19
R emy waited as people bustled around him, eager to get where they were going. He’d been waiting for twenty minutes, but he wasn’t surprised. The airport was always busy, and he’d anticipated having to wait even though he’d arrived late.
It was only a little longer before he saw his mother and father coming through the crowd. His mom smiled when she saw him, and he approached them.
“Oh, my boy. I’ve missed you!” she exclaimed, releasing the handle of her suitcase and wrapping her arms around him. Remy returned her hug, squeezing her as tightly as she squeezed him.
When she released him, he hugged his father. They’d come to visit for the week, and while Remy had to work two of the days they’d be there, he’d planned things for them to do the other days. He tried to choose things they hadn’t done on other visits but also chose something his parents liked from previous visits.
Remy took his father’s suitcase and grabbed the handle of his mother’s, rolling it behind him as he led them out of the airport. He loaded both bags into the trunk of his car.
“Do you want to stop and have lunch?” Remy asked when he slid behind the wheel. His mother sat in the passenger seat with his father behind her.
“I’m fine. I need a nap, but what I would like this evening is for you to invite your boyfriend over for dinner.”
Remy raised a brow at her. It took no time for her to bring up meeting Lawrence. He thought that she’d at least give him a few hours before saying something about it, but he should have known better.
“I’ll call him,” Remy responded.
“Excellent,” his mother replied. “I’ll make dinner.”
“You couldn’t have given him a day before you demanded an introduction, Rita?” his father asked from the backseat.
“Why should I wait, Charles?” his mother shot back.
Remy put the car in drive and pulled off, headed toward his condo. He wasn’t surprised that his mother wanted a nap. It never failed that she always needed one after a flight, no matter how long or short it may be.
While she slept, he would order lunch for the three of them because he knew she’d want something when she woke up.
When they reached his condo, he carried their bags into one of his guestrooms, leaving his mother to settle in for her nap while he and his father retreated to the living room.
“This young man you’ve been dating, Lawrence, it’s going well?”
“It is,” Remy responded. “We have fun together. We connect. He keeps me on my toes.” Remy chuckled, thinking about how Lawrence liked to pick and tease him.
“I haven’t seen that look in a long while,” his father stated.
Remy furrowed his brow. “What look?”
His father smiled at him and shook his head. “Oh, nothing. Now, about lunch.”
Remy pulled out his phone. There was a sandwich shop that his parents liked to visit at least twice when they came. He figured they could order lunch from there. He put in the order for delivery and placed his phone on the table. He returned his attention to his father and asked how volunteering was going.
Both of his parents were retired and spent their time volunteering. They hadn’t needed to work long before they decided to retire. Remy took care of anything they wanted and needed—at least, he tried to. However, he knew that his parents seldom withdrew money from their joint account.
When their lunch arrived, Remy put his mother’s sandwich away while he and his father ate. He knew his dad would join his mother as soon as they finished lunch. Since his retirement, his father liked to wake up at four in the morning, and after having lunch in the afternoon, he’d lay down for a nap. Remy wondered if he’d be the same way when he got older and retired.
Once they finished lunch, he was proven correct when his father excused himself to lie down. Remy picked up his phone to extend his mother’s dinner invitation to Lawrence. He didn’t mind his boyfriend meeting his parents. They’d been dating for several months. His concern was Lawrence feeling like he was being pushed into a meeting he wasn’t ready for.
“Hey, babe. Is everything okay?”
“It is. Why?” Remy asked, furrowing his eyebrows.
“You don’t normally call me while I’m at work. Text me, yes. Call me, no.”
“Shit. My apologies, baby.” Remy had forgotten that Lawrence was at work since he’d taken the day off to pick up his parents.
“It’s fine. How’s your day going? Did your parents make it okay?”
“It’s going well. Yeah, they did. I picked them up from the airport about an hour and a half ago. They’re both taking a nap.” He paused for a moment. “Speaking of my parents, my mother has requested that I invite you for dinner tonight. She and my father would like to meet you if you’re comfortable with that.”
“What about you?” Lawrence asked.
“What about me?”
“Would you be comfortable with me meeting your parents?”
“Of course, baby,” Remy responded. “Why wouldn’t I be when I’ve met your father.”
“True. What time should I come over?”
“Does seven work for you?”
“It does. I’ll see you then.”
“Great. I’ll see you later, baby.”
The two hung up; Remy placed his phone on the coffee table and turned on the television. He was sure his mother would want to go to the store to get whatever she needed to cook tonight. Until then, he’d spend that time catching up on one of the crime shows.
L awrence didn’t get to knock on Remy’s door before it was opened. He wasn’t surprised since that always tended to be the case when he visited since the other man had to give him access to his floor.
“Hey, baby,” Remy greeted, kissing him softly.
“Hey. I brought wine,” Lawrence responded, holding up the bottle.
Remy stepped aside to allow him to enter, and he was pulled into a hug no sooner than he had. The smell of jasmine and cinnamon surrounded him.
“You must be Lawrence. It’s so nice to meet you finally.”
He chuckled as she hugged him tighter. She reminded him of his mom. She was also a hugger.
“I am,” he responded. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Price,” Lawrence stated when they pulled apart.
“Please, call me Rita,” she responded with a smile.
“And I’m Charles. Remy has told us a lot about you, Lawrence.”
Lawrence shook his outstretched hand. “Hopefully, they were good things.”
“Of course they were, baby,” Remy responded, taking the bottle of wine from his hand. “I’ll put this in the fridge until dinner is ready.”
“It should only be another twenty minutes,” Rita stated. “I’m making Remy’s favorite.”
“Well, it smells delicious,” Lawrence complimented. “Do you mind some company while you finish?”
“Not at all.” Rita slipped her arm through his, and they strolled to the kitchen together. “Remy tells us you work in sales for a medical equipment company,” Rita stated, sparking a conversation as she left Lawrence at the island and continued to the stove.
“I do. I’ve been with the company for four years and the assistant director of sales for over a year.”
“He also secured two of the biggest contracts the company’s seen since he’s worked there,” Remy added, kissing Lawrence’s temple as he walked past to the living room .
“Congratulations,” Rita stated at the same time Charles said, “That’s impressive.” Lawrence hadn’t realized that Charles had taken a seat at the dining table.
“Thank you,” he responded. He turned against the island to look at both of them as he spoke. “The two of you worked with children before you retired.”
“We did,” Charles responded. “We directed an after-school and summer program for kids. It helped give them something to do that kept them out of trouble, and many of them lived in a single-parent household and needed a place to go while their parent worked.”
“We still work with children and senior citizens. We volunteer several days a week. People don’t tell you that when you retire, it’s hard to sit still,” Rita stated.
“I’ve heard,” Lawrence responded. “It’s why I plan on traveling the world when I retire. I’ve always wanted to, and it’ll help me stay occupied.”
“We could do that now,” Remy informed, returning to the kitchen and sitting at the table with Charles.
Lawrence was sure he meant it. He could ask Remy to take him anywhere, and he would, but he wasn’t sure they were at a point in their relationship where he felt comfortable doing that.
“We’re taking our first trip soon. Let’s see if we make it through that one before considering other trips together. I might realize you’re terrible company on vacation,” Lawrence teased.
“I’m great company at any time,” Remy responded.
“I’ll let you think that,” Lawrence replied.
The conversation continued, Lawrence drifting to the cabinet where Remy kept his plates. He took some down and placed them on the table while Remy grabbed glasses and the wine from the refrigerator. Charles helped Rita put the food on the table with serving utensils.
Lawrence’s first bite almost drew a moan from him. It was delicious, and he made a mental note to see if Rita would give him the recipe or if he could coax Remy into cooking it for him in the near future. He complimented how good it was, and the conversation drifted to Rita learning to cook as a child, and all the recipes passed down from her grandmother and mother .
They sat at the table long after eating, keeping the conversation going, and Lawrence found that Rita was funny. Charles often tried to calm her down, but he could see it was half-hearted. He seemed to enjoy his wife’s sense of humor and antics.
“I have an idea; why don’t we play a game or watch a movie,” Rita suggested after they’d cleared the table.
“It’s late, Rita. I’m sure Lawrence has to work tomorrow,” Charles pointed out.
“Oh shoot. I didn’t think of that. You’re going in tomorrow too, aren’t you, Remy?” she asked.
“I am,” his boyfriend responded. “If Lawrence is free Saturday, he can join us on our outing,” Remy suggested.
“I don’t have any plans,” Lawrence responded. “I’d like that.”
Rita smiled at him. “Great! I can’t wait.”
Lawrence returned her smile. “I should get going. I’ll see you all this weekend.”
He received a hug from Rita, and a pat on the back from Charles before Remy walked him down to his car. The short trip to his vehicle was silent, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. When they reached his car, Remy placed his hands on Lawrence’s waist.
“Thank you for having dinner with us.”
“Thank you for inviting me. Your parents are great, and your mom is hilarious.”
“She likes to think she’s a comedian,” Remy chuckled.
“I’d pay to see her do standup,” Lawrence replied, and he was serious.
“Don’t tell her that. She might try it.” Both men laughed. “I’ll pick you up Saturday at two. Does that work for you?”
“It does,” Lawrence responded.
Remy kissed him before releasing him and taking a step back. “Text me when you make it home.”
Lawrence nodded, slipping into his car. Dinner had been fun, and he was eager to see what they would do on Saturday. Hands down, his meeting with Remy’s parents had gone far better than Remy’s with his father.