by Lara Swann
“Well, yes, but I’m not really doing anything - it’s not like I have to convince anyone of anything. This thing with my family is a little bit more…involved. You’d have to pretend—”
“It’s fine. Really.” He leans forward, kissing me softly and I sigh against him, my leg interlocking with his as my hand runs lightly down his arm. When he pulls away, my gaze lingers on his. “Besides, for some reason, I don’t think it’s going to be too hard to be convincing.”
His eyes sparkle at me as he says it and I can’t help my body’s reaction as his hand follows the curve of my body up to my breasts, cupping them and grazing his thumb over my immediately-hard nipple.
“I guess that’s true. Maybe it will be a little more…believable…now.” I say, my voice deepening as I’m distracted despite my attempt to continue talking. Then I hesitate, wondering whether that in itself might be part of the reason I’m suddenly not so sure. Having sex and pretending he’s my boyfriend feels like it might be taking things…a little far. “You’re…sure you don’t mind?”
“Why would I mind?” He arches an eyebrow at me and I lean forward to kiss him again, feeling his shaft thickening against me as our bodies press together.
“I don’t know.” I finally say as we part, trying to dismiss my own misgivings. “Okay, I guess I’m taking you home to meet my parents then.”
“And I’m looking forward to it.” He murmurs, that spark still in his eyes.
I know he’s just teasing me, but still, the way he says that…
I shake my head, knowing that I’m probably just letting the strange mix of physical intimacy with this conversation get to me.
“Come here, you.” I mutter instead, drawing him forward and hooking my leg over his hip so that I’m positioned just right.
He groans in appreciation and I kiss him deeply, encouraging, as I let myself go in all the ways that drive me crazy, until the momentary confusion is completely banished by something far more distracting.
* * *
The next day, we drive to Springfield together in my car and I’ve got to admit…it feels strange to be out with him like this. Without Emma. Without work. Without hiding away in our bedrooms in the dead of night. Just…us.
It’s kind of a nice feeling, sure, but it’s still strange too. I try to ignore that, but then the buzz of nervous anticipation in my chest threatens to overwhelm me instead. That’s probably stupid too - after all, it’s not like this is a real meet-the-parents thing - but I can’t help it. I have no idea how this is going to go and I’m already wondering why I thought making up a boyfriend was a good way to get Mom off my back.
“Hey, do you think these will be alright?” Nathan asks, in a reflection of my own slightly nervous energy, and I glance over to see him looking down at the bag by his feet.
He surprised me by getting in the car with both flowers and chocolates for my Mom - a gesture I hadn’t even thought about him doing, although of course it makes sense - and I smile automatically.
“More than alright.” I say, reaching over to rest my hand on his thigh. “She’ll probably be more thrilled with those than the new set of pans I’m giving her.”
He gives me a crooked smile. “Ah, I know better than to attempt something like that. My Mom always made it very clear that kitchen-related gifts were more of a demand than an actual present.”
I laugh at that. “Okay, well yeah, I can see her point there.”
I glance back over shoulder at the wrapped parcels on the backseat, then shrug. “But I don’t actually live with her anymore and she asked for them, soo…”
“I didn’t mean it that way.” Nathan interjects.
“Oh, I know.” I say. “But it’s a fair point…maybe I should arrange for some kind of spa treatment or pamper session too…”
“Well, then you’ll have me rethinking the flowers and chocolate…” He says and I raise an eyebrow, amused.
“So we’re going to start trying to outbid each other now, huh?”
“I definitely hope not. I mean, your Mom already loves you, clearly, whereas I—”
“Will be adored simply for the fact you exist.” I interrupt, smirking at him. “Or that she thinks you exist, anyway. You have no idea how long she’s been trying to get me to date.”
“You’ve never been interested?” He asks, tilting his head with unexpected curiosity.
“I—” I pause, my insides fluttering uncertainly at the question. I make a show of concentrating on driving down the straight, nearly empty road in front of me, and manage to school my answer into nonchalance, shrugging. “I’ve been focused on my career. It never quite seemed like I had time for it. You know how it is. Although, I guess maybe not, since somehow you managed to start a practice while getting married and having a kid. Maybe I’m just slow, or totally unable to multi-task.”
Definitely nothing to do with having a crush on my boss all these years. Definitely not.
He smiles at my lopsided grin, and my heart thumps unexpectedly in my chest.
No. Nooo, you’re not going there. You locked all that away when you jumped into this casual fling.
“Yeah, and look at how well that worked out for me.” Nathan points out. “Believe me, I don’t recommend trying to get married and open a practice at the same time. In hindsight, your way sounds better.”
“Now if only I could get you to convince my Mom of that.”
“I think that would likely confuse the story.” He says, and I laugh.
He reaches across and rests his hand on my thigh and I drop one of my own down to squeeze it, appreciating the gesture - and the distraction of being drawn into conversation.
“It’s going to be fine, Jessica. Really.” He murmurs, as if reading the direction of my thoughts.
“Yeah. Yeah, I know. You’re right.” I say, taking a deep breath and nodding.
It won’t be long until we’re there. I hesitate for a moment, then glance over.
“Um, Nathan…” I start, before I can stop myself from mentioning it again. “My sister…”
“Yes?” He looks across at me, and I glance over to meet those warm, compassionate eyes of his for a brief moment, before I have to turn back to the road.
“She…doesn’t really like talking about herself.” I finish lamely. “Just in case…well, just so you know.”
That’s all I find myself able to say. I’ve been debating telling him about some of the problems she’s had for most of this journey - and I know that Mom will have expected me to already, especially if we’re dating - but I just can’t do it. I hate the idea of defining her by something that’s not her at all. She shouldn’t need to come with a warning attached. But at the same time…I can’t exactly say nothing, not when he’ll probably pick up on it himself and…well…I owe it to her not to create an awkward situation, either.
“Okay.” Nathan says carefully, his eyes on me. I don’t look over, pretending to watch the road instead, but I can tell that he knows there’s more to what I’m saying. When I don’t say anything more though, he doesn’t push it, and we lapse into a silence I find uncomfortable for a few moments.
“Is there anything else I should know?” He says to break it, and I turn to him, surprised to see the gentle reassurance on his face. “Your Dad isn’t a Mets fan or - gods forbid - a Yankee guy, is he? Does your Mom have a particular thing she’s house-proud of that I should avoid insulting? Or—”
“No.” I say, laughing slightly. “No no, nothing like that. Really, they’re all pretty easy to get along with. Although I’d probably advise not to go about actively insulting anything in particular…”
“Noted.” He says, his eyes sparkling slightly as he looks over at me, and I can’t help the way it makes me smile. I give him an appreciative glance, grateful that he somehow eased my uncomfortable comments back into an easy conversation, as if I never said anything out of place.
“You’re not a fan of the NYC baseball teams?” I ask, taking the chance to continue it
.
He shakes his head. “I was born and raised in Boston. I’m a Red Sox man through and through.”
“I never knew that.” I say, surprised despite myself. “About Boston. Or the baseball, actually.”
“Oh, there are lots of things you don’t know about me.” Nathan says in an exaggeratedly deep voice, looking at me with that glint in his eyes and raising one eyebrow.
“Clearly.” I say, more amused at his attempt to be mysterious than anything else. “Well either way, you don’t have anything to worry about. I’m sure they’ll love you—although—maybe it would be best…”
“If they didn’t like me too much.” Nathan finishes for me, smiling. “Yes, I know. I’ll aim for perfectly acceptable - but at the same time, nothing to be too disappointed about if it doesn’t work out.”
I smile back, reaching over to squeeze his hand again. I have a feeling my parents will end up approving of him far more than that, no matter his intentions - he’s just too damn likable for anything else - but I appreciate the attempt.
I’ll deal with that later. If I have to. One thing at a time.
“Thanks, Nathan. Really.”
“It’s going to be fine, Jessica.” He says again. “Don’t worry.”
I nod and try to let his words steady me, but as we pull up at my parents’ house I can still feel nervous anticipation bubbling away within me. I know it’s a stupid feeling to have, but that doesn’t make it any easier to shake.
They all come rushing to the door at once - of course - and I get a few brief moments to make introductions before Mom practically swamps him with warmth, welcome and questions. I look past her to where Dad is stood just behind with a knowing smile and he catches my eye to give me a wry ‘what can you do’ kind of shrug, but I don’t miss the curiosity in his gaze as he looks back to Nathan. I blink, slightly bemused, and manage to slip past to my sister while Nathan easily handles Mom’s enthusiasm, producing the flowers he brought and deflecting the attention onto her birthday.
Yeah. Just ‘acceptable’ indeed.
Lori is leaning against the wall with her arms folded, watching with an amused smirk on her face.
“I didn’t realize that me bringing a guy home would be such a big event.” I mutter to her, shaking my head.
I mean, it’s Mom’s birthday. That’s supposed to be the event.
“Then you’re an idiot.” She says, grinning at me.
I return the grin as she pushes off the wall to come and hug me, and it only widens as I realize that she looks better than I’ve seen her in years. There’s a warmer glow to her skin, her eyes are starting to recover from the sunken dark circles they used to be and she’s definitely put on weight. There’s still a slightly gaunt look about her and she’s thinner than she should be, but I can feel the progress she’s obviously been making recently as we hug.
“Hey.” She pulls back, scowling. “It’s been months since I’ve seen you - the least you could do is hug me properly.”
Actually, only two, but I still feel a stab of guilt. I never did find another weekend to visit after the one I missed - between the fake marriage, the partnership at the practice and everything else that’s been happening with Nathan, I’ve had a lot to distract me - but I still feel bad about it.
“I’m not going to break.” Lori adds, her voice quieter as she meets my gaze with a defiant, challenging look - one that I can almost sense the vulnerability behind.
“Of course you’re not.” I say, my voice becoming soft and determined too as I pull her into me, hugging her tight. I can feel her bony form poking against my skin - not nearly as badly as before, but still obvious - but I ignore that. She’s right. “You’re the strongest person I know.”
Her nose wrinkles at that, but I can feel her relax against me and she sighs softly.
“Missed you, Jess.”
“Missed you too, frogface.” I say, pulling back with a smirk.
She starts in surprise at the old nickname, then scowls, but I can see the amusement in it as she thumps me in her familiar response. I can’t remember the last time I called her that. It was something I did when she was tiny because it made her laugh and then later continued just because it annoyed her, but I dropped it completely after her problems started. I can still remember how guilty I felt, too, wondering if I’d caused some kind of self-esteem issue, before eventually realizing that what was going on with Lori was far more complex than a childhood nickname.
“Stick-up-the-butt.” She retorts, and I grin. She held onto calling me that for far longer.
“So what happened?” She asks, stepping back to look over my shoulder with a tilt of her head and a grin. “You get a boyfriend and all of a sudden you’ve got no time for your family, huh?”
“I, uh—no—” I laugh, but then I find myself - of all things - actually blushing too.
Lori’s eyes widen. “Ohh damn, sis, you really—”
She cuts herself off, and I follow her gaze back over my shoulder, to where Mom and Dad have finally let Nathan past.
“Am I interrupting?” His familiar voice asks from behind, smiling gently at the two of us, and I try to ignore the wave of heat that wants to run through me at it.
Just his voice…his presence…god damn it, Jessica.
“No, not at all.” I say, shaking my head with a smile and moving over so he can step up to us. “Nathan, this is my sister Lori.”
“It’s great to meet you.” He says, smiling warmly at her.
Lori tilts her head to one side, folding her arms. “After everything you’ve heard about me, huh?”
She smiles easily enough, but I can see the spunky attitude she uses for self-defense slide over her almost immediately. She doesn’t like meeting new people.
Nathan glances at me, his expression twisting into wry amusement as he shakes his head.
“Actually, I’ve heard almost nothing.”
Lori blinks, some of her attitude slipping as she looks at me with surprise. I just smile at her, secretly thrilled I didn’t tell Nathan anything more on the way here.
“Oh, um, well…it’s good to meet you too.” She finishes, obviously slightly thrown—and then relieved when Mom interrupts.
“Come on Jess—Lori—lets go and sit down. We can’t keep Nathan standing in the entryway all afternoon.” She tuts, and I don’t quite hide a smile. I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what she was doing, but it’s not a good idea to point these things out.
Especially not on her birthday.
I gather up the wrapped parcels I’ve brought and we all go through to the living area - Nathan’s hand easily sliding around my waist as he helps me. Heat races through me again, despite where we are, but I don’t stop him. It’s exactly the right kind of gesture, it’s just…distracting, too.
We settle down together on one of the couches and I’m glad that I can at least offer him that kind of physical support, as Mom starts a conversation that’s not particularly subtle in its focus on getting to know Nathan better. Not that he seems to mind - he handles it with the same good-natured, easy-going approach that he does everything - seeming more than happy to answer their questions, and asking plenty of flattering and interesting ones of his own.
It doesn’t take more than a few minutes before it’s obvious Mom and Dad are completely charmed by him, and I have to stop myself from rolling my eyes.
Just as I suspected.
Still, I get a burst of pleasure as I watch - and occasionally join in - the conversation between them. It shouldn’t really matter, but I’m glad they like him. Even if it means they’re going to be a little more disappointed in the end.
As the afternoon continues, some of Mom’s friends arrive and the conversation develops a little more, finally moving on from being quite so focused on Nathan and I. Lori doesn’t say very much, and becomes more withdrawn the more people that arrive, but I catch her sending speculative glances in our direction anyway.
That gives me more pause than Mom and Dad�
��s enthusiasm, if anything. I feel like Mom would find a way to like anyone I brought home, simply to encourage me, but if Lori ends up liking him too…
I feel a little more guilt at the deception, but I try to shrug it off. It helps that Nathan keeps a hand on the back of my back, his deft knuckles massaging it gently, as if he can sense some of my tension. Really, it should be him that’s feeling ill at ease here, but…I guess he’s just not that kind of guy.
I eventually start to relax as Mom opens her presents, then talks and laughs with her friends for a while as the room breaks into smaller pockets of conversation.
“Am I doing okay so far?” Nathan murmurs to me, smiling.
“Too well.” I say back, amused. “As I’m sure you know.”
He blinks, as if it really might not have been obvious to him, and I almost grumble in exasperation. Not just charming, but oblivious about it, too.
“It’s great.” I confirm, in case he isn’t sure. “Really. Thank you.”
I squeeze his leg and then snuggle closer to me, enjoying the way he puts his arm around my shoulders instinctively. It feels weird to be doing that here, in front of my family - we deliberately avoid any sign of intimacy in public, partly for Emma’s benefit and partly for our own - but what’s the point in having a boyfriend here if I can’t take a little comfort in it?
“Good.” He says. “Well, if—”
“Hey.” Lori’s quiet voice interrupts, and I glance over to see that she’s shuffled her chair up close to us. “Can I join you guys?”
“Yeah, of course.” I say automatically, feeling a little bit bad. I’m usually her go-to companion at something like this.
I shift away from Nathan slightly and twisting so that I’m facing her as well, then smile.
“We were just talking about…” I pause, my mind scanning what we were just saying in case it gave anything away.