Chapter 32
Liz, July 14
“Baby, can you come in here?” Matt calls from his kitchen. We’ve just finished work and decided to carpool to hockey. I came by to pick him up. I saunter to the kitchen to find Matt standing in an open cabinet, his head blocked from my view.
“What’s up?” I ask. Matt’s head emerges from the cabinet.
“Do you know if you can replace garlic powder with garlic salt in a recipe?” He holds up a small bottle and shakes it. Matt’s hair has gotten longer in the last few months, falling into his eyes. I also note that he looks exhausted.
“For what?” I ask.
“Spaghetti sauce. My Mom is coming for dinner this weekend. I thought I’d make some sauce.”
My heart skips a beat. Meeting his mom? Am I ready for that? Somehow, with Matt, it feels like an adventure I can actually manage. With Ben… I wouldn’t know where to start.
“Are you making it now? I thought we were going to hockey.”
Matt shuts the cabinet and places the seasoning bottle on the counter. “No.” He smiles. “I was just going to ask you to stop at the store if I needed anything for it.”
Matt crosses the kitchen quickly and wraps his arms around me. He plants a kiss on my forehead. “How are you?” he asks.
I hug him tightly, smelling his aftershave. For a second, I just let myself sink into him, no calculations, no wondering what he thinks of me — I can just exist here. “Good, now.” We pull apart.
“Are you ready to go?” I ask.
“Where are we on that cooking question, baby?”
“Oh, right. I’d say cut back on the salt if you swap it.” I smile, not feeling the usual heart-thumping panic that comes with Ben in the same room. Now… invite me to have dinner with your Mom.
“Awesome.” He leaves the room, disappearing down the hallway I know leads to his bedroom. “Ready?” he prompts.
I follow him out to my car. “Hey, when is your Mom coming?” I ask, shamelessly fishing for an invite.
“Tomorrow, for dinner.” He opens the trunk and tosses his bag in effortlessly.
“Just wondering.” Invite me, invite me.
“Cool.” Matt climbs into the passenger seat. Without another option, I climb in and start the car.
Matt’s phone rings as we’re backing out of the driveway. “Hello?”
I reach to turn down the music and listen to Matt’s end of the conversation. “No, I have hockey. Nope, family in town. It’ll have to wait until Monday then. Okay, bye.”
I nod. “Nothing important, I hope.”
“Nothing more important than my mother coming to town.” He smiles.
I smile back at him. Good to know he’s got priorities. I lean back in the seat and just… breathe. No tension, no stakes, no hidden games. Not like Ben. Not like that charged, heart-thumping, everything-on-the-line feeling that comes from being with him. Here, I can be relaxed, playful, and completely myself.