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“Whoa, hey, slow down. It’s not a race,” he teases, then his smile falls once he sees I have all my things with me. “Are you leaving?”
I nod. “Yes. I texted you,” I say lamely, pointing back to where his phone’s charging.
He frowns, obviously confused. “Did something come up?”
I look down the hall, toward my freedom.
“No…it’s just…”
He bends so his brown eyes can catch mine, and the sincerity there makes me feel all the guiltier for trying to sneak out.
“I’m trying to fix this,” I add. “I know you weren’t planning to introduce me to Caleb today, and it probably made Shelby really uncomfortable to find us like that this morning. I mean, that is not how I wanted to meet your family.”
He drops a bag on the ground then reaches out to take my hands. I didn’t realize I was waving them around so much until they hang down at my sides, held in place.
“Yeah, it’s not ideal, but the last thing I want is for you to leave. Everyone was going to meet eventually, and sure, I wasn’t planning on it going like this either, but Shelby understands.”
I look over his shoulder, down the hall toward my escape as I tick my jaw back and forth, gathering the courage to finally ask, “Does she think I’m just a girl you picked up at the club? She acted like she remembered me back there, but she probably meets a lot of people.”
He rears back, almost annoyed by the question. “She knows who you are.”
The sincerity in his voice causes tears to gather in the corners of my eyes, but before they fall, he brings me up against his chest and wraps his arms around me.
“This is all…a lot. I know that,” he says quietly, reassuring me.
It’s not until now that I consider how much I’ve gone through in the last twelve hours. No wonder I was looking up bus routes. Any normal person would be running for the hills.
“Hang in there a bit longer? Okay?” he asks gently.
I nod and he backs up, holding me at arm’s length as he bends to get the bag he set down a moment ago. He holds out the large black shopping bag for me to take.
“I was bringing this to you.”
I peer inside, past a layer of tissue paper.
“Nina had some things rushed over,” he explains. “I’m ashamed I didn’t think of it myself.”
“Wow, that was really nice of her.”
“That’s Nina for you. She thinks of everything.”
I smile and look up at him.
“You’ll stay?”
What choice do I have? I won’t turn down his request, not when he’s looking down at me like that, so hopeful and earnest. I press up onto my toes and kiss his cheek.
“Let me just change really quickly, and I’ll meet you back outside. Tell Shelby I’m sorry for making her wait.”
“She doesn’t mind. She went down to check on Caleb anyway.”
Once I’m alone in his room again, I unpack the bag quickly, trying and failing to withhold my gasps when I check the price tags on everything. Nina must have ordered a rush delivery from the fanciest boutique she could find. Good grief. $98 for a pair of silk black underwear?!
In addition to the underwear, there’s a bra, two shirts, and a pair of jeans. At the bottom, there are even some cosmetics.
I push past the urge to return it all and instead start to dress. Nina was good at guessing my size. The simple white sleeveless tank I pull out fits me like a glove. I pair it with the relaxed boyfriend-style jeans that are only slightly too big.
I’m quick in the bathroom, dabbing on a little bit of makeup, and I feel a hundred times better when I emerge out onto the back patio again to find everyone sitting around the table, even Nina, eating a late breakfast.
They all make a fuss as I approach, welcoming me back and smiling big as if they all agreed beforehand to be extra nice to me when I returned.
“Here, sit,” Ben says, tugging out the chair beside him, across from Nina.
Caleb’s sitting in a high chair at the end of the table. He flashes me a big toothy grin as I pass by, clearly proud of all the egg he’s got stuffed in his mouth.
I can’t help but smile as I take my seat. Ben takes the empty plate in front of my chair and starts loading it up with food for me to choose from: an almond croissant, fresh fruit, a small yogurt parfait, and some bacon that’s still warm.
“That’s plenty,” I tell him, taking the plate before he can keep piling things onto it. I won’t be able to finish all the food as it is. “Thank you.”
Shelby sits across from Ben, cutting up bites of fruit for Caleb to eat. We glance at each other, make eye contact, and then both immediately look away. It’s all so silly, I know that, but this is uncharted territory for everyone and it’s probably going to be uncomfortable for a little while.
