I shiver, the weather finally hitting me. I’d been too lost in thought about how body snatchers took my parents that I hadn’t even felt the cold winter air against my skin. “Yes.”
When we step into the bar, my dad is already deep into the dining room with Brax. They’re talking to Brax’s father, and my dad is laughing at something Angelo’s said.
“It’s all so weird,” I whisper at my mother’s side.
“Well, get used to it, sweetheart. This is us now. We’re happy people.”
“Still weird,” I mutter.
“Oh my goodness. You must be Beverly,” Tilly says, rushing toward my mother with her arms outstretched.
Old Beverly would’ve recoiled like a snake about to strike, but this version of her holds out her arms too and accepts the hug like she’s been doing it her entire life.
“I’m Tilly, and we love your daughter. She’s the sweetest thing.”
Mom smiles at Tilly, and it’s genuine, which, before today, I’ve never seen her pull off. “We’ve heard great things about Brax, and he makes our daughter happy.”
“He worships her,” Tilly tells her.
“I like to hear that,” Mom says.
“Iris, do you mind if I take your mother to meet everyone?” Tilly asks me.
“No. Go ahead as long as it’s okay with my mom.”
“I’d love that,” Mom says, sloughing off her winter coat and handing it to me.
I watch as my mother walks away with Tilly, both of them full of smiles as they chat and move around the room.
“What’s wrong?” Brax mouths as he leaves my father’s side and comes toward me.
“Those aren’t my parents,” I whisper.
He blinks a few times as he stares at me. “What?”
“They’re too nice. Something happened to them.”
“They must’ve changed,” he replies, like that makes it normal.
“They went to a sex retreat.”
“They what?”
“Mom said they went to a retreat and it changed their lives. It was a sex place.”
“She said it was a sex place?”
I shake my head. “But that’s what it was. Sex,Brax.” I blanch, and I am happy I have nothing in my stomach yet.
“They’re adults,” he says.
“They’re old.”
“We’ll be old too someday, Iris, and I plan on still bending you over and having you as often as possible.”
I swallow, my mouth suddenly dry as I gaze into his dark eyes. “I like that.”
“Me too.” He winks at me. “And they do too, obviously.”
