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“Everything okay?” In the last twenty-four hours my family had told me no less than fifty times how much they adored her, so I didn’t think the visit with them was on her mind.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
If I took her answer at face value, it would be easier all the way around. But I thought back to how many times my mom would tell my father she was fine, when it was obvious she wasn’t and expected him to keep asking until she felt like talking about it. I tried a different tack.
“Tell me about your parents.” I’d already formed an impression of them based on their attitude toward Addy becoming a nurse. Apparently, that hadn’t been good enough for them. But I hoped there were some redeeming qualities.
She sighed. “I’ve already told you the basics.”
Right, her father was an oral surgeon, and her mom was a professor. “What does your mom teach?”
“Economics. She has a PhD.”
“What kind of dental surgery does your dad do?”
“Wisdom teeth, extractions.”
“You do know the role of non-chatty, unapproachable, unsocial person has already been taken, so you’ll need to play a different part.”
At least my quip garnered a smile. “Sorry. I guess you could say I have a complicated relationship with my parents. Just once, I’d like to feel as if they were proud of me for something.”
The deep hurt in her voice made me angry. Parents shouldn’t make their children feel less than. While I didn’t have the words to make her feel better, I found myself taking her hand and squeezing. “You say the word, and we’ll leave for home.”
“Like a safe word?”
I chuckled. “I was thinking you’d lean over and say, ‘Let’s fucking go.’”
She chuckled, taking my hand up to her lips and pressing a kiss. The unexpected action caused a wave of affection for her to flow through me.
A short while later, we pulled into the driveway of a white, two-story house with meticulous landscaping in front. “Did you grow up here?”
“Yeah. My parents bought it when I was a baby. They remodeled about ten years ago. You ready for this?”
I was never ready for anything social. But how bad could it be?
Addy rang the bell, and we waited until the sound of footsteps came toward the door. It opened to a slender gentleman with salt-and-pepper hair and glasses. He looked happy to see his daughter, but then his expression changed when his gaze landed on me.
His expression left no doubt I was not the type of guy they’d hoped their daughter would bring home.
“Hi, Dad, this is my friend Leo. Leo, this is my father, George.”
“It’s nice to meet you, sir.” I extended my hand.
He took it hesitantly, his stare on my knuckle tattoos.
“Uh, nice to meet you too. Come in. Your mom just started dinner. We’d thought you’d be late, so we waited to cook.”
Addy smiled tightly. “Nope. We’re right on time.”
I’d expected him to hug her, but there was no embrace, no kiss on the cheek, not even an awkward arm squeeze.
As I walked into the house, I noticed it was all white and beige with very little color. I also noted, unlike my parents’ house, there were no family pictures or anything personalizing the space. It was like the warmth had been sucked out of everything.
The temperature managed to lower a few degrees when we walked into the kitchen, and Addison’s mother’s frosty gaze landed on me. “So, this is your friend you met in Vegas?”
Sure, I wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, with my longer hair, beard, and tattoos, but I’d worn a collared shirt, dark wash jeans, and leather boots. I’d trimmed my beard and pulled back my hair, all in an attempt to make a good first impression. Now I wondered if it was even possible.
“Hi, Mom, yes, this is Leo. Leo, this is my mom, Laura.”
