The Marriage Contract by Natasha Black (best novels for teenagers TXT) 📕

“I am so glad to meet you,” she said, still holding me. When she broke the embrace, she pulled me to arm’s length and looked me up and down. “My goodness, you are more beautiful than my children described. Come on in, let’s get you some wine.”

I turned my head to look at Matt as his mother hooked my arm and began to pull me inside. He shrugged, grinning, and followed us. Turning back to look around, I fell in love with the house immediately. It was small and cozy and full of knick-knacks and wicker and old, heavy wooden bookcases.

It was what every image I always held in my heart of what a family could be was. I could imagine rambunctious boys running through the halls, disappearing down the stairs that led to what I guessed was a basement. Somewhere they could be loud and silly.

Mrs. Anderson guided me into the kitchen, which was full of women. Hannah was there and gave me an excited smile as her shoulders raised. I recognized Becca and Ava from pictures, and Amanda darted out of the room as I came in, chasing a small child. I’d seen her on the photo of the old bar, cozied up to Tom. The whole crew had signed the picture, which showed them on their first theme night.

“Hi, everybody,” I said. “I’m Chloe.”

A wall of sound met me as they all started talking at once. Hugs and congratulations and laughter met me from every direction. A very, very full glass of wine appeared in my hand, and I tried to gain my bearings. Hannah guided me to sit at a little kitchen table, and she joined me to one side, giving me something to anchor the world by. Matt was missing, gone to the living room.

The excitement was incredible, and the love that I was being shown was full. I suddenly felt bad for lying to them. I had to shake it off, though. I had to play the part. In for a penny, in for a pound.

Matt poked his head around the corner, and I felt my heart flutter when I saw him. Whether I was falling deep into the act or something else was going on, I wasn’t prepared to explore. He looked around until he saw me and then grinned before looking back to his mother.

“May I?” he asked.

“The boys know they have to keep out of the kitchen,” Hannah said. “It’s a Mama rule. Unless she invites them, or they are helping her cook or clean up, they stay out of her domain. The girls on the other hand…”

“Come on in,” Mrs. Anderson said, and he came to me, kissing me on the top of the head. Mrs. Anderson was busy stirring something in a pot that smelled amazing, but she stopped, seeing that out of the corner of her eye apparently, and turned. Both hands went to her hips, and the wooden spoon stuck out and hit the stove.

“What?” Matt asked.

“Don’t you what me,” she scolded. “Where have you been hiding her? Why have you been hiding her?”

“We just wanted to keep things quiet for a bit, before we let other people know about us,” he said. “Didn’t want to move things too fast.”

“Well, as your mother, I would have appreciated a heads-up,” she said. “You can call me at any time, you know.”

“I know, Mama,” he said. “That being said, I guess we should tell you something else.” He looked at me and winked. “Chloe’s going to move in with me.”

“Oh, wow,” his mother said and smiled wide. “So, this is serious, then.”

“As a heart attack,” he said.

Dinner was going really well, and the wine was flowing easily. I felt like everyone was being extremely accepting and welcoming, and none of it felt fake. The lauded Tom, who owned the bars, was nice and funny in his own way, even if he was a little stuffy. Tyler was a trip and kept cracking jokes at Tom’s expense. Both Amanda and Becca seemed close, along with Ava, Mason’s wife, and they kept plying me with more alcohol as the night went on, including me in gossip. Mason spent a lot of his time playing with the kids, and when Matt joined him for a bit, I found myself staring as I watched him with them.

He was so good with children. A natural at it. He was able to see the same imaginary bad guys they did and understand the rules of whatever game they were making up as they went along. They climbed on him like a walking playground, and he did voices and played right back.

Hannah, seeing me alone for the first time in the evening, scooted over beside me into the place where Matt had been sitting. She turned fully toward me and lowered her voice so only I could hear her.

“So, moving in together?” she asked.

“Yup.”

“Don’t you think that maybe that’s a little fast? Are you sure you want that right now?” she asked.

“Well, you guys are moving soon, and you really don’t have space for a full-grown adult with their own life, and nor should you. I should either have my own place or room with someone. It just so happens that things with Matt and I are going so well, that there’s really no reason not to move in together.”

“That’s a whole lot of words for ‘I have no idea what I am doing, cuz,’” she said.

“That’s not true,” I countered. “Things are good. Really good. I could move my stuff in with him, and you guys wouldn’t have to worry about making a place for me at the new house. Just make it the guest room like you had it before I came.”

There was a small pause as she examined my face.

“Alright,” she said. “But listen to me. If for any reason you feel like you need a place to go, you come to me, understand?