinking I was dead, and we just walked in this morning like nothing happened.”
“At least they missed you. Kara was at the funeral.”
Blair looked at him in surprise. She hadn’t known that.
Roman nodded. “Quite a few people came from the office.”
Blair hadn’t known that. She had been so focused on catching out Peter she hadn’t really paid attention to the mourners outside her immediate circle.
Blair still hadn’t made up her mind about her parents’ business. They had the assistant to Peter, managing things at the moment until that could sort out the legal side of things like getting everything put back into their names.
“Hey.” Roman turned to face her fully, seeing her face he knew she what she was thinking about. “You don’t have to process it all right now. Tonight is about celebrating us. The rest can wait.”
Blair nodded, trying to push away the image of Peter being led away in handcuffs. The way he’d looked at her with such hate when he realized she was alive. The relief on Sutton’s face when the police took him away.
“You’re right. Tonight is about us.” She squeezed his hand back. “And our families.”
“Everyone here is going to love you. Besides, my dad’s probably going to steal the show, anyway. He’s been practicing some speech all week. And Rose has been texting me all day about finally getting to embarrass me properly.”
As they walked up to the front door, Blair could hear voices and laughter coming from inside. Roman didn’t even get a chance to knock before the door swung open.
“There they are!” Eleanor beamed, pulling Blair into a hug before she could react. “How are you feeling, dear? Roman told us what happened with your uncle. How terrible! What he did…”
“I’m okay, Mrs. Kingston. Thank you.”
“Eleanor, please or mum, whatever you feel comfortable with and we won’t talk about any of that tonight. This is a celebration.”
They walked into the main living area, and suddenly everyone was clapping. Blair felt her face heat up as she looked around at all the faces—some familiar from the office, others completely new.
“Oh god,” she whispered to Roman.
“Just smile and wave,” he murmured back, his hand settling on her lower back.
Blair spotted Sutton and Keira near the windows, both grinning at her. At least she had backup here. Sutton looked better than she had in days. The stress of Blair almost getting killed and then having to fake her death had taken a toll on all of them, but especially Sutton with the pregnancy.
“Roman! Blair!” James called out from across the room, already holding what looked like his second or third scotch. “Come here, I have things to say.”
“Oh no,” came a voice from behind them. “Dad’s about to make a speech. This should be good.”
Blair turned to see Rose behind them with a huge grin on her face.
Roman said. “Rose, behave yourself.”
Rose grinned and hugged Blair warmly. “I’m so glad you are ok. A little upset I wasn’t invited to your funeral, though.”
“Rose,” Roman warned.
“What? If you can’t have fun with someone’s fake death, when can you? Plus, are you sure you know what you agreed to when you said yes to marrying him?”
Roman gave Rose a look that Blair was sure was familiar to them both.
“What? She needs to know what she’s getting into. Like how you used to organize your action figures by height and—”
“Rose.”
Blair laughed.
Eleanor rolled her eyes when James tried again to get everyone’s attention. “James, let them get settled first.”
“Nonsense. I’ve been waiting for this moment.” James clinked his glass with a fork, getting everyone’s attention. “Everyone, quiet down. I have a speech.”
Roman groaned quietly. “Here we go.”
Rose sidled up next to Blair. “This is going to be epic. Dads had three scotches.”
James cleared his throat dramatically. He lifted up a piece of paper to read from… looked at it for a moment. Then throw it over his shoulder, making everyone laughed realizing he was about to go off script. “Ladies and gentlemen, family and friends who we barely tolerate—”
“James!” Eleanor hissed.
“—we are here today because my stubborn son finally pulled his head out of his ass long enough to propose to a woman properly, who he has wanted for over a year… Little did she know that.”
The room erupted in laughter.
“Now, I’ve watched Roman chase away perfectly nice women for years, or at least that’s what Eleanor called them… She has been trying to stitch him up for years.”
“James.” Eleanor
“Dad,” Roman warned, but he was smiling.
“Tell her about the crier that you rejected,” Rose called out.
“What crier?” Blair asked.
“He once made a woman mum had tried and set him up with… cry at the dinner table and boy could she cry, it didn’t stop,” Rose said loudly enough for everyone to hear.
“Rose!” Roman’s face was turning red.
“—but this one,” James continued, pointing at Blair with his glass, “this one fights back. She doesn’t take his shit. And that, my friends, is exactly what he needs. Eleanor didn’t have to stitch him up. He did that all on his own.”
More laughter. Blair looked around, realizing everyone was nodding in agreement.
“I’ve also been told,” James continued, his voice getting more animated, “that this young lady has been through hell recently. Family betrayal, threats to her safety, and she still had the good sense to say yes to my son. Either she’s very brave or very stupid.”
“James,” Eleanor warned.
“I’m going with brave,” James winked at Blair. “Anyone who can survive what you’ve been through this week and still show up here with a smile deserves our respect.”
Blair felt her throat tighten with emotion. She hadn’t expected Roman’s father to acknowledge what had happened, let alone praise her for surviving it.
“So Blair,” James continued, “welcome to the family. We’re all a little crazy, but we’re loyal to the bone. And after what you’ve been through, you need people who will have your back. We’re those people. Roman is very lucky to have you.”
The room was quieter now, everyone understanding the weight of what James was saying.
“And Roman? Try not to screw this up. This woman has been through enough without you, making it worse with your workaholic tendencies.”
Roman shook his head, grinning. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Dad.”
“I’m not finished!” James held up his hand. “I also want to say that after watching you two together, it’s clear you’re completely gone for each other. It’s disgusting, really. But wonderful. So here’s to Roman and Blair—may you fight as passionately as you love, and may you never have to face anything as scary as this week again.”
Everyone raised their glasses, toasting them. Blair felt tears prick her eyes. She’d never had this since her parents’ deaths. A whole family celebrating her happiness and acknowledging her pain. She had always had Sutton and Keira but Peter, Viv and Laura had been cold fish compared to Roman’s family.
“That was beautiful, Mr. Kingston,” she said when James came over to hug her.
“Call me James. Or Dad. Whatever works.” He winked at her. “Now, let’s get you some champagne and introduce you to everyone properly.”
As James led them around the room, Blair started to relax. Roman’s family and friends were warm and funny. A few people from the office were there too, and they all seemed genuinely happy for them. Kara was there, which Blair was glad. They talked for a few moments before she was moved on.
Rose had immediately gravitated toward Keira, and Blair could hear them both laughing about something while they raided the appetizer table.
She was talking to Roman’s aunt about wedding venues when she noticed Sutton across the room, suddenly going very pale.
“Excuse me for just a moment,” Blair said, making her way over to her sister.
But before she could reach Sutton, she saw what her sister was staring at.
Luca. Roman’s friend from university, the one she’d met at the house. He was standing by the bar, talking to Roman’s cousin, completely oblivious to Sutton’s presence.
Sutton grabbed Blair’s arm. “I need to leave. Now.”
“What? Why? Is something wrong with the baby?” But even as Blair asked, she was looking between Sutton and Luca, pieces starting to click into place. Luca, oh my god.
Sutton didn’t answer. Instead, she practically dragged Blair across the room to where Keira was standing with Rose, both of them holding plates full of appetizers.
“No, nothing is wrong with the baby, but I need to get out of here,” Sutton said through gritted teeth.
Keira frowned, looking down at her food sadly. “But we just got here. And the food is amazing. Have you tried these little quiche things? Rose says the chef made them specially.”
“Now, Keira.”
Something in Sutton’s tone made both Keira and Rose look up with concern.
“What’s wrong?” Keira asked, immediately setting down her plate.
Rose looked between them, clearly sensing drama. “Everything okay?”
Sutton glanced over at Luca again, who was still talking and hadn’t noticed them. “That man by the bar. The tall one with dark hair.”
Blair, Keira, and Rose all looked.
“Oh, he’s gorgeous,” Keira said appreciatively.
“That’s Luca,” Rose added. “Roman’s friend from university. He’s really nice.”
Blair had already clued in on who Luca was, but when Rose said his name, it only took a few seconds for it to click for Keira.
Luca was the father of Sutton’s baby.