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“I’m really proud of you.”
“Thank you, love.” Returning to what he was doing, he gestures towards the fridge. “I picked up a bottle of your favorite wine on my way home.”
“Best. Fiancé. Ever.”
I pour myself a glass and sit on the island, watching Parker cook the only dish his mother taught him how to make. He said it’s the only thing she cooks herself, but she taught him one day when the power was out and there was nothing better to do. We talk about how much he likes Harvard and how even though his professors seem tough, they’re geniuses and he’s excited to learn from them.
When dinner is done, I move to go to the dining room but he stops me and heads for the couch. I look at him like he’s gone crazy. Since we’ve been together, he’s always said that meals should be eaten at a table and that a couch is for relaxing. When he notices my expression, he shrugs and continues into the living room.
He puts the plates on the coffee table and goes back into the kitchen to get more wine. I thank him while he refills my glass and then sits down next to me. The two of us eat in silence, too wrapped up in the mouthwatering meal to speak. However, when we finish, he turns his entire body to face me and takes my hand into his.
“I owe you an apology.”
“You do?”
He nods. “I didn’t talk to you before signing up for courses. I’d made you a promise about this summer and then I went and changed it without speaking to you first. You don’t deserve that and I’m sorry.”
Pulling me into his arms, I go willingly – letting him hold me. He brings my hand up to his mouth and kisses across my knuckles. I smile and relax against his chest. Despite the rocky start we’ve had to the summer, there have also been great things happening. We bought a house, chose a date for the wedding, and today, I found my dress. So yeah, maybe him starting school a little early throws a wrench in my plans, but it’s not the end of the world.
The two of us spend the next couple of hours drinking wine, cuddling on the couch, and talking about everything under the sun. He tells me about a guy who thought he was smarter than the professor, only to be wrong and embarrass himself in front of the entire class. I tell him about how Ivy and Tatum spent hours trying to find me the perfect dress, and my mom managed to find it in ten minutes. We laugh together, reminding me of all the reasons I agreed to marry him in the first place.
When nine o’clock hits, Parker stands up and stretches, telling me he needs to get to sleep. Harvard is over an hour away and his first class starts at eight, meaning he needs to be awake really early. Just as he gets to the doorway, my phone vibrates – a text from Colton.
“McKenna?” My fiancé questions. I look up at him and he gives me a soft smile. “Are you coming?”
My sight moves back and forth between my phone and the man I promised to spend forever with. This is it. Do I stay awake and talk to Colton, or do I go with Parker upstairs? Colton or Parker, McKenna? Colton or Parker?
“Yeah.”
I get up and walk towards the door – leaving my phone on the couch and the text unanswered.
8
Parker’s contagious laugh bellows through the car. I can’t help but giggle along with him. It’s Sunday, and we’re currently on our way to my parents’ house for family dinner. Somehow, we ended up talking about embarrassing stories from when we were younger. I told him about how, when I was a kid, I thought tentacles and testicles were the same thing. When we came back from a vacation in Florida, the teacher asked me what the coolest thing I saw was. I told her I saw a jellyfish with really long testicles and the whole class broke out in hysterics.
“How old were you?”
“I don’t know, I think eight.”
“That’s ace.”
He chuckles a little more as he pulls into the driveway. I notice my brother is already here. He must have gotten off work early, because I didn’t expect him to show up until later. My dad steps out of the garage and smiles warmly at us. I do my best to mask my distaste but judging by the way his expression falls, I fail.
“Hi sweetheart.” He greets me as I climb out of the car, then turns his attention to my fiancé. “Parker, nice to see you again.”
“You as well, Mr. Taylor.”
“Son, we’re going to be family soon. You can call me John.”
I snort, causing both men to focus on me. When I get a disapproving look from Parker, I roll my eyes.
“Oh please. We haven’t been a family in years. Our wedding isn’t about to be the magic cure for that.”
“McKenna.” Parker glares at me like I’m being unreasonable.
“Whatever. I’ll meet you inside.”
I walk away from the two of them, hearing him quietly apologize to my dad for my behavior. A part of me wants to stop and tell him not to speak for me, but that would only cause an argument I’m not in the mood to have right now – especially not before all of us sit down to dinner.
