Boxed Set:Taming the Rocker - Vol. 1-5 by Ella Cox

the garage. Lila’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “I didn’t know you had a car.”
    “Yeah, I keep it around when I want to visit family. It’s easier than taking a limo.”
    We headed toward my parent’s house. I was really nervous about all this, and I could tell that Lila could tell I was tense. She grinned at me and squeezed my leg. I appreciated her reassurance as I turned onto the highway.
    “Don’t worry about it babe, I’m here for you. And I can’t wait to meet everyone,” she said.
    I smiled and took her hand. “Same here. We’ll be staying with my parents. I think they’ll invite whoever else is in town over for dinner later on.”
    “Oh…okay. Whatever, that works for me. I don’t mind.” A bit of nerves bled into her voice.
    I smiled, and silently prayed that my brother and his wife didn’t show up. That would make things awkward as fuck. I had no clue how I would react to that. I just wanted a nice and easy night. Is that too much to ask? I took a deep breath and mentally prepared myself as best I could.
    The drive was pretty short. My parents had a huge house. It was nothing like my brother’s, which was even grander. My parents had downgraded when we moved out. They weren’t the type of people to take care of a house that was huge or anything. That wasn’t their style, especially since they were getting old and tried to run the business part-time. While I drove, Lila asked me about my parents.
    “What do they do? I mean shit, they must make a lot to have a house like this,” she said.
    I smiled and tightened my hold on her hand. “We have a share in the oil market. They got a lot out of that. We also have a family business in cattle farming and equipment manufacturing. My dad was an entrepreneur at a very young age. He started his own farm equipment business. After that, he also managed a lot of the cattle ranching down here. That’s how he made his money. My brother took over a lot of it, but my father still dabbles here and there. He tried to retire a few years back, but that didn’t pan out. He loves the business too much. So, that’s what he does in his spare time. My mom bakes pies…has her own very successful pie business. When she discovered that she could make money, the rest was history. She gets a lot of business in this town. It’s more of a personal thing to do. I don’t think she does it as a job. She just loves baking pies.”
    “Wow, that‘s so cool. My dad is just a city judge. That’s boring as hell,” she said.
    I laughed, trying to get the attention off my family. As much as I love my family, some things were better left unsaid. My secret was one of them.
    When we got there, I walked up to the door with Lila in tow. Shifting uncomfortably, I ran the doorbell. My family had always been a bit formal. Because I didn’t live there, I felt odd just walking right in with a new girlfriend. After a minute or so, my mother opened the door. She had aged a bit, but she still looked great. When she saw me, she immediately smiled.
    “Oh…hello, Sweetie. Come on in. We’ve been expecting you.”
    I smiled and embraced her. She kissed her cheek and then rubbed a dab of lipstick off. She was actually one of the first people to support my music career. I know that she doesn’t count as a girly fan, but in the beginning; she really helped me out a lot. She always encouraged me when everyone else frowned at my choices. She just wanted me to be happy. She saw Lila and her smile widened.
    “Hello there. You must be Lila. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said. She immediately embraced Lila hard. Lila gasped and grunted at her strength. 
    Lila flushed as she embraced my mother back. She looked completely shocked. I thought I saw moisture in her eyes. It made me wonder if her mother ever hugged her. I could tell from the blush on her face, she was not used to affection. It was kind of adorable. She beamed at me.
    My mother finally pulled away and looked at both of us.