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Bryson placed his hand gently on my lower back once again, and the warmth of his touch managed to break me out of the panicked state I was about to tumble into.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Robinson.”
Anna stood. “Please call me Anna, and my husband Greg.”
Greg nodded as he gave me a brilliant smile, just as he took my hand and kissed the back of it.
Well, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
“Greg and Anna, it is,” I stated as Anna drew me into an embrace. My eyes caught my mother’s from across the table, and it was clear she was attempting to hold back a smile. What kind of sick and twisted parents did I have?
Bryson gently pulled his mother away from me as he said. “Mom, don’t squeeze the life out of her, please.”
Anna let out a chuckle and took her seat along with Greg.
“I cannot even begin to tell you how happy we were when Bryson invited us to dinner this evening. We had no idea he was even dating anyone,” Anna stated.
“Anna,” Greg warned as Bryson shot a look of warning at his mother.
“We’re not.”
All eyes turned to me, and I instantly felt sick to my stomach. Had I said that out loud?
Shit. Shit. Shit.
I could see the look of sadness in Bryson’s eyes when our gazes met. Feeling like a total bitch, I glanced across the table to my parents. They both gave me a look that said I was on my own.
Bryson cleared his throat. “Mom, I told you already, Rose is a friend of mine, and she’s drawing the designs for my house.”
Looking back and forth between me and her son, Anna nodded. “Of course. I’m sorry. I’m putting the cart in front of the horse.”
Was I the cart or the horse in that scenario?
Everyone fell back into an easy conversation around the table after that little mishap, except for me and Bryson. I sat there still in a stupor. How in the hell had this turned into a meet-the-parent night? And why had I said we weren’t dating? Hadn’t we agreed it was our first date? What was wrong with me?
“Are you really mad?” Bryson whispered into my ear.
“I’m not sure what I am, to be honest. Everything changed when I saw your parents. It made it all…real.”
“Blame your dad. He thought it would be a good idea for us all to have dinner together.”
My eyes immediately darted across the table to my father, who was laughing at something Greg had said.
I mentally planned out my father’s demise. When my mother caught me shooting daggers at my father across the table, she reached for my hand.
“I was a little upset with your father, as well, but don’t be too hard on him. He thought he was doing a good thing. That it would break the ice and…whatever reason he did it, his heart was in the right place.”
Turning to look at her, I lowered my voice. “On what planet did the man think this was a good idea?”
“Do not whisper-shout at me, Rose Marie!”
I closed my eyes and counted to ten. “Mom, do you know what it means to get spooked?”
“Of course, I do.”
“Good. Because if you thought I was spooked before, I’m really spooked. Like this is me Spooked 2.0. I’m ready to run. Bolt. Scram. And all the other words for flee that I can’t think of right now.”
She took my hand and gave it a light squeeze. “At least the meet the parents thing will be over and done with.”
I closed my eyes and cursed silently. Thank God my brother wasn’t here. That’s all I would need was him calling Anna or Greg a cunt.
The server arrived to take Bryson’s drink order and then mine. When I asked for a whiskey, three fingers, my mother kicked me under the table. I corrected my order and asked for a glass of red wine instead. Bryson had gone with water. Clearly, he hadn’t needed the liquid courage like I had.
After getting our drinks, everyone ordered. I wasn’t even sure how in the hell I would be able to eat, my stomach was in knots. When I was in Bryson’s arms at the bookstore, it all seemed okay. Not a big deal. The second I saw his parents, though, it all became so real. We had spent one night together, and a few hours here and there, and here I was sitting across the table from his parents.
“How long have you been designing homes, Rose?” Anna asked.
The panicked stupor was back and in full force. When I opened my mouth to speak, nothing emerged. Anna stared at me with a smile that was quickly fading the longer I remained silent.
When I felt Bryson take my hand in his, that comforting feeling swept over me once again.
