I laughed at my mother.
“You don’t have anything on you, Mother.”
“Good.” She smoothed her dress down and then took a step toward Erica, taking her free hand. “Now tell me, where had my son been hiding you?”
“I wasn’t hiding her, I just wasn’t ready to give her up yet.”
Erica’s eyes softened at my admission. My hand on her hip squeezed, trying to give her a little comfort that was just between us two.
“How long had this been going on?” My mother broke me out of my trance. She gave me a side glance that screamed I should have told her about the woman standing next to me.
I pulled Erica closer to me. “It’s not like you haven’t met her, Mother.”
She cocked her head to the side and gave me a look, trying to process any person I could have brought home in the past years. I could see the wheels turning with each moment she asked me if I was dating someone and I told her no so quickly she stopped asking after I graduated high school. But then her eyebrows knitted together and the lightbulb lit in her head and she looked from Erica at me and then back at Erica.
My mother’s eyes widened and her mouth formed into an ‘O’ with understanding.
“Once upon a time you said it was just a crush.”
“And clearly I was wrong.”
“Mom saying she is wrong.” My sister whistled as she walked up to us. “What did you do now, corn head?”
I squinted my eyes at my sister, Tabitha. She knew better than to call me by my nickname, but I knew she couldn’t resist teasing me, especially since I had already told her that Erica was going to be coming today. We didn’t speak much, but we at least tried to catch each other up before big events, so we didn’t feel totally out of the loop.
“I did nothing.” I shrugged. “Except bring a girl home.”
I watched Tabitha’s gaze roll over Erica and the realization hit her that this was the Erica I had told her about.
“You know, Chase isn’t one for surprises, but this one definitely takes the cake. He told me he’d be bringing you. I just didn’t want to hold my breath in case it wasn’t true, but here you are!”
Tabitha held out her arms and reached for Erica, taking her out of my arms and embracing her. Tabitha was always one who was outgoing, completely different from everyone else in our family, who were a little more reserved.
“Don’t start, Tabs.”
My sister laughed at me and held Erica at arm’s length, taking a better look at her.
“I approve,” she stated with a curt nod.
“I do too.” I grabbed for Erica back, not liking her being that far away from me.
“I’m Tabitha.” She waved to her.
“It’s nice to meet both of you. It really is.” Erica beamed to both of the women who were also a part of my life and I basked in them being together. It felt unreal to have Erica here, a part of my family, knowing that no matter what happened she would have a place here. That my mother and sister had embraced her as much as I had over the years. I knew it was going to take some time to convince my father, but that was going to be a battle worth fighting.
He never gave in too easily, letting new people into our lives, but this was one he was going to have to. Erica wasn’t going anywhere.
“I have a question,” Erica spoke up in the comfortable silence we had fallen into.
“Ask away, peaches.”
“Why did your sister call you corn head?”
Erica
Chase’s face turned from a smile to wide eyes and panic. Clearly I had asked the wrong question.
“Oh!” Tabitha clapped her hands together and jumped up and down. “Can I tell her?”
