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Wincing, I press my hand to my chest. “God help me. Hopefully there are more mild dishes involved.”
I’m startled when she reaches out and places her hand on my arm. “A glass of milk will cool the heat, if it’s too spicy.” Livia leans back in her seat and sips her tea.
The gesture is shocking, given her earlier behavior, but I can’t deny the relief and very tiny kernel of hope growing in my chest. “Thank you. I’ll remember that.”
“So, you grew up in Seattle? Which part?” And with one question, my wariness is back.
I squeeze Jocelin’s hand, and he squeezes back. “I grew up in Duval. It’s about twenty-five miles northeast of Seattle.”
He turns to his mother. “It’s the kind of place you think of when you imagine a small town. Lots of mom and pop shops, the old time clock on main street, and it’s close to Seattle but not so close that you feel stifled. Gunnar’s brother and his fiance live out that way.” Then he focuses on me again like he’s orchestrating the conversation. “I know you said you moved to Yarrow Point after you inherited your mother’s house there.”
Livia’s eyes take on a gleam of interest. “What was your mother’s family name, if that’s not too bold?”
I give her my full attention. “Jacobi. Her father was Aristide Jacobi.”
“Ah, interesting.”
I can see her mentally filing the information away, and I’m sure she’ll be researching my family in her next spare moment. I shrug it off because none of that is important. I never met the man, and from what I heard, he was an asshole. No one worth anything disowns their child because of who they choose to be with.
Before the conversation can take yet another turn, Jocelin yawns behind his hand. “I’m afraid lack of sleep is catching up with me.” He looks between his parents. “Papa, maman, thank you for a lovely meal. I think we are going to head out now, though.”
“Yes, thank you both. It was very nice of you to include me.” I’m incredibly relieved that the evening is almost over. I’m tired, and now that I’ve gone to sleep and woken up with Jocelin in my arms, all I want is to curl up with him and sleep for days.
Guillaume puts down his empty coffee cup. “It’s been quite a long day for us as well.” Once the bill is settled, we make our way to the lobby. Jocelin kisses and hugs his parents, and I hold my hand out to Guillaume. He grasps it, pulling me into his strong embrace. “I’m very glad we had a chance to get to know you, Gunnar. You obviously make my son happy, and that’s all I ask.”
He lets me go, and to my complete surprise, Livia wraps her arms around me in a less intense, but still warm, embrace. “Be good to my boy.” Her tone isn’t hostile, but it’s not warm and fuzzy. Since it’s probably as close as I’ll get to actual approval from her, I’ll take it.
She slips her arm around Jocelin’s waist and kisses his hair. “Mon chou, we’ll be in town for a few more days. Why don’t we try to get together again before we leave? Maybe for dinner? You could invite your friend Astrid.”
Jocelin nods. “Sounds good. Either Gunnar or I will ask her tomorrow. Perhaps Gary can join us, too.”
I take Jocelin’s hand. “That should work for us. Thank you both again. We’ll see you soon.” I gently guide him outside, and hand the ticket to the valet, wrapping Jocelin in my arms while we wait for the car. “I guess that went well.”
He relaxes into me, resting his temple against my cheek. “Better than I’d hoped. Thank you for putting up with all of this. I know it was probably the last thing you wanted to do.”
I kiss the side of his head and pull back so he can see my face. “They are your parents, and they obviously love you very much. They just want to make sure you aren’t dating some delinquent.” I lean in, pressing my forehead to his. “And there really isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you.” Jocelin brushes his lips to mine in a soft, tender kiss, stealing my breath away. The sound of a throat clearing brings an end to the sweet moment. Stepping back, I meet Livia’s amused gaze. Guillaume, however, is ignoring us in favor of ogling my car. “Is that a classic Mustang?”
I grin. “Yes. It was my dad’s.”
Guillaume nods. “Beautiful car. Incredible condition. You don’t find too many on the road that are still this stunning.”
“Thank you, Guillaume. I do my best to take care of her.”
Jocelin slips his arm around my waist. “Gunnar can fix it himself. He knows all about cars and how to repair them.”
Guillaume raises a brow and smiles, obviously amused by Jocelin’s pride in my mechanic skills. “Is that so? Very impressive.”
A Mercedes with a rental logo on the windshield pulls up behind the Mustang, and Jocelin kisses his parents one more time before they leave. Once again, the ride home is relatively silent. We’re tired, both from the stress of the past few days and from lack of sleep. Jocelin yawns and reclines his seat. “I think I’m going to pass out for a week.” He closes his eyes and reaches for my hand.
I lace our fingers together, enjoying how right it feels to be with him. “Do you want to hang out at my house tomorrow? I can see if Tadhg will let me work from home after lunch. Or do you think you’re going to go do something with your parents?”
“If it’s okay with you, I think I’ll hang out at your place, even if you can’t work from home. I’ll watch TV or something. Maybe read. I’m not sure I can take more of my parents so soon.”
I squeeze his fingers, loving the idea of Jocelin in my house, like he belongs there. “I’d like that.”
I don’t bother to turn on any lights as we step into the house, feeling for Jocelin’s hand in the dark and guiding us through the labyrinth of living room furniture and up the stairs to my room. He swaps his suit for sweats and a T-shirt and sighs contentedly. “There is nothing better than changing into comfortable clothes after dressing up.”
Forgoing anything but my boxer briefs, I follow Jocelin into the bathroom to brush my teeth. I chuckle as he straightens the toothpaste tube, forcing all the paste to the top. It’s little things like this that I love learning about him. I want to know what makes him tick, what makes him… him. His staying here will afford me that opportunity, and I can’t wait.
