Chapter Fifteen
Ridge
Memphis and I had been together for quite a few months now, and he still hadn’t met any of my family. When my brother called asking if we wanted to go out and grab something to eat, I told him I was inviting my boyfriend. It was the perfect slow ease into a family introduction.
I wasn’t ready to throw Memphis to the wolves yet, and that was exactly what bringing him to my father or grandparents’ house would be. They’d see this as the perfect opportunity to convince me to get married, step one of the multitiered plan for me. And Memphis would meet their qualifications.
But Joe? Joe would be pretty easy to deal with. At least I hoped he would be. Joe was the first in my family to know I liked guys after seeing me holding hands with one in school. But holding hands as a teen and meeting your adult brother’s partner were two very different things.
“You pick the place,” Joe had said.
When I brought it up to Memphis, he agreed immediately, saying he couldn’t wait to meet him. He then asked straight out if it was okay for us to go someplace, in his word, “nicer.” I knew what he meant. He didn’t want to take me to a hole-in-the-wall.
I understood his perspective. It might look like he couldn’t take care of me that way, at least not in the way my brother would want. Memphis was very old-fashioned like that.
“Yeah, we can do that.” I found myself agreeing without a struggle, something that would’ve been impossible even a month earlier. How could I not agree? I wanted to make this as comfortable for both of them as possible, and spending stupid amounts of money on a meal would accomplish that.
Memphis opted for a steakhouse, saying that it was a place where most people could find something they liked. It was one of the oldest in the city and family owned. My brother would appreciate that.
We met Joe there on a Saturday evening, with reservations for one of their small private rooms already in place. Memphis wasn’t messing around when it came to impressing my brother. It was highly unnecessary and very appreciated.
“Hey, I like you,” he said, grabbing Memphis’ shoulder. I hadn’t even introduced them yet and, if we hadn’t been holding hands, I’d have teased him and asked him who he was talking to, giving Joe a split second of wondering if he’d just grabbed a stranger.
“There’s no need to touch my boyfriend,” I teased, brushing his hand away.
It was fine that he had; I wasn’t upset. My brother wasn’t the kind of guy who would try to steal my man, and if he were, he was smart enough to know not to do it in front of me. But it earned me a nice chuckle from Memphis, and I loved that.
“So, all I had to do was show up, and suddenly you love me?” Memphis said. “I shouldn’t have tried so hard.”
“You convinced my brother to eat at a real restaurant. That gets you super-double-bonus points in my book. You should see the places he has us go.”
“They were all delicious, and don’t pretend they weren’t.”
Memphis and I had talked about my family more than I had with anyone else, but I wasn’t sure he quite understood the depth of the dynamic between us. I especially thought this true now, so filled with questioning at my brother’s comment.
Dinner was great. I could see why this place had stood the test of time. The service was magnificent, the food worthy of all their Michelin stars, and the privacy of the small room allowed us to be ourselves without worrying about disturbing others.
Memphis was rewarded for his excellent selection of restaurant with a personal viewing of 1005 pictures of my brother’s kids and wife.
After they had exhausted every last one he had on his phone, the conversation morphed into one about Memphis’ career, which my brother was very interested in.
Not so much because it was lucrative or that it was connected to me, but more that he was just genuinely interested in what my boyfriend did for a living.
And when it was time to go, Joe didn’t question Memphis for paying the bill like he would have done with me.
I called the evening a success. I could see us getting together like this every few months, although I was picking the place next time.
As great as this one was, I left wishing I’d had a diner burger instead.
The car ride home was quieter than normal.
At first, I thought it was because Memphis had a lot on his mind with work.
It wasn’t until we were back at his place that I realized he had a lot on his mind, things that needn’t be there, if only I’d have been more open with him about my family.
While I shared more with him than anyone else in my life, I’d never given him the full picture.
I trusted him; it wasn’t that. It was about me not feeling comfortable doing so.
We sat down on the couch, and he took both of my hands in his. “Can you tell me what that was? What’s going on between you and your family? I feel like I’m missing pieces. Your brother seemed shocked you let me pay for dinner.”
“Yeah. That’s because I hardly ever let him.” And didn’t see that changing.
“Why is that?”
“Because if I give even a little bit, my dad and my grandparents see it as an opening to make their move in Operation Bring Ridge Back Into the Fold. In their minds, it would be a little break that they could poke at and potentially crack wide open, allowing them to pull me into their world. It’s not worth it.
I don’t have the energy to keep fighting them, but I’m also not willing to fall to the pressure. ”
He pulled me onto his lap, holding me close. “Thank you. For not arguing when I paid today. That tells me that you don’t see strings attached to the things that I give you.”
I hadn’t thought of it that way, but he was right. And that had come with time, because at first, I wasn’t comfortable with being spoiled with anything that cost money. Now, I just accepted it because I saw how happy it made Memphis to do those things for me.
“That’s because you like spoiling me,” I said, kissing his cheek.
“I do, my sweet boy,” he said. “I really do and plan to spoil you a whole lot more today.”
“How so?
“Let me carry you into the bedroom and show you.”