by C. C. Wood
Thursday.
It was the day I had dinner with my parents.
Since my mother had finally come to terms with my abilities, our relationship had become a bit easier. Smoother.
Things had improved even more when I started dating Mal. My mother adored him. He was exactly what she wanted for me, with the exception of his occupation. He was handsome, intelligent, kind, and came from a good family. Bonus points for the fact that he came from money. I couldn't have cared less about the money or who his family was, but on everything else, she and I could agree.
When I heard my phone chiming and picked it up, Mal and I were at my kitchen table with our laptops in front of us. I was looking for a way to track astral bodies back to their physical location and getting nowhere. Mal was scouring social media for girls named Selene in the Austin area. It was a long shot but we didn't want to go into this situation completely blind.
"What is it?" Mal asked, his tone distracted.
"I have to get ready," I answered, closing my laptop and stacking my notebooks on top of it.
"For what?" His eyes never left his computer screen.
"Dinner with my parents."
That got his attention. He looked up at me. "Dinner with your parents?"
"It's Thursday."
Comprehension washed over his features. "Ah. Okay, I'll run next door and change. What time are we leaving?"
I blinked at him. "We?"
He stilled in the process of packing up his things. "You don't want me to go?"
"Of course I want you to go," I answered without thinking. "But you do realize you're going to have to undergo an interrogation about the status of our relationship, your future plans in regards to marriage and children, plus commit to plans for any upcoming holidays because when my mother finds out that you not only moved to town but right next door to me, she's going to immediately assume that we are planning a stroll down the aisle within the next six months."
By the time I finished that rush of words, I was out of breath and panicking. Oh, my God, I couldn't believe I'd just said all that to Mal. I knew he was serious about me but I didn't want him to think I expected, well, anything.
So I hurried on to make things worse. "I mean, I don't expect any of those things. I'm just saying that my mother will. I don't expect anything from you."
Dammit. This was why I'd avoided relationships for so long.
Mal stared at me for a beat before he grinned. "But what if I told you that I wanted you to expect something from me?"
I opened my mouth, then closed it. I had no response to that. I didn't think he would appreciate a reply of Promise to love me forever and never leave me, even when we're both dead.
That didn't sound the least bit creepy. And oh-so-romantic to boot.
Mal put his notebooks down and walked over to me. "Zoe, I realize that you don't want to put pressure on me. And I appreciate that. But I also don't want to put pressure on you. Now, I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to be completely and totally honest with me."
Oh, shit.
Mal chuckled. "You can wipe that panicked look off your face. I promise it won't be a scary question."
It wasn't the question that frightened me. It was his possible reaction to my unfiltered answer.
"Do you want me to go with you tonight?" he asked.
Okay, that was a good, simple question. One I felt comfortable answering.
"Yes."
He ran his hands down my arms and curled his fingers around mine. "Good. I like that answer. Now, here's a harder one."
I braced myself, which made him shake his head.
"Zoe," he squeezed my hands, more of a caress than anything else. "We work together and we're moving into another type of relationship. We need to be able to talk to each other. I know you hate confrontation and that it's difficult for you to open up to people, but I want you to understand that you are safe with me. I want to know what you're thinking and feeling, even if it's not always comfortable or easy."
I took a deep breath and blew it out, feeling my body relax. "Okay."
"When you look at your life in a year, do I have a place in it?" Before I could answer, he said, "Don't think about it. Just answer instinctively."
I did exactly what he asked and answered without thinking about it. "You'll always have a place in my life."
Mal smiled. "I like that answer."
I stared up at him and asked, "What about you? What place will I have in your life in a year?"
He released my hands and cupped my face, tilting my head back so he could see me clearly. "Your role in my life will always be the most important one. Next year. The year after. For the foreseeable future."
My heart sang at his words.
He kissed me, light and sweet. "So, you see? We're on the same page. Even your wedding and grandbaby obsessed mother won't scare me off." He was so close that all I could see were his eyes. They sparkled as he smiled. "I like your mom. Even if she is a little scary. And your dad is pretty awesome. I'm pretty sure my parents will love them too."
Oh, shit. He was talking about our families meeting. That was serious.
"Now, you get ready and I'll be back at four-thirty to drive us to your parents' house." He hesitated. "I can't promise Stony won't try to horn in. Free food is a temptation he can't resist."
I laughed. "That would be great, actually. For some strange reason, my mother loves Stony. He'll be a welcome distraction from the interrogation before Mom pulls out the rubber hoses."
Mal grinned back at me, touching the tip of his index finger to the center of my bottom lip. I couldn't suppress the shiver that ran through me. "He'll be thrilled. He thinks your mom's cooking is amazing."
"She's a good cook, what can I say?" I whispered.
His smile faded and he kissed me again, this time there was nothing light or sweet about it. Mal's hands rested on my lower back, pulling me tighter against his body. I slipped my fingers beneath the hem of his shirt, gripping his lower back in the same manner. His skin was warm, almost hot, beneath my fingers. I kneaded the muscles as they flexed and relaxed.
We were moving, turning until my butt bumped into the table. I leaned against it and Mal lifted me up, depositing me on the surface. I wrapped my legs around his waist, my cotton skirt riding up. The legs of his denim shorts rubbed my inner thighs as he stepped closer, pressing his hips against mine.
This was what I'd been wanting. The passion. The heat. My hands moved up his back, his shirt lifting up and bunching around my wrists. Mal used one arm to hold me to him and used his free hand to trace the neckline of my shirt. The vee neck had three buttons in the front and I sucked in a sharp breath as he hooked the first button with one finger and released it, revealing the inner curves of my breasts.
His fingers feathered over my skin, brushing the edge of my bra just above my nipples.
I was a moment away from stripping his shirt over his head when I saw something out of the corner of my eye.
"Shit. Sorry." My inconvenient roommate vanished in a blink.
Teri, dammit. She was gone when I pulled my mouth away from Mal's, but the mood had been broken.
Mal rested his head against my chest, his lips brushing my skin. It was distracting but my head was no longer fuzzy with lust.
"We have to get ready to go to my parents'," I sighed.
"I know."
I shivered as his mouth moved against my breast when he spoke. He straightened and looked down at me, taking in my mussed hair, swollen lips, and half-exposed breasts.
"How angry would your mother be if we didn't make it tonight?" he asked.
My hands gripped him tighter for a moment at the thought. I couldn't control it. Mal groaned and buried his face in my neck.
"Considering we're talking about going to Austin for an unspecified amount of time, very. We missed quite a bit while we were on the road and Mom expects me there unless I'm too sick to leave my bed or my house caught fire."
Ma
l's tongue touched my neck and I was a split second away from saying fuck it and canceling with my parents.
But he lifted his head. "Then I'd better go get ready." He helped me stand, his eyes darting to my cleavage again. "But a cold shower first."
I bit my bottom lip. While I wanted to stay here and see where this went, I was also nervous as hell. It had been a long, long time since I'd made love to someone. I was out of practice. Rusty, even. And I was scared to death that I would be a disappointment to Mal.
"Rain check?" he asked.
I nodded.
Mal kissed my forehead and released me. "I'll be back at four-thirty."
I watched him leave, noting the way he locked the front knob before he closed the door behind him.
He intended to take care of me, even if he wasn't going to be around.
I loved that. Other than my dad, none of the men in my life had ever tried quite so hard to protect me.
It also made me even more determined to do the same for him.
An hour later, just as he stated, Mal rang my doorbell. When I opened my door, I saw that his prediction was accurate and that Stony had joined him.
"Zoe!" Stony grabbed me into a bear hug before I could evade him. "Thank you so much for inviting me to dinner with you."
I stared at Mal over Stony's shoulder, but all he did was laugh.
"No problem, Stony. I know how much you love my mother's cooking."
Stony dropped me abruptly, grabbing my shoulders when I teetered on my feet. "Your mother's cooking?"
Mal snorted behind him and I rolled my eyes. He hadn't told Stony where we were going to dinner.
"Yes. It's Thursday. Time for the weekly dinner with my parents."
"Oh," he replied. He paused for a moment then turned to Mal. "You know, I just remembered—"
"Get your ass in the car, Stony," Mal interrupted. "Sarah isn't that scary."
"Not scary, my foot. The woman asked me when I was going to settle down. Said Zoe's friend, Jonelle, was a lovely girl. Somehow she figured out that Jonelle and I had a thing and now she's decided we're perfect for each other and that we should have a spring wedding."
I held back a laugh. I wasn't entirely sure what the status of Stony and Jonelle's relationship was, but they were both commitment-phobes. There was no way they were considering marriage. Anything more long term than a few nights would have my bestie running in the opposite direction. I knew Stony wanted more than that, but if the word marriage in relation to himself ever passed his lips, I would probably pass out from shock.
"Mom means well," I said. "She just wants the both of you to be happy."
Stony shot me a defiant look then glanced at Mal. "You know she's going to do the same to you."
Mal twirled his keyring around his index finger. "Then she's an astute woman."
"What does that mean?" Stony asked.
I wondered the same thing.
Mal sighed. "It means that Sarah understands you and me better than either of us realize. Get your ass in the car, Stony."
"Can't you just bring me some leftovers?" he whined.
"No. You have to go to the Thornes' house like a big boy and eat off a big boy plate and drink out of a big boy cup. No sippies for you."
Stony growled at Mal and stomped down my front steps. I stopped just long enough to grab my purse and lock the door behind me as I left.
"You're being hard on him," I murmured to Mal.
"I've been watching him mope over your friend for a month now. He's crazy about her. I'd even go so far as to say he's in love with her. But he won't say it. He's so damn stubborn."
"So's Jonelle," I replied. "I know she cares deeply about him, too, but she can't admit it either. Even to herself."
"I guess I should take it a little easier on him," Mal said. "After all, I know a little something about falling for a stubborn woman." He wrapped an arm around my waist.
I elbowed him in the ribs and laughed quietly when he grunted. "What does it say about you that you can't stay away?"
"That I'm addicted to you?" he asked.
I shook my head and walked out of his embrace. "We should leave or we're going to be late getting to my parents'. Mom might forgive you and Stony, but I won't hear the end of it for the rest of the night," I said.
Mal caught up with me at his driveway and opened the passenger door for me. When I brushed past him to get in, he put a hand on my waist to stop me. "I don't care how stubborn you are. Or how long it takes you to truly believe that you are the best thing that ever happened to me. I'm not going anywhere."
If any other man had said that to me, I would have thought he was borderline psycho-stalker material and immediately tried to get a restraining order.
But with Mal, it was exactly what I wanted to hear. Like Jonelle, I sometimes had trouble admitting things to myself. And one of those things was something Mal had mentioned earlier. I had a difficult time sharing my deepest desires and secret wishes. As pathetic as it sounded, I needed that reassurance that he wasn't going to leave me because I was too weird or too difficult. That he would care about me no matter how big of a pain in the ass I was.
"Thank you," I said, lifting up on my toes and kissing the corner of his mouth.
His hand squeezed my waist once more. "I don't want gratitude. I just want you."
"Then you have what you want."
I didn't say anything else, just slipped into the passenger seat and buckled my seat belt.
Mal shut the door and came around the car to the driver's side. He didn't say anything else as he started the car and backed out of the driveway, but he did hold my hand the entire ride to my parents' house.
Chapter Six
As soon as we walked into my childhood home, I was glad that I'd brought Mal and Stony with me. It was pot roast tonight and that was the boys' absolute favorite. If I knew exactly when Blaine was going to show up, I would take the leftovers home for him.
Not that they would last, though. Stony and Mal would devour them within a day.
"Mrs. Thorne!" Stony said when my mom came out of the kitchen. "You look stunning, as always." He swept her up in a hug.
My mother laughed as he twirled her around and set her back on her feet.
"Beautiful and a good cook. Run away with me!" Stony declared dramatically.
"Don't make me get my shotgun and a shovel, son," my dad said as he followed my mother out of the kitchen. "I like you but I will make you disappear if you try to take my wife away."
My mother giggled. Like a schoolgirl. And swatted Stony's shoulder. "Stop it, Sean. I'm a happily married woman."
"And I intend to see that she stays that way," my father stated.
Stony released my mother and shook Dad's hand. "Mr. Thorne."
Mom came forward and pulled Mal into a hug. She kissed his cheek as she released him. "Malachi, lovely to see you. Are you in town for the weekend?"
"Actually—"
Apparently, Stony decided this was a grand time to take his revenge on Mal for not telling him that we were coming here.
"We bought the house next door to Zoe's!" Stony exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. "We're her new neighbors."
Mom's eyes moved between Mal and Stony while my dad stared at my boyfriend with eyes that promised a swift demise.
Time to defuse the situation.
"Stony, Blaine, and Mal decided to move to Kenna in order to make our work a little less complicated. They knew that I had ties here and didn't want to make it harder for me."
Mom's facial expression softened. "That's lovely."
My dad still looked like he was planning a murder, but he backed down a little.
I felt for him. I knew that he actually liked Stony and Mal, but he loved me. I was his baby girl and always would be. These two men were threatening to take me away. Not literally. But things had already changed now that I'd started working on the television show and I knew they would continue to change.
I would have to t
alk to him. Mal was going to be in my life for a good, long while. Maybe even forever. I wanted them to get along.
Mom came forward and hugged me as Dad released Stony's hand and took Mal's. Mal didn't even wince, though I knew my father's grip had to be hard as hell.
"You look pretty tonight," my mother murmured as she stepped back from me. "Almost glowing."
I knew my face turned pink.
"He's a good man," she continued. "They both are, but Malachi...he makes you happier."
"They didn't tell me they were buying the house. It was supposed to be a surprise."
"Oh, dear," my mother said. Then, she covered her mouth with her hand and her shoulders shook. "And they thought that it would be a good surprise?"
"Yep," I answered.
"Well, once the shock had worn off, did you think it was a good surprise?"
"Yeah, actually I did. But don't tell them that or they'll think it's okay to 'surprise' me all the time."
Mom giggled again, using her hand to smother the sound.
By now, Dad was done greeting the guys and headed my way.
"Hey, sweetheart," he said, enveloping me in a hug.
The scent of grease and Dial soap assailed me. It was a familiar, comforting smell. The smell of childhood hugs, bedtime stories, and unconditional love.
"Hey, Dad."
"You look nice tonight. You didn't dress up for me, did ya?" He released me and then shook his head. "Damn, boys. I should have known one of them would eventually take you away from me."
"He's not taking me away, Dad."
"Maybe not completely, but it won't be the same anymore."
I couldn't argue with that because he was right. It wouldn't be the same. But I'd just started figuring out for myself that change wasn't just necessary. It was a good thing.
"I'll still be your daughter. And I'll still come to Thursday dinners."
"I know." He smiled. "And someday, you'll bring your babies here."
My heart seemed to swell in my chest. People needed to stop talking about babies because it was freaking me out.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves."