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“It’s ten years?”
“That’s a big gap.”
“They didn’t mention it when Emerson married Roman.”
“Emerson isn’t their daughter.”
“She might as well be. Come on, old man.” She winks. “You’re worried for nothing.” She laces her fingers through mine and gives our joined hands a gentle tug as she leads us into the restaurant.
“Mom. Dad.” Monroe stops before her parents. Never letting go of my hand, she offers them both a one-armed hug. “You know Legend,” she says, stepping to my side and smiling up at me.
“Mr. and Mrs. Morrison. Good to see you again,” I reply politely, hoping they can’t hear the nerves in my voice. It’s at this moment I realize I’ve never met the parents, and it’s important to me that they approve. Not because of the money, but because in their eyes, I’m the man their daughter has chosen to give her time to.
That’s important.
“Of course. It’s nice to see you again, Legend,” her mom replies.
“Legend.” Her dad offers me his hand. I accept his handshake immediately, maintain eye contact, and give him a nice firm shake.
“So, this is new?” her mom asks with a smile.
Monroe slides her arm around my waist and rests her hand on my chest, peering up at me. “Not really. It’s complicated. At least we were afraid it would be. We wanted to be sure this could be something, would be something, before we brought everyone else into it. We’re all friends, and that could cause some friction.”
“And when it didn’t work out, you thought that wouldn’t happen?” Her dad laughs.
Monroe shrugs. “Doesn’t matter now.” The look that she gives me has me believing her.
“Well, I’m starving. Let's eat.” Her mom links her arm with her dad's and turns to give the hostess their name for our table.
I bend my head, my lips next to Monroe’s ear. “Just like that?” I ask.
She smiles. “Just like that. They trust me. They know you’re a good man, Legend.”
“They don’t know me.”
“They know Emerson, and they know Forrest. They lump you in with my association. I’ve talked about all of you over the years, and I can admit my crush has been noted.” Her cheeks pinken. “This is going to work out. I’m the best candidate because of our extended history. Now, stop stressing so much, boyfriend, and feed your girl.” Her grin is infectious.
Placing my hand on the small of her back, we follow her parents to the booth. I slide in next to her, and she snuggles up close to me.
“What sounds good, babe?” she asks.
“Not sure yet,” I reply, still wrapping my head around her parents’ easy acceptance of us.
“I kind of want the chicken strips and fries. They’re hand-breaded and are so good, but I also kind of want the steak and shrimp.”
“You get one, I’ll get the other. You can have both.”
“You sure?”
I press my lips to her temple. “Yeah, I’m sure.”
“Aw,” her mom coos.
I stiffen. It’s easy to forget there’s anyone else in the room when I have Monroe’s full attention. I scoot over just a tad. Well, I try to. My new girlfriend isn’t having any of it. She loops her arm through mine to hold me still.
We make small talk with her parents about what they’re going to order, and to my surprise, they do the same thing as us, ordering two meals with the intention of sharing.
“She gets it honest.” Her dad chuckles. “This one can never decide. We always end up sharing.”
