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The floor underneath me was a dark shade of wood that I couldn’t see yet. Immediately to the left, there was an office that was cluttered with papers. Books were on the ground, and boxes were lined against the walls. Then, I remembered they had just remodeled it.
To my left, there was a perfectly designed living room. They had a white couch that faced a flat-screen TV. Their house reminded me of a TLC show.
“You’re here, you’re here!” Amelia came around the corner screaming, throwing her arms around me. “You’ll never believe what happened.”
Amelia recounted the last twenty minutes that she spent on the phone with Parker. He had called to tell her that he was going to go back to Virginia tonight, even though there were no more direct flights anywhere near New Windsor. She had talked him out of it by reminding him that his sister would be coming tonight and that he needed another night to think about what he was going to do more thoroughly.
“It was tough to convince him and so hard to keep my voice still. He’s going to die once he sees you!”
Amelia hugged me tightly and shook me like a rag doll. Kate joined in the hug, and I could feel their love for Parker. I helped them set up dinner while we waited for seven to roll around.
There was a light knock at the front door as I set the table. My heart rate raced, and I felt my pulse in my ears. Amelia looked at me to calm down and opened the door. A female voice traveled from the foyer to where I stood in the kitchen. I heard their steps as they made their way to me.
“No way!” the woman from the plane screamed when she saw me. “OMG! OMG! The guy you flew to is my brother! OMG!” The woman tried calming herself down amidst Amelia's confused look. “What are the odds?! You must be gym girl! Man, you’re so much prettier than Parker said. I literally can’t believe this.”
“Wait, what?” Amelia looked between the woman and me. The scream brought Kate in from the backyard, who looked just as confused as Amelia.
Parker had told his family about me.
“We met on the plane!” Parker’s sister jumped up and down, shaking Amelia by the shoulders. “She sat next to me and said some really sweet things about my baby brother. This really is like a movie!”
I was sure my face was bright red by now.
“Well,” Amelia laughed. “Blake Johnson, meet Ciara Stanford – formerly Robinson. This is Parker’s oldest sister. He didn’t show you guys any pictures either, huh?”
“No! Mom was annoyed because she didn’t understand why he was so secretive. I mean, he’s usually so forthcoming with everything!”
“That makes sense,” Amelia laughed. “He was trying to hide their relationship because of the whole work thing, and I’m sure his mom would have forwarded me a picture.”
“It’s nice to officially meet you,” my voice quivered as I shook her hand.
“I’m so excited for Parker to get here!” Ciara squealed before putting her dish in the oven to heat up. “And yeah. Mom was always asking for a picture, but he adamantly refused. He also wouldn’t tell us your name. He just referenced you as gym girl.”
“I know!” Amelia agreed. “Your mom called me multiple times, asking me to figure it out, but Parker was really good at keeping this secret.”
Parker knew his family would immediately run to Amelia and tell her everything. He wanted to uphold our agreement to keep us a secret so much that he kept identifying details about me from his family. The family that knew everything about him.
“What are the odds that he’s totally gonna cry when he sees her?” Ciara asked. “I would bet my life savings on that.”
“What is it with you all and bets?” I laughed.
I looked at Amelia and Ciara as they moved around the kitchen. I tapped my foot on the floor, waiting for Parker. Every minute that went by was one more beat per minute that my heart rate would increase. My hands started shaking, but I still couldn’t think of what to say when I saw him.
Someone tried to open the door before ringing the doorbell. My heart rate was officially in dangerous territory.
“I usually keep the door unlocked, so he just walks in,” Amelia explained. “I locked it so we would have a warning that he was here.”
“That’s so genius,” Ciara praised. “I’ll go outside with Kate and give you guys some privacy.”
There was a second, third, and fourth ring of the doorbell. Parker was getting impatient. My hands got clammy.
“Are you ready?” Amelia asked before walking to the foyer.
“No, but I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
Amelia gave me a reassuring hug before she disappeared to the foyer. The house was big but open, so he would see me standing by the island as soon as he turned the corner. I gripped the edge, worried I would fall to the ground if I let go. I heard Parker’s voice greeting Amelia. It was stiff and forced.
“Kate is going to be so excited that you made peach cobbler,” Amelia said.
