30. Logan
THIRTY
LOGAN
I grabbed a bottle of wine and a bouquet of flowers to take to Savannah’s parents. Ok, my mom suggested I not show up empty-handed, but I was already thinking it before she said anything.
Savannah rides with me, giving me directions to her parents’ house, with Kelsey in the back seat. I’m a little nervous. I’ve never actually met the parents of a woman I was dating. Or if I have, it made such a little impact on me that I don’t remember.
This is different, though. I want Savannah’s mom and dad to trust that I’m good enough for their daughter.
Savannah has reassured me that they’ll love me.
Even Kelsey agreed, so that gives me a little confidence going into this dinner.
Honestly, I’m just glad Savannah finally agreed to introduce me.
I’d asked about her family before, and she kept telling me I’d meet them soon enough.
For a while, I was worried she didn’t want me to meet them, but it seems like telling Tati about us motivated Savannah to fully embrace our relationship. You won’t hear any complaining from me.
The house she instructs me to stop at is a quaint, two-story home. It looks similar to every other house in the neighborhood, but the difference is the woman standing by the front door waving at us. I’m assuming it’s their mom. The three women share the same dark brown hair.
“You ready?” Savannah asks.
“I was born ready, baby.” She laughs and gives me a quick kiss before she gets out of the car.
Savannah and Kelsey walk to their mom while I follow behind, giving them enough space to greet her but still remaining close enough to show that I am happy and eager to meet her.
It’s a delicate balance that I’m probably overthinking, but I’m determined to make a good first impression.
Their mother hugs them and then focuses her attention on me.
“Mrs. DuPont. I’m Logan. It’s lovely to meet you,” I say.
She smiles. “Please call me Mallory.”
I go to shift the gifts to shake her hands, but she wraps me in a hug instead. My mom would love this woman. They’re both huggers.
“It’s nice to meet you as well,” she says when she pulls away from me.
I hand her the gifts, which makes her smile even more. She thanks me profusely and tells me the gift is that I’m here. It’s such a sweet thing to say. Honestly, I was expecting Savannah’s mother to have the same attitude that Savannah has, but it seems they’re opposites.
She ushers us into the house. “Your dad is out back. He decided to smoke us ribs tonight. But don’t worry, I have a backup in case the ribs are bad.”
“Mom!” Kelsey exclaims.
“What? Some of these have been hit or miss, so I wanted to be prepared. Come on. Let’s go introduce you.”
We walk through the house and out the sliding glass door to the backyard. In the middle of the yard stands their dad, staring at a smoker.
“Unfortunately, the girls’ brother couldn’t be here tonight. He recently moved to Arizona, but hopefully, you’ll meet him soon.” Mallory stops and calls to her husband. “Greg! The girls and Savannah’s boyfriend are here!”
Savannah glances at me and tries to hide her smile. I think Ms. Anti-relationship actually enjoys having a boyfriend. Who would’ve thought?
Greg walks over to us. I can tell he’s sizing me up as he walks, so I try my best to look happy and respectful, which, for some reason, is difficult. I hope I don’t come across like a psychopath.
I introduce myself, and he shakes my hand. After a second of giving me a menacing glare, he smiles.
“It’s great to meet you, son.”
I don’t even know this guy, but I feel like he means it. I’ve been in the DuPont house for a total of three minutes, and I already feel welcome.
“Ribs will be ready in about ten minutes,” Greg announces. He looks so proud of himself that I know I’ll be eating these ribs whether they’re bad or not. “Logan, why don’t you stay out here with me while the ladies get the table set?”
“Dad—” Savannah starts.
“It’s alright, Savannah,” I tell her. “I’d love that.”
She gives me a worried look, but I squeeze her hand and kiss her forehead before she walks back inside with her mom and sister.
I follow Greg over to the smoker, preparing myself for the ‘don’t hurt my daughter’ speech he’s planning to give me.
“I guess this would be when I’m supposed to give you the threatening talk,” he says, as if reading my mind. “But our Sav has never brought a boyfriend home before, so if you’ve managed to get past all her approvals, then you certainly have mine.”
I exhale in relief. “Thank you, sir. Your daughter is the most wonderful woman I’ve ever met. I promise that if one of us ends up brokenhearted, it’ll be me, not her.”
He laughs. “Oh, I believe that actually. So, tell me about yourself, son. If you’re going to be part of this family, I need to know what I’m dealing with.”
He’s got a dry sense of humor just like Savannah, and for some odd reason, it puts me at ease.
I tell him about skating. I mention going to the Olympics but not my medals.
I hate to sound braggy. I tell him about my decision to retire without going into detail about my mom, moving to Colorado, and taking the job with Tati.
I assume they know I’m Savannah’s coach, but I don’t specifically point it out.
“Well, from what I can tell, it sounds like you’re the perfect fit for Savannah.”
“I’d like to think that too,” I admit.
“I gotta tell you, Mallory was so excited when Savannah called her last week. I’m sure you know that Savannah has big dreams. And to reach those dreams, she feels like she can’t do anything else but devote all her time to skating.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Savannah.
I’m afraid we kind of gave up asking her to come to family events.
Mallory didn’t want Savannah to feel bad for declining our invites, so she stopped asking.
We both knew she’d come to us when she was ready, and it seems like you might’ve pushed her in that direction.
So, thank you for bringing her back to us. ”
I knew Savannah hadn’t seen her parents in a while, which is a shame since they live so close.
My opinion might be skewed since I’ve almost lost my mom twice now, and I learned that I never want to miss out on time with her.
But it’s obvious that Savannah’s parents love her.
They gave up everything for her and then took a step back and let her come back to them when she was ready.
“I’m not sure how much I had to do with that, but I’m glad she made the decision to call Mallory. I was hoping to meet you all sooner rather than later.”
He claps me on the back. “Well, we’re glad to have you here. Alright, enough mushy gushy stuff. Let’s get this meat inside.”
He opens the smoker and sets the ribs on a platter. They smell delicious. I help him carry it in and set it on the dining room table, where the girls have set out plates, a ton of napkins, and some side dishes.
I take a seat next to Savannah. She immediately leans in and whispers, “Was everything ok?”
“Yeah, baby. Don’t worry.”
She lets out a breath, and I see a small smile tug at her lips. I’m thinking she might have been more nervous about this dinner than I was.
Once we all fill our plates, Mallory turns to us and asks, “So, tell me. Was it love at first sight?”
Savannah looks at me. “Um, no, not exactly.”
Kelsey laughs. “Logan is the one who broke Savannah’s ankle a few years ago.”
Savannah sighs next to me, and I realize that her parents must not have known this little fact about our history.
“Oh. Oh,” Mallory says.
“Thanks, Kels.” Savannah glares at her.
Kelsey shrugs, her cheeks slightly pink. I feel a little bad for her. Apparently, she didn’t realize Savannah didn’t want to share that information.
“Yeah, that was Logan,” Savannah explains. “But that’s something we’ve worked through and moved past… finally.”
“Well, ok,” Mallory says, hesitantly. I have no doubt that Savannah was probably cursing my name years ago when the accident happened. I can imagine the threats. “As long as you’ve worked it out…”
“We have,” I say quickly, hoping to get back in their good graces. “Savannah gave me hell, which I deserved. It certainly wasn’t my best moment, but I’m grateful that Savannah was willing to give me another chance.”
Her parents share a look, and her dad says, “Well, I’ve always thought that there’s a fine line between love and hate.”
I chuckle because I definitely think that’s true, especially with Savannah’s side of things. I know I’ve never hated her. Even when she hated me, I only wanted her more.
“Sorry. I thought it was a funny meet-cute,” Kelsey explains.
“Well, anyways. When’s your next competition?” Mallory asks, changing the subject.
“Two weeks. In Illinois.”
Her parents ask us about her training, and I mostly let her answer, only chiming in if she glances at me for input. The rest of the dinner moves relatively easy. I help with the dishes, and then Savannah announces we have to leave.
Her mom hugs me and tells me to come back soon, and her dad shakes my hand.
“You’re welcome here anytime, son.”
“Thank you, sir. If you promise me more of those delicious ribs, I’ll be by every week.”
“They were really good, Dad,” Savannah tells him as she gives him a hug.
“Thanks, honey.” I notice he holds her a little longer. I can tell they both miss seeing her. I hope she’ll start coming to see them more, with or without me.
Once we get back in the car, Kelsey says, “Well, that went well.”
“Yeah, no thanks to you,” Savannah snaps, making me laugh.
“It’s fine. I’m sure they would’ve found out eventually. It’s better to just get it out in the open,” I say, trying to ease the tension.
“Yeah, just would’ve been nice to tell them on my own terms.”
In the rearview mirror, I see Kelsey raise her hands in defense. “I said I was sorry!”
The two of them are quiet on the way home, but they do say good night to each other before I follow Savannah to her room.
Honestly, I think the night went well, even with that truth bomb at dinner.
It ended with hugs and an invite back for me, and I couldn’t have asked for anything more.
Their family dynamic, while a little strained, felt nice.
I could feel the love in the house. And while my mother has done her best over the years to make our family feel full and complete, I never had a father figure.
That was something that was always missing.
My own father didn’t want to be a dad, so he bolted.
And Mom didn’t date much when I was growing up.
She always said she was too focused on me.
I think that’s why she’s so excited that I’m dating now, since I didn’t when I was skating. She doesn’t want me to end up alone like her. Maybe I should start suggesting she start dating, too.
As I pull Savannah close to me in bed, I can’t help but feel grateful for everything that’s happened in my life that led me to her.
Everything feels so perfect right now, which should have been my first indicator that something bad was bound to happen sooner or later.