His eyes light up. “You look amazing,” he says breathlessly.
I grin and blink my eyes. “Thank you. You’re not so bad-looking yourself.”
He has on my favorite cap and a fitted, long-sleeved henley that hugs him in the best way—not too tight or too loose, just perfect.
“Everything you need is in there.” He points to the bag on my porch. “I’ll call you when I get home.”
I wave, and he returns the gesture before driving off.
I grab the bag and take it inside, wondering what’s in store for tonight.
I can’t help but laugh at the items as I remove each one. He should have known I have salt and pepper, but he took no chances. Absolutely everything I need to make dinner is in this bag, including a bottle of wine.
When my phone rings, I click the green button to answer on FaceTime.
“Hey there, beautiful,” he says, and I have to stop myself from swooning since he can see me.
I’m standing at my kitchen counter, so I lean down and put my chin on my hand, tilting my head to the side. “What are we cookin’, good-lookin’?”
“I didn’t want you to have to do a ton of dishes, so I got a one-pot recipe from my mom.”
“That’s so cute,” I say.
“Oh, yeah? You like that?”
I nod with a grin on my face.
“Well, how about the fact that she’s right here, guiding me, so I don’t screw things up?”
I stand up straight, surprised and a little scared, to say the least. Meeting the parents is a big deal. Thank God I look my best for this date!
“Your mom’s there?” I ask, trying to fake nonchalance.
He flips the camera, so I can see who’s sitting at the end of the counter. “Say hi, Mom.”
“Hi, Sharee.” She waves. “We’re super excited to meet you. I’m Pamela.”
I wave into the camera. “Hello! It’s so nice to meet you too. You’ve done well, raising the young gentleman you have there.”
She smiles from ear to ear. “We’re very proud of our boy.”
Drew flips the camera back to him. “And that’s enough of that.” He chuckles nervously. “I’m going to prop the camera up right here, so we can work together. Can you see me okay?”
“Sure can.” I do the same and then reach for the bottle. “So, first step is to open the bottle of wine, right?” I ask playfully.
He points into the camera. “Yes! Okay.” He moves around the kitchen, searching for an opener.
I can tell he’s out of his element, and it’s freaking adorable. His mom finally comes to his rescue and hands him the opener. He thanks her and proceeds to open the bottle and pour some into a glass.
“Cheers,” he says as he holds it up to me.
“Cheers,” I reply, trying to hide how happy this moment is making me.
“Okay, do you have all of your ingredients ready?” he asks, rubbing his hands together like he’s about to dive deep into a project.
I nod. “The contents of your bag cracked me up. I’m pretty sure I already had salt and pepper.”
I hear his mom laugh. “You bought her salt and pepper too?”
