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It was like Evan knew I was hiding something, and he thought by pushing to meet my parents he would stop me from running. I’d promised I wouldn’t—and I’d meant it. But I was turning into someone I no longer recognized. This wasn’t about appearance or clothes or a nose piercing. It was about who I was on the inside.
And the more Kendall hooked her claws in, the more I lost myself.
* * *
“Becca, come in here please.” It was Mom’s serious voice, the one that had me backtracking down the stairs and into the kitchen.
“Yes?”
“I’m making sure I have everything for tomorrow. Does he eat meat?”
“He has a name, and yes.”
“I’m going to make a pie for dessert. He eats pie, right?”
“Mom.” I plopped down at the table. “He’s a guy. He’ll eat anything you put in front of him. Just serve the leftovers. There’s enough.”
Thanksgiving had consisted of far too much of everything. Turkey, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole. We’d made small talk while eating, keeping conversation to safe topics like plans for Christmas and Dad’s latest cases.
“Well, we’ve never done this, so I want to do it right.” Her anxiety would have been sweet if I didn’t know it was a mask for her disapproval at the situation.
“Look, Evan wants to meet you. If it were up to me, I’d keep him far, far away from you both for as long as possible.”
“Becca, that’s not fair.” She sighed.
“You’ve made it pretty clear you don’t trust me to make better decisions, so I think it’s fair.”
“Becca, please…”
“I didn’t come in here to argue. Whatever you cook will be fine. Just go easy on him, okay? He’s important to me.”
“I can’t make any promises,” she said, unpacking the groceries. “But I’ll try.”
I cracked a small smile. She wasn’t an easy person to get along with at times, but I knew, deep down, that she only wanted to protect me.
“Thanks, Mom. I’ll be in my room—”
She cut me off. “We should invite his family over.”
“Huh?” My jaw dropped open.
Mom clapped her hands together. “Yes, that’s an excellent idea. Why beat around the bush? If you’re as serious about each other as you insist, we should invite them. It is Thanksgiving, after all.”
She’d lost it—completely and utterly lost it.
“Mom, I don’t think—”
“It’s perfect. Let me know if they can come.”
I traipsed back to my room in a daze. When had my life gotten so complicated?
Ellen couldn’t come—there was no way—but if I didn’t ask him, Mom would bring it up and then Evan would want to know why I didn’t ask. Ugh.
My mom wants to invite your mom and Eli tomorrow.
He replied right back.
You’re kidding?
