28. Teeny
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Teeny
NOW
I feel Everett’s fingers fidget over my lower back. He’s not doing it to soothe or comfort me. It’s more for him as he eases his own anxiety.
“Why are you so nervous?”
He looks down at me while we stand on the stoop of my parents’ front door. “Because the last time your parents saw me was when they found out I knocked you up twenty years ago.”
I roll my eyes. “It’s going to be fine, Everett. I’ll explain everything. Plus, they love you.”
“I don’t know how much they’ll love me after this.”
The door opens with a rush of air, and we’re greeted by my mom’s stunned face from across the threshold.
“Hi, Mom,” I greet her meekly.
“Hi, Mrs. Cohen.”
She lets a discontented sigh slip through her lips before she opens the door wider for us to enter. We walk into the kitchen where my dad is hovering over what looks like the ingredients for cheeseburgers, and when he sees Everett and me walk in, hand in hand, a hard, disapproving scowl covers his face.
“Christine and Everett are here,” my mom announces as she follows our footsteps. It doesn’t sound like she’s announcing our arrival, but more like giving my dad a warning.
“Hi, Daddy.”
My dad drops the plump tomato in his hand and crosses his arms over his chest. He’s joined by mom, their matching stone-like faces looking over us.
“What’s going on, Teeny?” my dad asks, the tone of his voice matching his rigid posture.
Though the question is directed at me, it’s Everett who speaks. “Mr. and Mrs. Cohen, I know you both must have a lot of questions. And while we’re both happy to answer them, I want to say something first.”
My parents share a look. An exchange asking the other whether or not they’re willing to hear him out.
“I love Christine,” Everett continues. “I’ve loved her my whole life. And though things happened between us that drew us apart, I’ve come back hoping that she’d give me another chance.”
He’s answered with more silence from my parents, and a wave of anxiety rolls through me. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe I should’ve given it a few weeks, let the dust settle before explaining to them that I plan to have Everett in my life for a very long time. Perhaps forever.
“And uh,” my mom finally says. “Is this…what about you, Teeny? What do you…” The cautious tone of her voice feels like the smallest of gaps. One that both Everett and I can squeeze through, hoping that my family will accept our reunion.
“I love him too,” I confess.
Everett’s brow springs up to his hairline. I grip his hand firmly, giving him a light squeeze to warn him. Keep your cool .
My dad cuts into the moment with a harsh cough into his closed fist. “Teeny, I know you’re an adult, and you’re fully capable of making your own decisions, but we—” He pauses, looking at my mom, hoping to find the right words with her. “We want to make sure you’ve thought this through.”
“What your dad means is that we don’t want you to…” My mom moves closer to me, cupping my face in her hands. The pitying look on her face causes the air around us to shift, and suddenly, I feel like I’m a child again. “We don’t want you to get hurt.”
“James told us about what happened,” my dad adds, “and we want the two of you to work through what you went through before jumping into something.”
“We have,” I tell them. “This isn’t some rash decision we settled on overnight. Everett knows what I expect of him, and we’re working through things.”
“And I don’t plan on leaving Teeny.”
My dad levels Everett with narrowed eyes, and I almost stifle a laugh. It reminds me so much of when he used to be greeted with the same look by my dad. Especially when Everett’s presence in our home became more consistent as he followed me around like a puppy dog.
“You say that now, but what happens when something more important comes up,” my dad accuses. “You had no problem leaving before.”
“He bought a house,” I tell him.
My dad’s face softens a bit, and I hope that it means we’re getting through his stern exterior.
“It’s beautiful. It has a pool and this beautiful view that overlooks a cliff. And there’s more than enough room for…” I stop, realizing that we haven’t really decided on my living situation.
“You bought a house?” my mom asks, confirming this news with Everett.
I nod.
“I bought it for Teeny,” Everett explains, extinguishing any doubt I had about moving in with him even though I haven’t officially accepted his offer to make his home mine as well. “I want to build a life here with her, and that means I’ll be wherever she is.”
The tension dissipates, and I can see the beginnings of approval edge its way into my parents’ apprehension. My mom shrugs at my dad. It surprises me how well they’re able to have a whole conversation with their eyes and body language.
“Well, I’m hungry,” my dad announces. “We can talk more while we eat.”
“Have you had lunch yet?” my mom asks. “We’re cooking some burgers.”
“No, we haven’t,” I answer.
“We’ll get the grill started. You kids finish up the vegetables,” my dad instructs. There’s still unease laced into his tone, but with my mom’s uncomplicated attempt to move forward with an invitation to lunch, he goes along with it.
My parents pick up a tray of uncooked patties and walk outside toward the grill. Everett and I are left in the kitchen.
“That could’ve gone worse,” Everett comments.
“I told you, you had nothing to worry about.”
He leans down and places a small peck to the corner of my mouth. “You said you love me.”
I give a playful pout. “Was that not already obvious?”
“No, it was,” he agrees. “But it’s nice to hear you say it.”
“Well, I love you.”
He kisses me again, but this time, he lets it linger and settle. “Say it again.”
“I love you.”
He closes his eyes, and his forehead meets mine, and I can almost feel all the disquiet and fear dissipate off of him. “I love you, too, Teeny.”