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I released a shaky breath through my nose and forced a smile onto my lips. It felt more like a grimace than a smile, but fingers crossed it didn’t look like one.
Remember, you’re engaged and in love, which means you’re super excited to meet his family. So act like it!
“My baby,” Adrien’s mother cooed in her soft, tear-stained voice. She was tall, willowy, and had the same dark hair as her son. “I missed you, honey.”
Adrien chuckled softly, tightening his arms around her. “Missed you, too.”
“I’ve raised a liar. If that were true, you wouldn’t go seven whole months between visits.” And when she finally released him from her embrace, her hands moved to his face, cupping it lovingly. The skin underneath her eyes was slightly wet as she sniffled, her features oozing pure love and affection as she stared at him. Then he nudged his head in my direction.
“I have someone I’d like to introduce you to.”
Thu-thump.
Mrs. Cloutier’s big green eyes moved to where I was standing, crinkling in their corners as her face split into another soft grin. She let Adrien go, clasping her hands in front of her like she simply couldn’t contain her happiness.
“Hello,” she said. “You must be Ria.”
I tried to clear the ball of nerves from my throat and held out my hand. “It’s so lovely to meet you, Mrs. Cloutier—”
But before I could get to the end of my rehearsed greeting, Mrs. Cloutier’s arms pulled me into a big hug. I blinked, my hands frozen in the air as she squeezed me tight. “Oh, sweetheart, it’s so lovely to meetyou. And please, call me Julie.”
Adrien arched a brow at me from behind his mother’s back, silently asking if I knew how hugs worked. I cleared my throat again and returned Julie’s embrace, patting her back awkwardly. She smelled like soft lavender and honey. It was… pleasant and comforting.
“Oh my gosh, let me look at you.” Julie let me go, hands moving to my upper arms to hold me in place as she assessed the situation. I averted my gaze, heat trickling up my neck. Her grin widened, and I swear her eyes were starting to get wet all over again. “Oh. Addy, you weren’t exaggerating. She’s such a beauty.”
I looked at Adrien, expecting his eyes to flick to the cloudy skies. But he simply pressed his lips together and dropped his chin.
It wasn’t a nod. I was pretty sure he was just super interested in the ground.
“You kids must be exhausted. Come in, come in. We can catch up and talk inside. Addy, you’ll get the bags, yes?”
“Oh, no, I can get those myself,” I tried to insist, but Adrien waved me off.
“It’s fine,” he said, moving for my luggage. “I’ll take these to the guesthouse while you get acquainted with everyone.”
A wave of panic rushed through me. He was going to leave me alone with his family?Already? For how long?
“Oh, honey, no. There’s work being done on the roof of the guesthouse. You can’t stay there.”
Adrien’s entire body stuttered before hardening to stone. “What?”
“A tree branch went through the roof during the big storm last week. It’s a mess. I’ve got the two of you set up in a room upstairs.”
Wait. Wait.
Wait.
I took a step back and shook my head at Adrien, my eyes flaring wide.
No. There was no way. I’dtold himI wanted my own bedroom.
I wasn’t the only one panicking. For the first time since I’d met him, Adrien looked at a complete loss for words. He also looked like he wasn’t really breathing.
“I hope that’s okay,” Julie went on, turning back to me. “The room’s in the west wing, so you’re still secluded if privacy is a concern. I would have told you sooner, but with everything Addy was dealing with last week… Well, he had more important things to worry about.”
Adrien looked from me to his mother, lizard-blinking. I swear—Iswear—if he didn’t immediately tell her we were going to a hotel or something, I was out.
I’d walk back to Toronto if I had to.
