Well, I was never going to say no to that.
Piper: I’d love that too.
Beckett: Perfect. Just drop me a message when you’re done with your parents, and I’ll come down from the office. It’s a late evening of work tonight, and Agatha will stay with Charlotte until we arrive home.
I stared at the last sentence, liking the sound a little too much.Until we arrive home. It felt as if we’d been an “us” forever. But we weren’t, and that certainly wasn’t how he meant it, so I wasn’t going to read into it.
As expected, my parents were excited that we were going to LeBlanc-Broussard.
“Goodness, I can’t believe he got you a table just like that!” Mom exclaimed after we’d ordered that week’s specialty, seafood gumbo.
“He’s very considerate for a client,” Dad said carefully.
He and Mom exchanged a glance. I was certain that Mom shared with him what I’d told her. I didn’t mind—I wanted Dad to know about my life—but even at my age, it was weird to talk about my love life in front of him.
“Actually, um, Beckett and I are dating.”
Mom smiled from ear to ear. “Oh, I knew it.”
Dad nodded. “All right. I hope he’s better than that good-for-nothing Fred.”
“Chris!” Mom chastised.
Dad raised his hands in apology. “Sorry. I won’t bring him up again.”
“Thank you, but he’s nothing like him, and I really like Beckett,” I said.
“We’re so happy for you. We don’t need to know details, hon. Unless you want to share, of course?” Mom pressed her lips together, and I knew she had a million questions.
“What is it you want to ask, Mom?”
“How is his girl?”
I smiled wide. “She’s lovely and growing up so fast. She’s making my baby fever worse.”
Mom laughed while Dad stared at her, frowning. “Wait, the baby had a fever?”
I giggled. “No, Dad. It’s just a saying.”
Mom shook her head, rolling her eyes as if to say,“Men!”
The evening flew by faster than I thought possible. We weredone with dinner at seven thirty. As we asked for the bill, I texted Beckett.
Piper: My parents and I are ready to go.
He replied right away.
Beckett: I’ll join you in a minute.
Oh goodness, I hadn’t realized that him picking me up meant he was going to meet my parents. I cleared my throat. “So, Beckett will come down from the office and…”
“We’ll get to meet him,” Mom said. “Excellent.”
Dad straightened up in his chair, tugging at the collar of his shirt, as if that would somehow make him look more menacing. He’d done that every time I introduced a boyfriend to him. Mom and I looked at each other and then both started to laugh.
The waiter returned, eyes wide, wringing his hands frantically. “My apologies, you weren’t supposed to see the bill. It’s all taken care of.”
I gasped. “I don’t understand.”
