We quickly got out of the car, and Griffin carried the bags inside. I stood back with my parents, taking each of their arms and walking together with them. They could be a bit shy at social occasions.
Mom leaned into me, whispering conspiratorially, “I like Griffin.”
“You’re easily bought, woman,” Dad said, nodding toward the flowers.
She glanced at him. “You like him too.”
“Oh, I do. But it has nothing to do with flowers. He makes my little girl happy.” Dad smiled wider than I’d ever seen him. “It’s good to see you like this, baby girl. We never had the heart to tell you, but we were relieved when you and that asshole broke up.”
I was shocked by Dad’s admission. He was never so direct and rarely used the wordasshole.
“Of course, we wished it would have happened in a more civilized manner,” he added.
“It’s all in the past now.” I’d said this before to appease them, but now it was 100 percent true. My heart wasn’t heavy anymore. I didn’t have a knot in my stomach when thinking about that time. I’d healed. I never thought this day would come, but here it was. I was head over heels in love with Griffin, and the past didn’t even matter anymore.
“Uncle Griffin, I’m so happy you’re here.” Jeremy’s voice filtered from the house, and I instantly smiled.
“Is that Griffin’s nephew with the Batman room?” Mom asked as we approached the front door.
“Exactly.” I loved that Mom remembered that tidbit.
“By the way, he’s got your grandparents’ vote.”
And now I wasn’t just happy, I was ecstatic. My grandparents approved of him. I honestly couldn’t wait for them to meet him.
We headed straight to the kitchen, where Hannah, Chase, Riley, Duncan, and Jeremy were gathered. Griffin wasn’t here. He’d probably gone directly to the bedroom to deposit my parents’ bag.
“Hi, I’m Hannah. Welcome to my inn.” She held out her hand to each of my parents in turn.
“It’s lovely. Thank you so much for having us,” Mom said.
“We’re very grateful,” Dad added.
Hannah beamed. “Let me show you to your room.”
“I can show them myself,” I chimed in.
“All right.” Hannah smiled. “While you get comfortable, I’ll prepare breakfast for you.”
“There’s no need,” Mom replied quickly. “We ate at the airport before we left Montana. Do you want something?” she asked me.
“No. I’ve had breakfast too.” Besides, I knew Mom brought Nana’s cookies. I wanted to work up an appetite before I dug into them so I fully enjoyed every bite.
I went over to Jeremy, giving him a proper hug. “I didn’t know you were going to be here,” I told him.
“We just decided this morning,” Duncan explained.
“And we’re not staying for long,” Riley added.
“What are you doing today?” I asked.
“We’re going to the fair. My favorite band is playing,” Jeremy informed me.
“It’s on Niagara Avenue,” Riley went on. “Just a mix of vendors selling stuff and entertainment for kids.”
“That sounds lovely,” Mom said. “Could we go too? We miss San Diego fairs.”
“Why not?” I asked.
