Chapter Twenty-Five
Chloe
The next day, promptly at noon, I ring my parent’s doorbell.
“Don’t you think you should have told them I was coming?”
“Nope. Mom is going to go ballistic. I don’t want to ruin her surprise.”
“What does that mean?” He shoves his hands into his pockets and inhales. “She’s not going to throw something at me or send your dad out for shotgun shells, is she?”
“You’ll have to wait and see.” I haven’t breathed a word to Rich about our moms plotting to get us together. It’s too much fun to see him sweat. For a big, bad boy, he’s a pussy cat. Scared of my mom. How cute. The door opens with a squeak.
“Oh, my.” My mom’s hand flies to her mouth as tears fill her eyes. The scent of ham and homemade bread wafts onto the front porch.
“Shit. ”
“Language, Rich.” She frowns at him for a second before she turns. “Come here, Martin. Chloe has brought a man to Sunday dinner.”
“Your mom is about to cry.” Rich eases backward.
“Oh, no, you don’t.” I grab his hand, lace my fingers through his, and tug him back onto the top step.
“Chloe, I should go.” His face is pale as we wait for my dad to show up.
When my dad walks into the living room, he smiles. “Hey, Rich. Good to see you. Come on in.”
“Okay.” His voice is shaky as we step inside and shut the door behind us.
“I can’t believe your mothers pulled this off.” My dad shakes his head as he falls into his recliner and motions for us to join him.
The living room is small but tidy and homey. Photos line the walls, displaying my transformation from childhood to adulthood.
“Martin, I didn’t do anything.” She glares at my dad. “Chloe told me not to, so I’ve kept my mouth shut.” She turns on her heel and heads into the kitchen.
“What’s going on?” Rich whispers.
I tilt my head and cock an eyebrow. “Apparently, our mothers were scheming our relationship.”
“You should have said something.” Rich glances at me as we sit on the loveseat across from my father.
“Why? It was fun to watch you sweat.”
He leans over. “You’re going to pay for this.”
“Promise?”
“Wench.” Rich puts his arm around my shoulders and tucks me close against his side.
I rest my head on his chest. Maybe I should have told him my parents would be in favor of our relationship, but it was fun to watch him agonize on the trip over from his place. He’s been terrified they’d oppose it, and then, I’d dump him.
Fat chance that’s ever going to happen. If my parents didn’t approve, it wouldn’t have changed anything. I love him and wouldn’t break up with him for anything. It’s marriage or – it’s marriage. Or living in sin. Whatever.
Rich and his stupid hang-ups that he’s too rough for me, and no one would approve of us being a couple. I wanted him to see my parent’s complete support.
“Well, if your mothers didn’t trick you two into dating, you must have seen the light on your own.” My dad flips on the television. “Let’s catch some of the game while we wait for dinner to get done.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“I can’t believe Tony is back in town.” My dad shakes his head as he turns to the football game.
“It’s great. I’ve missed having him around.”
“And we need a damn good tight end. That last guy was a total moron.”
“Martin!”
I giggle as my mom yells from the kitchen.
“Sorry, honey.” My dad rolls his eyes and whispers, “the guy sucked ass.”
“I can still hear you. ”
Rich chuckles. “Yes, Sir. That guy was a train wreck. I think he had three fumbles in one game. Tony is going to take this town by storm.”
I smile as they continue to chat about football. He’s going to fit in great during Sunday dinners.