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A silent message to tell me that she’s right here, and she’s not going anywhere. Even if today goes to complete shit.
Her hand squeezes mine three times, and I reply with four back.
“Mom,” I say calmly. “I love Laiken.”
“Okay…this isn’t something I haven’t already known,” she replies.
“I know, but I need you to understand just how much I love her. How strong it is and how I would do absolutely anything to be with her.”
“H,” Mom says through a chuckle. “She’s the only girl you’veeverbrought home. I may not have ever asked you about this stuff, but don’t think for a second that I don’t know you. I could see it in the way you looked at her the first morning I saw you two together. She’s your one.”
This. This right here is one of the things I appreciate most about my mother. I look over at Laiken to find a light blush on her cheeks. And when her eyes meet mine, we both smile.
“Don’t worry. It’s mutual,” Mom tells me.
“I know it is,” I reply. “Because I asked her to marry me, and she said yes.”
My mom’s eyes widen. “Okay, I didn’t seethatcoming.”
“It’s fast. I know.”
“It’s NASCAR,” she corrects.
I nod. “But Mom, I’ve never been so sure of anything in my entire life. She’s everything to me, and I know what you’re thinking. That there’s no rush. And that if we’re meant to spend the rest of our lives together, we’re already doing it. But every time I think about her, the wordgirlfriendnever seems to fit. She’s so much more than that. So, I don’t want to wait just because society set some kind of standard timeline on this shit. I want to make her mine, legally and as officially as possible.”
My mom sighs, a soft smile on her face as she turns to Laiken. “And what about you? I’m sure your parents are going to have their reservations about this.”
“Let them,” she answers simply, then her gaze locks with mine. “We’ll deal with it the same way we’ll deal with everything else—together.”
I’ve never kissed a girl in front of my mom. I’ve never had someoneworthyof being kissed in front of my mom. But with Laiken, she’s worth the whole damn world, and nothing can stop me from pressing my lips to hers.
My mom sniffles, wiping a tear from her cheek. “Dammit, sorry. It’s just really nice to see you so happy.”
“Iamhappy. I get to spend the rest of my life with someone who makes me the best version of myself.”
“That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you,” she says. “Congratulations to you both. The only advice I can give you is to remember this feeling. Hold onto it and never let it go.”
I pull Laiken in and kiss the top of her head. “That’s exactly what I’m doing.”
The front door opens behind me, and my sister stops when she sees us all sitting at the table.
“Oh God,” Dev groans. “Who diednow?”
My mom chuckles and up-nods at me to tell her. I turn around to see the reaction on her face. She’s holding a McDonald’s cup in one hand and her wallet in the other, and she stares back at me curiously.
“What?”
“How would you like to have a sister-in-law?”
Everything immediately falls out of her hands, the cup spilling on the floor, as she throws her hands over her mouth. Tears fill her eyes, and she glances between Laiken and me, nodding excitedly.
That’s when the whole mood changes. The weight lifts off my chest, and I watch as my mom and sister hug Laiken, demanding to see the ring. I even manage to get a nod of approval from Devin—though I’m pretty sure she’s taking partial credit for Laiken and me.
Brat.
By the time we head out the door, I feel a million times better.
“See?” I ask Laiken. “That wasn’t so bad.”
