My sister’s eyes widen, and she hisses, “Shut up!”
“What is it?”Our mother walks in, a tray balanced in her hands.“What did Megan say?”
“She called me—” A swift kick under the table has me shutting up.
“I said being with Eve agrees with him, Mom,” Megan says quickly.“He should bring her over for dinner or something, but he doesn’t want to.”
“Caleb,” my mother gives me a reproachful look.“I want to meet her properly.She’s such a lovely young woman.And to think you knew her in college, and you two fell in love now.It’s so adorable.”
“He rescued her when she was walking home a few months ago and gave her a ride back,” Megan pitches in helpfully.“She didn’t want to go with him, so he carried her on his shoulder and got her a coffee or something.It was very un-Caleb-like.I knew there was something going on the minute I saw them.”
“I can imagine.”Mom sits down next to Megan, setting the tray of freshly baked cookies on the table.The dining room smells like cinnamon and vanilla, a scent that always reminds me of Sundays at home.
I came over to drop off some of Megan’s things from her car, which is currently at the shop.She’d been bugging me all week to bring her the stuff she left in there, especially her favorite sunglasses and some school documents.The car will be fixed by tomorrow, so I’ll drop it off during my lunch break.Somehow my quick errand turned into staying for tea, and now I’m trapped in our family dining room while my sister spills details about my love life to our mother.
“Why didn’t you bring her today, Caleb?”Mom asks, sliding the cookie tray toward me.“I would have loved to meet her.”
“She had a family dinner today,” I explain, reaching for a cookie.The familiar warmth I always feel when thinking about Eve settles in my chest.It’s still a novelty, this feeling, but one I’ve come to recognize and welcome.
“I promise I’ll bring her by someday,” I add, and mean it.“You’ll be seeing a lot of Eve.She’s not going anywhere.”
Mom smiles.“Well, you must bring her by soon.I need to thank the woman who’s finally managed to tame my most troublesome son.”
Megan snorts into her pie.“Tame is a stretch, Mom.”
I shoot her a glare.“Don’t you have somewhere else to be?Like literally anywhere but here?”
“Nope,” she grins, finally taking another bite of her pie.“I’m exactly where I need to be—annoying you.”
Megan’s phone buzzes on the table.She glances at it and sighs, pushing her plate away.“I should take this.”
She answers the call as she walks out of the dining room.“Hey, Zach.What do you want?”Perfect timing.I slide Megan’s abandoned plate toward me and dig into what’s left of her pie.
I turn to Mom once Megan is out of earshot.“Who’s Zach?”
“A classmate of hers.They’re working on a project together for school,” Mom says, adjusting the pearl bracelet on her wrist.“So,” Mom says softly, her expression suddenly serious.“How long have you and Eve been together?”
The question catches me off guard.I stop mid-bite, fork suspended halfway to my mouth.“What do you mean?”
My mother studies me, her gaze sharp.“I mean, ever since you joined Ethan’s company, whenever you came home, I’ve smelled the trace of a woman’s perfume from your clothes.It’s the same perfume every time.”
“Mom!”My face burns as I lean back in my chair, pie all but forgotten.
“What?”She smiles.“I hug you children all the time.You think I wouldn’t notice?So how long has it been going on for?”
Mortified, I straighten up and bite into my pie.“We didn’t get along before, but we sorta started?—”
“Sort of,” she corrects me.
“Yeah.”I groan internally.“Well, we kind of were messing around, and then things just got serious.”
“So you love her?”
I set the fork down, buying myself a moment.My mother waits, patient as always, her eyes curious but not pushing.
“It’s different with her,” I finally say, looking down at the half-eaten pie.“I’ve never...It’s not like before.She’s not like anyone I’ve ever been with.She’s so independent that at times it feels she doesn’t even need me, and I don’t think she does, not financially at least.She’s more ambitious than I am, and she’s so incredibly hard-working.But if you look at her outside of work, I think she needs me there.She always has her guard up.She’s always cautious.”
“And you?Do you need her?”my mother asks quietly.
