AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Wonderful to meet you both. I’ve been so excited to meet the people responsible for raising this amazing woman.” I took a step toward them, ready for them to also be looking for hugs like Katie but was stopped when Stan stuck out his hand for me to shake.
“Yes, we’ve been curious to meet you, too, Wes.”
I bristled. People I just met didn’t call meWes. And not only had Stan just come right out with a nickname on our first encounter, but he’d also done it with passive aggression.Curiousdidn’t mean they were excited or happy. It meant they were wary.
In that moment, I should have known they’d already formed an opinion of me.
But I remained chipper. I held out the bottle of wine I’d brought to Stan. “Cara told me you liked pinot noir.”
“Oh, well, that’s nice, isn’t it?” Stan passed the bottle to Linda to examine the label.
Cara wrapped her hand protectively around my bicep. I knew she had meant it to be reassuring, but it just felt like a warning.
This was going to be a long night. And awkward.
And so it proved to be around the dinner table. Conversation was stilted and slow. We exchanged pleasantries while I tried to overshare how much I already knew about the family in an effort to show I was invested. Instead, it ended up coming off as overzealous.
The only person on my side was Katie. In every lull, she asked me a question about MediaDeck. “I’ve been reading up on your new venture, Readly. Are you looking to compete with Goodreads?”
I chuckled. “It’s just an effort for continued competition with Amazon.You know, these conglomerates thrive on all being reflections of each other. We feel we can offer a superior user experience because of our ability to see how other platforms have performed and what their users don’t like about their interface.”
Cara’s nerves seemed to melt away whenever Katie and I spoke, her beautiful smile bringing sunshine to the otherwise gloomy room. “I knew you two would have a lot to talk about.”
The moment I felt even slightly settled into the conversation, though, Stan cleared his throat. “I’m just going to come right out with it.” He was ready for a challenge, eyes locked in mine. “I’ve been doing a lot of reading about you, Wes.”
I dabbed at my mouth with my napkin and put then put it aside. It was clear we were done with dinner and it was time to move onto the interrogation. “Oh?”
“Yes. There’s an awful lot about you on the internet.”
I sighed. “Privacy doesn’t exist when you’re in the Fortune 500, unfortunately.”
Stan’s eyes hardened on me. If he’d liked me, he might have laughed.
I was on guard, ready to fight, as if I was in a business negotiation and not meeting my girlfriend’s parents. Cara must have noticed my edginess. Her hand found mine under the table, her fingers curling around mine. Her touch immediately softened my whole body. I remembered why I was here. I was here for Cara. I was here for Lucy.
Stay calm, Taves. “Mr. Smith…I know the circumstances are —”
“Inappropriate.” He crossed his arms.
I nodded. “Some may say that. I was going to say…not typical. And I know the difference in age between your daughter and myself might give you some cause for concern.”
Linda nearly scoffed. “Some?”
“Mom.” Cara was ready with the defense. I squeezed her hand softly. She didn’t need to be fighting for me like this. Not with her parents. I knew her heart.
“But I’m very committed to her. She’s a wonderful woman. I adore her. My daughter does as well. And —”
“Yes. Your daughter. How old is she again?” Linda looked to Cara for an answer.
“I told you. She’s six.”
“Yes. Silly me. Six. That’s a tricky age for someone to come in and assume the role of mother, don’t you think?”
I cleared my throat. “Lucy’s mother has not been in the picture since she was still a baby. And —”
“And why is that?”
Cara murmured something under her breath. She was stressed, seeming to have little hope for this to turn around in my favor. My confidence, already on such an unsteady foundation, was starting to tremble. “She wasn’t interested in motherhood.”
