“Calvin… just one dinner. Please. For me.”
I deleted three messages before I finally texted back.
Fine. Saturday. Hadley’s coming.
Her reply came instantly.
Thank you.
Two words. Too polite. Too relieved.
The whole drive over, my stomach sat in a tight knot that wouldn’t loosen no matter how hard I gripped the steering wheel.
Hadley sat beside me, posture straight, chin lifted like she was walking into a courtroom instead of my parents’ house. The dark green dress hugged the curve of her stomach ... a curve she’d stopped trying to hide weeks ago.
Her hand rested over the bump like a quiet claim.
Like armor.
She’d barely spoken since we left the apartment. Just stared out the window while the city blurred past us.
Halfway there, she finally said, “I’m not shrinking tonight.”
I glanced at her. “What does that mean?”
“It means I’m done hiding. From them. From you. From anyone.”
Her eyes stayed forward. Calm. Steady.
I believed her.
And part of me was proud.
The other part was terrified of what that meant inside that house.
Mom opened the door before I even finished knocking.
She pulled Hadley into a hug immediately .... not stiff, not polite. Real. Lingering. I blinked in surprise watching Hadley soften slightly under it.
Mom stepped back, hands still on Hadley’s arms, eyes shining as she looked at her properly.
“Hadley… you’re beautiful. Look at you.”
Hadley gave a small smile. Genuine. “Thank you for inviting us, Anna. It means a lot.”
“Oh, honey, I’ve been dying to meet you properly,” Mom said, squeezing her hands. “Come in, come in. Dinner’s almost ready.”
Mom ushered us inside like she was afraid we might disappear if she didn’t move fast enough.
Dad was already seated at the dining table, wine glass in hand, posture rigid as ever, tie perfectly knotted despite it being a Saturday night at home.
His eyes flicked up when we entered.
A curt nod. “Hadley.”
“Mr. Parker,” she replied smoothly.
No tremor.
