The Perfect Match: A New Adult Erotic Romance (Inseparable Book 2) Page 21

  The dress flared around her hips, but stopped just above the knees to show off her shapely legs. The snug sleeves had gold piping and lace, and the bust was cut low and tight to display her breasts. Polly turned around to see it flare, noting the gold lining that sparkled when she did.

  They helped Charlotte put on her dress next. It was the same style as Polly’s with inverted colors, so where Polly’s was predominantly green, Charlotte’s was purple. Charlotte’s mask was also simpler than Polly’s but was still beautiful.

  There was a knock at the door and Jack said, “Ladies, your chariot awaits.”

  With one final check of the mirror, Julie opened the door with a grin to let them descend the stairs. Polly felt her heart pounding in her ears. What will Kurt do when he sees me? What will his parents say? Am I really gonna do this?

  Charlotte took her hand when the got to the bottom of the stairs as the kids and visiting family hooted and howled at the pair. They were greeted by Claire who had a huge grin on her face as she inspected the dresses.

  “Sha, what a job you did,” she said to Charlotte. “The needlework is perfect.”

  “Thanks, Meemee,” she said with a flush of pride.

  “And you, child,” she said as she turned to Polly. “Is that the mask Kurt got you for Christmas?” She said it loudly enough that the whole room heard her question. Some gasped who hadn’t been seen the picture Jack had sent around back in December.

  “Yes,” she said with a quiver in her voice. “Do you like it?”

  “I do, yes, but do you know what that means in our family?” she asked taking both of her hands.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Polly said with a significant nod. “I do.”

  Claire embraced her and whispered, “Welcome to the family, sha. I am so happy for you both.” The rest of the family in the large living room clapped and whistled their approval. “Let’s get you all on the float.”

  The family Mardi Gras tradition expected the unmarried adults to dress up to throw the doubloons and plastic jewelry to the crowds from the family float. Some of them only put on colorful shirts or funny masks, but the ones who respected the tradition and could afford it went all out for full costumes. Polly being invited to ride the float was a special honor. As an unofficial member of the family, her connections to Julie, Charlotte, and Kurt were enough to prompt Claire to ask if she wanted to participate.

  The whole family followed the float riders out into the yard to see them off. They had to leave early to line up with the other floats before the parade. The rest of the family would join them along the parade route through the center of town. Afterward there would be a fais do-do and crawfish boil back at Claire and Garson’s house. Polly should have been starving, but was too nervous to think about food.

  The other unattached family members were already lined up to get in the float. She knew Michael from Thanksgiving and he introduced her to his sister Tamara. They were both dressed up, but nothing like the dresses Charlotte had made. Charlotte introduced her to another cousin, Grace, who was just eighteen, so this was her first time to ride in the parade. Claire had made her a dress for the special occasion and she looked lovely.

  “Shouldn’t there be more than the five of us?” she asked, really looking around for Kurt.

  Charlotte chuckled and said, “Aunt Laurie and her family haven’t arrived for some reason. Trey should have been here along with his younger brother, Landon, and his sisters, Mary and Claire.” She was more subdued when she added, “It’s a shame, because this was Claire’s first year to ride in the float.”

  Pawpaw Garson started his big white truck that pulled the float. Now Polly was getting a little panicked. “Where’s Kurt? He can’t miss the parade.”

  “Relax,” Charlotte said. “He’s got to shower and change after working all day. He’ll meet us where we line up.”

  The family cheered them off as they waved from the back of the trailer, the streamers fluttering in the breeze as Pawpaw drove slowly up the road toward town.

  Charlotte pointed out the boxes around their feet that were full of colorful fake jewelry and doubloons. After her brief explanation of what to do, the four of them sat down on the wooden benches around the edge of the trailer. Polly grinned and chatted with the others as they drove, but found her thoughts returning to a hot, stuffy pilot house earlier in the afternoon. Oh, Kurt, I hope you appreciate this.

  Lined up with the other floats, Polly was amazed at how grand some of them were. The Brousard family float was wonderful, but some of them looked as professional as the floats in the holiday parades she’d seen on television. She was scanning the crowd when she saw Kurt’s car drive up and park nearby.

  “There’s Kurt,” she said as her stomach twisted in knots.

  Charlotte turned to look and her mouth dropped open. “Christopher?” she muttered under her breath.

  Polly looked and saw Kurt looking splendid in tight black and gold pants with a loose white shirt almost like a pirate might wear. He had on tall black leather boots and was carrying a dark green jacket over his arm. Getting out of his passenger seat was Christopher Dunlop wearing jeans and a t-shirt. The two of them shook hands, then Kurt pointed up the parade route before they both made their way over to the line of floats.

  When Kurt got closer to the float, he called out, “Guess who I found?”

  “You rat!” Charlotte said in mock outrage at her brother, then turned to Christopher. “When did you get here?”

  Christopher grinned up at her and said, “Wow, you look amazing.”

  Charlotte hurried down the steps to get off the float and flung herself at him. “Oh, what a great surprise.” He lifted her feet off the ground as he hugged her, then sat her back with a big grin. He had thick muscles in his shoulders and chest like a bodybuilder, but there was a gentleness to his expression when he looked at Charlotte.

  Kurt hopped up in the float, put on his jacket, then pulled a thin black mask out of his shirt pocket and snapped it on with a flourish. “Tada!” Then, when he got a good look at Polly, his mouth opened to whisper, “Whoa.”

  That one little whoa give her chills up and down her body. She watched his eyes through the mask as he scanned her from her toes up. When he got to her face, he shut his mouth with a snap.

  “That’s the mask I got you for Christmas,” he whispered.

  “Yeah,” she said as she stepped closer to him. “Your Meemee really liked it.”

  “She’s seen it?” he asked with hope clearly in his question.

  “Everyone has,” she said as she put her hands on his shoulders to pull him into a kiss.

  It lasted so long Grace muttered, “God, get a room.”

  Kurt broke away to mutter back, “Shut up, Grace.” Then he kissed Polly again, pulling her tight against his chest. She pulled away to rest her cheek against his chest to listen to his heartbeat pound. “I love you,” he whispered as he kissed her hair.

  “I know,” she replied, quoting their favorite movie.

  * * *

  The parade was exciting and fun, full of loud music, happy revelers, and handfuls of treasure thrown to the crowd. Polly laughed and waved at the crowd, paying special attention to the little ones with their hands in the air to catch the things she threw to them.

  Kurt and the rest were just as busy and called out to friends and family as they passed. It didn’t last nearly long enough for Polly, but soon Pawpaw reached the end of the parade route and turned toward home.

  “How’s Christopher getting to Meemee and Pawpaw’s house?” Charlotte asked with a worried expression.

  “He’s got my keys and the address for his GPS,” Kurt said as he sat down next to Polly on the wooden bench. “I saw him hanging out with Uncle Jack, so he can always follow them.”

  Charlotte sat down on the other side of him and leaned in out of the wind. “Thank you for arranging that,” she said, but Polly caught an undertone of disapproval in her voice.

  Shaking her head, Polly laug
hed, “He’s crazy about you, girl!”

  Charlotte and Kurt shared a look, then she frowned. “It’s complicated. I’m not so sure I want to get that involved with him yet. I’d rather just stay friends.”

  “Has he got kids or a crazy ex?” Polly asked, but Charlotte kept shaking her head. It was obvious she was getting uncomfortable, so Polly decided to drop the subject. “Did you see little Jackson? He actually caught one of the necklaces I threw! I bet Julie won’t be able to pry his fat fingers away from it all night.”

  “I know, right?” Charlotte answered, looking relieved. Kurt squeezed Polly’s hand and gave her a nod of thanks.

  “So I’ve never eaten crawfish before,” Polly offered, looking at them both. “How do I do it?”

  “It’s easy,” Kurt replied. “You just break the tail off and split it open to get the meat. I’ll show you the trick, but you’ll need to wear something you don’t mind getting dirty.” When he mentioned getting dirty there was a certain look in his eye that made Polly blush.

  “They taste like a cross between shrimp and lobster,” Charlotte added. “Meemee seasons them hot, but it don’t burn too bad if you keep eatin’ ‘em.” She was keeping an eye on the road behind them, probably looking for Kurt’s car.

  Pawpaw Garson pulled into the yard and drove back towards the barn, then parked to leave the trailer where it had been at Thanksgiving to use for a bandstand. The men helped the ladies down the stairs, then Kurt took her hand and led her towards the tables lined up outside the house.

  “Want a beer?” he asked.

  “Definitely, and something to nibble on. Crackers, chips, anything.”

  Kurt left Polly and Charlotte as they sat down at one of the tables. Charlotte sat across and leaned in to rest her elbows on the table.

  “You and Kurt will be all everyone can talk about tonight,” she whispered.

  Polly couldn’t get a read on her expression, so she asked, “Are you okay?”

  Charlotte nodded and smiled sadly. “I’m fine.”

  Seeing a big guy approaching over Charlotte’s shoulder, Polly stood up to hug Christopher as he arrived. “What a surprise! Good job keeping that secret.”

  Kurt put their beers down on the table and sat with a big grin. “When we all went to Uncle Jack’s to watch Superbowl, Christopher mentioned always wanting to see a real Mardi Gras. So I brought him down and arranged for him to hide out at the house until the parade.”

  “Wait,” Charlotte said as she looked up in a panic. “He’s been hanging out with Mom and Dad?”

  “He and Dad really hit it off, too. They were talking about hunting and racing when I got there to change for the parade.”

  Christopher put his beers down in front of Charlotte as he sat. “He’s a great guy. Everyone has been great so far.” He looked around the yard at all the activity. People were still coming in from the parade and elsewhere, but there had to be forty people already milling around. “I’ve never seen a family party this big before in my life.”

  “I know how you feel, but you’ll get used to it,” Polly said before taking a big swallow of beer. “Where are my crackers?” she asked Kurt.

  “Damn, knew I forgot somethin’. Be right back,” he said as he got up and ran back over to the kitchen.

  “How long have you two been dating?” Christopher asked.

  Polly sighed happily and said, “Since the week before Christmas.”

  “That’s right. Now I remember asking Charlotte at the New Years Eve party.” Christopher smiled at Charlotte, then leaned in to kiss her. Polly was surprised to see her turn her face so he had to kiss her cheek instead of her lips.

  “Here you go,” Kurt said and put a plate of crackers on the table between them all. “The first batch of crawfish are going in the boiler now, so we should be eating soon.”

  “Charlotte, why don’t we go change before we ruin our dresses?” Polly said as she searched her friend’s face. There was a brief hesitation, then she nodded. “Be right back boys. Hold our seats!”

  They went back into the small guest room Polly was staying in. After getting down to their bra and panties, Charlotte seemed to lose all energy and flopped down on the bed while Polly put the dresses back in their protective bags.

  “Want to talk about it?” Polly asked.

  “Not really,” she sighed. “Let’s get back out there. I need a beer.”

  “That may not help,” Polly said.

  “It sure as hell can’t hurt at this point,” Charlotte grumbled.

  The night passed quickly for Polly as she danced, drank, and ate herself into the family. No one missed the mask she’d worn and nearly everyone had quietly wished them well. The story of Kurt’s rise in his career was another point of pride for Polly, and she told anyone who asked how well he was doing.

  Not everyone was so happy. She caught chilly looks from Kendall and those few who seemed to believe her lies about Kurt, but knowing she was carrying Trey’s child made her more sympathetic than she might otherwise have been.

  While Kurt took his turn at the guitar, Polly spent some time visiting with his parents. She did her best to make a good impression and found them warming up to her by the time Kurt returned. They promised to visit again next day when Kurt would be loading up the rental truck to bring the last of his things to Houston. Before they left for home at the end of the night, Kurt’s mother Noëlle pulled Polly aside.

  “I’m sure Kurt’s mentioned that I’d always hoped he would marry my friend Mandy’s girl, Kendall.”

  “It’s come up,” Polly admitted, wondering where she was going with it.

  “I jus’ wanted to say that I am so pleased with the changes I’ve seen in Kurt lately. I know some of those changes are your influence. I’m not too proud to admit I’m wrong.” She sniffed and wiped her nose. “I can see now that you two fit together like a puzzle, but I had no idea how beautiful the picture would be.”

  Polly felt her throat close a little and clasped Noëlle’s hands. “Thank you so much for saying that.”

  “I expect we’ll be coming to Houston more often with both of our kids livin’ there. Maybe your parents would let us take them to dinner one night when we’re all free.”

  “I’d like that. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”

  Kurt came up after they left and asked, “What was all that about?”

  “Your mother is so sweet,” Polly said without explaining anything.

  “Why am I suddenly worried?” he asked with a chuckle.

  * * *

  It was late when Polly helped Julie get the kids to bed before turning in herself. The day had been exhausting, but unforgettable as well. Julie wasn’t feeling well and occupied the bathroom for part of the night, so Polly got up early with the kids and kept them busy until Julie came down into the kitchen.

  “Good morning! You look rested.” Polly was sitting at the large kitchen table with the kids while they ate pancakes. Jackson had torn his into bits and was smashing the pieces into his mouth.

  “Thanks to you,” Julie said as she down beside Polly. “Jack told me you kept the girls busy this morning.”

  “That’s what I’m here for,” she replied taking a sip of her black coffee.

  “Not entirely,” Julie said with a grin. “So many people came up to us last night to say how wonderful you looked up there.”

  “When we were here at Thanksgiving, it all felt so overwhelming. Now it just feels like home.”

  “I feel the same way. Even though I don’t get along with everyone all the time, this is a great family to be a part of.”

  Claire came up then and placed a mug on the table. Julie put her hand over her mouth and said, “I’m fine.”

  “That ain’t coffee,” Claire said with a knowing smile. “Try a sip. I bet you feel better.” The she walked back over to the stove to flip the pancakes.

  Julie picked up the mug and looked down at the clear liquid, then shrugged and took a sip. “Oh, that’s perfec
t.”

  “What is it?” Polly asked, then Julie put the mug under her nose. “Orange with Cinnamon, but it’s clear?”

  “I don’t care, my stomach just stopped trying to climb up my neck. I wish I knew how Claire always seems to know.” Julie stared at her mother-in-law and shook her head.

  Polly leaned back and picked up her own mug. “What’s the plan for today?”

  “We’re gonna leave around noon. You still going back with Kurt?”

  “Yeah, I see now why he wasn’t worried about getting his car back. I kept asking, but he never gave me a straight answer.”

  “Oh,” Julie said with a nod. “Christopher’s driving it back. Did he stay over there last night?”

  “Yeah,” Polly said with a frown as she recalled Charlotte’s reaction. “But something’s off with Charlotte.”

  “What?”

  “She kept doing little things to put Christopher off, like turning her face when he tried to kiss her. I know she likes him,” Julie said, then shook her head.

  “That’s weird,” Julie said, then finished off her drink. “Need a lift over there?”

  * * *

  Polly got her suitcase out of the van, then went around to hug Julie through the open driver’s side window. “Are we still on for Saturday?”

  “If I’m not throwing my guts up,” Julie said as she rubbed her stomach with a serene smile.

  “I wonder if it’s another boy?” Polly asked.

  “I think so,” Julie whispered.

  Polly couldn’t help reflect on her own future. “Someday,” she murmured.

  “Go on,” she said and squeezed Polly’s arm. “I’ll see you in Houston.”

  Polly smiled as Julie drove off, then picked up her suitcase to go knock on the front door. Kurt answered wearing a sweaty t-shirt and a pair of soft shorts. “Hey!”

  Polly looked behind him to see if anyone was in the front room, then put her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him for a deep kiss. He ran his hands down her back to grip her ass, grinding against her until she gasped.