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“Yeah, Mom?” I ask. I know she heard more than I would have wanted her to; I can see it on her face.
“I’m going to pop the salmon in the oven. The girls are having some wine. Do you want me to pour you a glass?”
“Yes, please. I’ll be right there,” I say quickly. I want to finish my conversation in private.
With a grin and a quick nod, she turns to walk out of my bedroom, pulling the door closed behind her.
“Sorry about that,” I say to Andrew. He’s kept silent through my conversation with Mom.
“Am I a secret?” Andrew asks with a chuckle.
I’m caught off guard by his question, so I struggle to get my words out. “No, well, not really. Sort of.”
I become frustrated with myself, and in the meantime, he full-on horse laughs at me.
“Charlie, it’s okay,” he says between laughs.
“I just haven’t found the right time to tell them about us. They’ll get way too excited, and Mom will be pushy. I’m just waiting for the right time. Everyone knows except them,” I blurt.
“Pushy about what?” His voice is serious now.
Marriage, but I can’t tell him that, can I? “They’ll just be excited that I’m serious about someone, and you know… They’ll want to speed everything up.”
“You’re serious about me, huh?” I can hear a smile in his voice. “What would they want to speed up?”
My eyes widen, and my brain flatlines as I struggle to think of a way to avoid this or cover it with something. Instead, I don’t respond because only the truth comes to mind, and there’s no way I’m saying the words “marriage” or “children” to him.
“Charlotte Reed, answer me.” There is a brief pause before he adds, “Please.”
The please gets me. He’s not one to plead. Instead, he’s one to make me beg. Not that I mind that with him. I’d have never guessed I’d be submissive to a man, but with Andrew, I love it.
“They want to see me married with a family,” I say quickly. I can’t believe I just told him that.
“See, that wasn’t so hard,” he says, but I can’t help but notice he didn’t respond to what I actually said. My heart sinks a little.
“Well, I guess I better get back in there with everyone,” I say, trying to mask the flicker of sadness no doubt in my voice.
“I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Okay,” I say softly.
“Bye, babe.”
I end the call, feeling a little bleh. Then I put a smile on my face and head back into the living room where everyone is gathered.
“There’s an update on that news story that broke earlier,” Dad says as I make my way toward the kitchen.
He turns the volume up on the TV. He must have already filled everyone else in on it, because they’re all listening intently.
Mom is in the kitchen, taking the salmon out of the oven. She places it to the side to allow it to rest. She puts the asparagus in the oven that Addy and Sophia finished for me. The potatoes are being kept warm on the stovetop. Thankfully, she took over while I was on the phone with Andrew.
“Who was that on the phone?” she asks with a wide grin.
I can’t stop my smile. “His name is Andrew.”
Mom squeals, drawing the attention of everyone else. A brief pause allows me to hear the anchorman talking about the remains of the body found.
“Tell me everything!” Mom says excitedly. She stands beside me, pinning me with her eyes with one hand propped on her hip. I know she won’t let this go, so I relent.
