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“They know how important you are to me,” I say gently. “Hey…” I tug his sleeve when his worried gaze drifts to the door. “They’re going to love you.”
Anxious green eyes land back on me, and then it hits me. Of course he’s nervous about meeting my family. I’ve seen what the word “family” means to him. Those are the people who tell you you’re worthless. Who drag you down and mock your dreams. They freaking extort money they know you don’t have just to hurt you. Gosh.
My heart hurts as I slide my hand down his arm and squeeze his hand.
“They’re going to love you,” I repeat. “I promise.”
He returns a tentative nod, but words won’t convince him. I’ll just have to show him.
After a final reassuring squeeze, I release his hand and move toward the door.
“Eeeek!” Mama screams, arms flailing as she runs toward me.
Within seconds I’m laughing through a crushing two-person hug. Then three. Then four. Geez, how many are there?
We’re a knot of laughter and limbs as we greet each other like it’s been years, not three weeks since I was home for Tia’s twenty-first birthday party.
“Hey, everyone. I can’t believe you all came!” I say, warming at the sight of the entire family. Wait, is that my aunt Lucy and uncle Howard? Unsurprisingly, my mother’s sister and brother-in-law are more interested in critiquing the offerings on the refreshment table than greeting me.
“And you must be Val!” Mama cries, turning her gush on him.
Val stiffens when she throws her arms around him and administers the patented Scott Family greeting. I’d intervene but it’s kind of adorable. He has no idea what to do as she squeals and squeezes, and when Dad goes in for a hug as well, Val looks totally lost. He doesn’t seem upset, though. In fact, I detect the slightest smile peeking out.
“Well, look at you!” Mama says, scanning Val from head to toe. “Look at him, Randall,” she directs at my father.
“I’m looking,” Dad says.
“Aren’t you a cutie pie? Larinda, why didn’t you tell us he was so handsome? Isn’t he handsome, CeCe?” she shouts to my aunt.
“Stunning,” she calls back without looking up from her inventory of the bagels. I see the spreadsheet and rating system already at work in her head. After fifty-some years of data collection, that thing must be massive.
Val does, in fact, look stunned. I’ll give her that.
“Ah! I just want to eat him up. Don’t you want to eat him up, Randall?”
Dad doesn’t look as excited about eating my producer but claps him on the arm just the same.
“It’s great to finally meet you, son. You’re younger than I thought. You can’t be much older than Tiara.”
He motions toward my sister, who’s already blasting giant heart eyes at my secret boyfriend. Crap. Didn’t think about that. To be fair, I didn’t know Tia was coming. Or Aunt Lucy. Or Uncle Howard.
I scan the room for more hidden family members, and sure enough, my baby brother, Ian, is stretched out on the couch playing some game on his phone. He probably doesn’t even know I arrived.
“You single, Val?” Dad asks.
“Randall!” Mom cries. “But are you?”
“Mom!” I say.
“What? It’s a fair question.”
“Tiara’s single,” Dad explains to me. “From what you’ve described, he’d be a great son-in-law. Best to keep it in the family, right?”
Oh my gosh.
“Don’t listen to them,” I grunt as I take Val’s arm and pull him further into the room. “Anyway, hello, everyone. This is Val Andrews. Val, this is my mother; father; sister, Tiara; brother, Ian; along with my aunt and uncle.”
“The ‘everything’ bagels have fennel seeds,” Uncle Howard calls by way of a greeting. “I despise fennel seeds.”
