He leans back until his eyes meet mine. “You don’t sound too sure about that.”
“I-I am.” I push him away to put space between us. If he keeps kissing me, we’re not going to make it to the wedding. And that can’t happen. Not now when we have all eyes on us. “You ready to help me load up everything?”
“Buzzkill,” he mutters with a mischievous grin. He knows we have a job to do, so he doesn’t push it. “Is it everything here on the table?”
“Yep,” I point toward the shelf by the door, “and the basket over there has the bouquets and boutonnieres.”
“That’s what those things are called.” He sounds way too excited about the revelation. “You have no idea how much that was bugging me last night.”
I move toward the basket while he grabs a couple of the arrangements. “What did you end up doing when you went home?”
“Not much. Ate dinner with my parents so they’d leave me alone,” he shrugs as he moves toward the door, “then played video games for a bit.”
“Sounds like an exciting night.”
“It could have been more exciting.” He winks at me before opening the door and heading to the van.
It probably would have been had I not had to help Caroline with the last of the arrangements. She may have had a point about the whole commitment thing, but even though I want to spend my free time with Xander, I’m in no way ready to get hitched. It was cruel of her to even play around like that.
I follow him out the door with the basket in hand. “Are we still on for dinner tonight?”
“Absolutely,” he turns after putting the flowers in the van. “We’ll need to stop by the store when we’re done, but I’ve got dinner completely figured out.”
“What are you cooking?” I’m not much of a cook. He’s probably noticed that from the lack of food in my fridge. I live off frozen dinners and takeout. The only thing that keeps me healthy is the amount of running around I do here at the shop, and the fact I walk to work as much as I can.
“That is a surprise.”
“I’m not a huge fan of surprises.”
“Why not?” He opens the shop door for me to follow him inside for the rest of the arrangements.
“One time I let my brother order pizza while he was staying on my sofa, and he ordered one with anchovies as a joke. I didn’t find it very funny. It took forever to get the smell out of my apartment.”
“Well,” he laughs, “I can promise you there isn’t fish involved in what I’m making. It’s nothing fancy, just a quick recipe I learned from my mom.”
Honestly, it’s kind of a turn on that he knows how to cook, and he’s willing to do it for me. “I can’t wait to try it then.”
“Speaking of…” he grabs another set of flowers and turns toward me, “I know this is really new for both of us, but how do you feel about coming to dinner tomorrow night?”
My mouth drops open. Meeting the parents is a big deal, or so I’ve been told. I’m not sure if I’m ready for that.
When I don’t say anything, he backtracks. “You don’t have to. It was just a suggestion. My mom wants to meet the person who keeps a smile on my face. It’s not a big deal if you don’t want to.”
I grab some of the arrangements to busy my hands while I think of something to say. Dinner with his parents could be a breeze. They’re nothing like my parents. It’s something I’ll need to remind myself of continually. Just because my parents suck, doesn’t mean everyone else’s does. Besides, it might be good to see how his parents interact. It’ll give me more insight into Xander, and why he seems to be well adjusted.
“No, no it’s fine.” I turn toward him. His brows are furrowed as he waits for my response. “The invitation was just unexpected. I would love to have dinner at your house. Do I need to bring anything?”
Take that Caroline. I can do the whole committed to one person thing. Even if it scares the shit out of me.
“Just yourself,” he lets out a breath, relieved by my answer. “I was going to offer to pick you up, but figured you may want to drive over in case you felt the urge to get away as fast as possible.”
Another way he’s constantly thinking of me and my boundaries. “Honestly, it will be nice to see what it’s like on the other side with parents who aren’t completely self-absorbed and care about their kid’s happiness.”
That may have come out more bitter than I intended, but it doesn’t make it any less true. I know he’ll want to meet my parents eventually, but I plan on pushing that off for as long as possible.
Honestly, I’d be okay with him never meeting them. He knows all the important people in my life, and it doesn’t include the people who birthed me.
“So, you’ll come?”
