“To the point that you’ll wonder why I even considered giving this another shot. And you’re going to wish you never spent all that money on the painting or this house.”
“Teeny, there will never be a life where I would regret another chance with you.” He pauses to smile softly, a flash of our life scrolling at lightning speed across his glistening eyes. “You’re it for me. And I will wait the rest of my life for you to come back to me.”
My chin trembles. “Don’t break my heart, Everett.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
He kisses me, softly and gently, taking his time relearning the ways to kiss me, knowing there’s no time constraint to worry about. We have the rest of our lives.
CHAPTERTWENTY-EIGHT
Teeny
NOW
I feelEverett’s fingers fidget over my lower back. He’s not doing it to soothe or comfort me. It’s more for him as he eases his own anxiety.
“Why are you so nervous?”
He looks down at me while we stand on the stoop of my parents’ front door. “Because the last time your parents saw me was when they found out I knocked you up twenty years ago.”
I roll my eyes. “It’s going to be fine, Everett. I’ll explain everything. Plus, they love you.”
“I don’t know how much they’ll love me after this.”
The door opens with a rush of air, and we’re greeted by my mom’s stunned face from across the threshold.
“Hi, Mom,” I greet her meekly.
“Hi, Mrs. Cohen.”
She lets a discontented sigh slip through her lips before she opens the door wider for us to enter. We walk into the kitchen where my dad is hovering over what looks like the ingredients for cheeseburgers, and when he sees Everett and me walk in, hand in hand, a hard, disapproving scowl covers his face.
“Christine and Everett are here,” my mom announces as she follows our footsteps. It doesn’t sound like she’s announcing our arrival, but more like giving my dad a warning.
“Hi, Daddy.”
My dad drops the plump tomato in his hand and crosses his arms over his chest. He’s joined by mom, their matching stone-like faces looking over us.
“What’s going on, Teeny?” my dad asks, the tone of his voice matching his rigid posture.
Though the question is directed at me, it’s Everett who speaks. “Mr. and Mrs. Cohen, I know you both must have a lot of questions. And while we’re both happy to answer them, I want to say something first.”
My parents share a look. An exchange asking the other whether or not they’re willing to hear him out.
“I love Christine,” Everett continues. “I’ve loved her my whole life. And though things happened between us that drew us apart, I’ve come back hoping that she’d give me another chance.”
He’s answered with more silence from my parents, and a wave of anxiety rolls through me. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe I should’ve given it a few weeks, let the dust settle before explaining to them that I plan to have Everett in my life for a very long time. Perhaps forever.
“And uh,” my mom finally says. “Is this…what about you, Teeny? What do you…” The cautious tone of her voice feels like the smallest of gaps. One that both Everett and I can squeeze through, hoping that my family will accept our reunion.
“I love him too,” I confess.
Everett’s brow springs up to his hairline. I grip his hand firmly, giving him a light squeeze to warn him.Keep your cool.
My dad cuts into the moment with a harsh cough into his closed fist. “Teeny, I know you’re an adult, and you’re fully capable of making your own decisions, but we—” He pauses, looking at my mom, hoping to find the right words with her. “We want to make sure you’ve thought this through.”
“What your dad means is that we don’t want you to…” My mom moves closer to me, cupping my face in her hands. The pitying look on her face causes the air around us to shift, and suddenly, I feel like I’m a child again. “We don’t want you to get hurt.”
