"Honestly?" I said. "Better than I expected."
"I'm glad."
The quiet relief in her voice told me she hadn't been entirely convinced when I'd told her not to worry before the press conference.
A brief pause followed before her practical side reasserted itself.
"Now, are you still coming to see your father and me today?"
"Of course, I am."
I glanced toward Kieran. The sunlight coming through the windows caught the side of his face. He looked curious, slightly amused, and completely unaware of the thought that had just entered my head.
"Mom," I said slowly.
"Yes, son?"
"What would you think if I brought somebody with me?"
The silence on the other end lasted exactly one heartbeat.
"I think your father just sat up so fast he nearly fell out of his chair."
"I did not," my father protested from somewhere in the background.
"Yes, you did."
I rubbed a hand across my mouth, already smiling.
Mom lowered her voice slightly, though not enough to stop Dad from listening.
"Is this somebody special?"
"Maybe."
"Thane."
I laughed. "Yes."
Another pause, and then her voice softened. "Of course they're welcome."
Something warm settled through me. "Yeah?"
"Sweetheart, you've never asked to bring someone to meet us before. If you're asking now, I assume there's a reason."
I glanced across the kitchen toward Kieran. "There is."
From somewhere in the background, Dad called out, "Tell him to bring whoever it is."
Mom sighed dramatically. "Apparently, your father agrees."
A few minutes later, after promising I would arrive before lunch and assuring my mother for the third time that I was, in fact, eating properly, the call finally ended.
I lowered the phone and looked across the kitchen. Kieran's expression was suspiciously innocent.
"You were listening."
"I was standing six feet away."
