"That's not a denial."
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "No. It isn't."
"My parents would like to meet you."
The smile faded. "Yeah?"
"Yeah."
For a moment, he looked down at the floor. "I've never done that before."
I frowned slightly. "Done what?"
"Met someone's parents." The words came out quieter than usual. "Not like this."
I wrapped my arm around his waist and drew him closer. "Kieran."
His gaze lifted to mine. There was a hint of nervousness in his eyes that hadn't been there a second earlier.
"My mother just approved a mystery guest she knows absolutely nothing about."
That earned a tentative smile.
"I think you'll be fine."
"Easy for you to say. They're your parents."
A laugh escaped me. "Trust me. You're the one with the advantage here."
His eyebrows rose. "How do you figure?"
"They already like you."
Kieran looked unconvinced. "They haven't even met me."
"They don't have to." I smiled. "Trust me."
"That's not remotely reassuring."
My laugh slipped out before I could stop it. "You'll survive lunch."
"That's a very low bar."
"Fine." I tightened my arm around his waist. "You'll survive lunch, and my mother will spend the rest of the week telling everyone in the building how charming you are."
The corner of his mouth twitched. "You sound very sure of that."
"I am."
He shook his head. "That's either sweet or terrifying."
"Probably both.
SIXTEEN
KIERAN
Meeting someone's parents had never been on my list of things to do five days after meeting them.
