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“I rent my house,” she continued. “I have never owned a home in my life. This is the longest I’ve stayed in one place. Because I love it here. Because I’ve made this place my home. And my fucking visa is going to be up in a year, but there’s nowhere else I want to be. As much as I fucking love working for you, and I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else, I’m older than you, bitch. And I’m your employee.” She pointed at me. “You own a home. You renovated that fucking thing yourself, and I can’t even put together flat pack furniture. You created this.” She waved her hands around the space. “A business. Filled out whatever the fuck paperwork someone has to fill out in order to start a business. You dealt with a bank. Every single thing you set your mind to in your life, you succeed in.” She reached out to squeeze my hand. “You think because you have anxiety, you’re weak.” She shook her head. “It only makes you stronger. More impressive. That you successfully navigate through life.”
Though she was building me up, her words only made me sob harder.
“I love you,” I said through my tears.
“I love you more, bitch,” she replied with a wink.
It was then I realized I hadn’t been living through just one love story but many. That happily ever afters existed in many different ways, and I was lucky enough to have a bunch of them.
I expected to hurt, being around a family when I’d lost mine. And it did. But only because I was in agony every time I inhaled and exhaled. Pain was my constant companion now.
But it was impossible to be bitter or resentful about what I didn’t have when I was around Rowan’s family. Not when they welcomed me into the family the second I walked through the door of their home.
Well, not even when I walked through the door.
As soon as we pulled into the driveway of the lovely, two-story house with a wraparound porch, a colorful, rambling garden and bright yellow shutters, the front door opened, and a woman burst out of it.
Rowan’s hand on my thigh tightened before he reached over to kiss me on the side of the head. “Ready yourself, cupcake,” he murmured, undoing my seat belt for me.
I felt a sliver of nervousness then, my only other experience of meeting a boyfriend’s family cold and terrible.
But I didn’t have long to worry about the temperature of the Derrick family because my door opened.
“You’re here!” a woman exclaimed, grasping my hand and pulling me out of the car.
I was engulfed in her embrace the second I was out.
She smelled of vanilla and expensive perfume.
“Well, you’re beautiful,” she declared, holding me at arm’s length.
I guessed the woman was Rowan’s mother since she had the same ice-blue eyes and dark brown hair. Hers was longer, brushing her shoulders, framing a lovely face, delicately lined from the years of her life spent smiling, if the crinkles at the edges of her eyes were anything to go by.
She was small, only slightly taller than me and of a much slimmer build, wearing a white turtleneck and relaxed jeans, looking effortlessly put together, and stylish.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Derrick,” I replied, grateful my voice didn’t crack with nervousness.
“Oh, none of that Mrs. Derrick crap.” She waved her hand. “It’s Jill, or… Mom if you’d like. I won’t force it if it’s too odd for you.” She gave a wicked smile to Rowan who was rounding the car.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Mom. You’re gonna scare her away before she even gets in the front door,” Rowan grumbled, but a practiced ear heard the loving warmth in his tone.
She rolled her eyes good-naturedly in a gesture that seemed also practiced and loving before winking at me.
“Oh, as if I could scare her away.” She took her son into her arms, kissing his cheek. “Look at you,” she squeezed his cheeks.
I couldn’t stop grinning.
Maggie barked at Jill, obviously done with waiting patiently for her grandma’s attention.
Jill complied, turning to grab the dog by its face to kiss her nuzzle too. “And you, my dear, are even more irresistible.” She glanced up to me. “I bet it was love at first sight, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, it was,” I answered without thinking. And I wasn’t looking at Jill or Maggie. I was looking at Rowan, making it clear what I was talking about.
My cheeks heated with a blush, from the charged silence that came after my words, and from the way that Rowan was looking at me that was totally inappropriate considering his mom was right there.
I cleared my throat, forcing my attention to Jill who was beaming at me. “Rowan told me that you said not to bring anything, but I’m insane and also think I’d probably explode if forced to attend any kind of gathering without bringing something,” I explained to her, planning on opening the back door of Rowan’s truck in order to get the bags of food I’d baked for the occasion.
