With a shake of my head, some wayward fuzzy curls fall into my face. “I’d rather cleave my nipples off and feed them to a bear.”
He rolls his lips, silent laughter shaking his body. “I was thinking.”
“Did it hurt?” I make my way around the room and plop down on the arm chair sitting a couple of feet from his side of the couch.
He nods. “Almost always.”
Wyatt stirs in his arms, letting out a soft snore. He doesn’t generally nap this early in the day, or at all much these days—he decided he just doesn’t need them—but this is the most adorable thing I’ve seen. And I birthed a cute kid.
“Mom invited me over for Sunday dinner.”
I know where this is going before it even leaves his mouth. He wants to take Wyatt to meet his parents. I knew it was going to happen at some time, I just wasn’t ready for it to happen now. I guess I could follow them, and sit around the corner from his parents’ house in case something goes wrong.
I need to slow my roll. That’s stalking. And creepy. And from everything I’ve seen between Raffi and Wyatt, there are few things Raffi couldn’t handle as his dad. Even if something happened, Raffi’s parents raised Raffi, and they’d know what to do in case of an emergency.
So why does my stomach feel like the choppy ocean on a rainy day?
He slips his hand over mine. “I’d like to bring you and Wyatt to meet them. If you’re not ready, that’s cool. But Dad carves a mean joint of meat, and Mom has already bought one of every toy she has found since the day she knew Wyatt existed. They’re ready. But if you’re not, then that’s the end of the discussion.”
He always knows what to say, right at the moment I need to hear it. Tears well in my eyes. Not because he’s being considerate and patient, but because he included me. He wants to introduce me to his family. It hits just how much I mean to him, which, considering the fact I thought for three years he abandoned me because there was something wrong with me, well, it chokes me up.
“What is it, Firecracker?”
“You want me to meet your mom.”
“And dad. Of course I do. I’ve met your mom. You know it’s the natural progression of relationships, right?”
A tearful laugh bubbles out of my mouth. All I need now is to snot in front of him, and I’ll complete my swamp witch get-up. “Yeah, but, I dunno. I just. For so long I thought there was something wrong with me.”
His other hand cups the one already holding mine and he pulls my hand to his mouth to kiss my knuckles one at a time. “It was never you, Victoria. Not ever. And if I have to spend every day convincing you of that until you believe me, I will.”
His knuckles graze my cheek, catching my tears as they trickle down my face. “You know how special you are?”
Not? Ugh. I hate that’s my first reaction to his question, but it’s how I feel. I wouldn’t say it out loud. If Wyatt heard me talking smack about myself, I’d get a talking to. Even at two years old he knows we only talk positively about ourselves.
“I fell for you once. Hit my head and lost my memory. And fell for you all over again.” He leans forward, careful not to upset Wyatt where he’s starting to stir. “I might never get my memory back of our first time meeting. But I don’t need it, because I already love you all over again. Falling in love with the same woman twice? Especially when she dumps a drink on your head? That’s pretty special, becauseyou’repretty special.”
This hot-mess-mom-express is ugly crying now. Thick, heavy tears stream off my chin and onto my shirt. Raffi’s smile is soft, and a sniff from the direction of the kitchen tells me Mom’s as emotional about it all as I am.
“I don’t love you because you’re the mother of our son, Victoria. I love you because you’re unapologetically you. You’re quietly vulnerable, but only for me. You’re strong, and kind, and you’re the best fucking mother on the planet. Sorry Mrs. B.”
Mom giggles but doesn’t reply.
“I want you to meet my parents not because you’re Wyatt’s mom, but because you’re the woman who has stolen my heart twice. And I don’t ever want it back.”
Wow. I get why this guy writes songs. He should write a romance novel.
“You might want a shower first, though. While I love…” He waves his hand in front of my face. “You may want to…” He looks around. “Wash the cum out of your hair before you see my mom,” he whispers then winks at me, making me snort-laugh. “Go shower. I’m going to make a Play Doh castle with our kid and try to convince him I didn’t eat any of his goldfish crackers while he was drooling on my shirt.”
Getting cum out of curls isn’t something I’m used to having to do, but eventually the crusty mess gets washed away in the shower. By the time I’m dressed and ready to go, my boys are too. Nerves shred my stomach, but we climb in the car and Raffi sets off toward his childhood home.
Guess it’s time to meet the in-laws.
“Tori, it’s so nice to finally meet you.” Raffi’s mom makes it sound like we’ve been together for years and years and we never got around to hanging out. I thought it had been weeks, but when I did the math on the ride here after Raffi’s declaration of the L-word, it’s more like a couple months. Doesn’t feel like it at all, it feels like no time has passed at all.
Mom says it takes a moment to fall in love, so I don’t feel quite so foolish about my emotions. But can a love born from lightning striking twice in the same place last forever?
Guess time will tell.
