I laugh. I haven’t actually told my mom anything about sex with Michael, but she knows me well, and apparently, she’s decided I’m getting it on the regular now. She wouldn’t be wrong.
“Mom!” I say. “You know Aunt Lynn is a little more conservative than we are.”
She chuckles. “I know. But it would be fun to say, don’t you think?”
“Not really. I think she’d die of embarrassment, and I wouldn’t want her to feel uncomfortable.”
“Well, don’t worry about your aunt. You tell her when you’re ready. I won’t say a word.”
“I appreciate that. Michael is…he’s unlike any guy I’ve ever dated. He’s brave and grumpy and sweet and hard to read all at the same time.”
“He sounds fascinating.” Mom takes a bite of her burrito.
“He is,” I say. “But you know, we’re keeping it casual. He lives in Maine for goodness sake. That’s clear across the country. And he’s got fears of losing a loved one.”
“That’s understandable after what he went through,” Mom says. “But you seem to like him a lot. I hope it works out for you two. And I can’t wait to meet him soon.”
After my lunch with Mom, I head over to Cowboy Aromas.
Michael’s not here yet, so I order an iced latte and take a seat by the window.
When he arrives a few minutes later, he kisses me on the cheek and slides into the chair across from me at the table.
He hasn’t shaved the last two days, and the extra facial scruff is so sexy on him. The afternoon is cool and rainy, and he’s wearing a dark blue button-down shirt and long shorts.
“Hopefully this latte will stay in the cup until I drink it,” I joke.
“I’m going to go order,” he says. “Be right back.”
While I’m waiting for him, I scroll through my texts I never got to today.
When I see my aunt’s birthday invite, I quickly text her back a “can’t wait.”
“So your aunt called me,” Michael says as he returns to the table with a coffee and a pastry.
He offers me half the pastry, and when I nod, he carefully cuts it in half and hands me a piece.
“Did she invite you to her party tomorrow?” I ask him.
He widens his eyes. “Yeah. How’d you know?”
I laugh. “Because she sent me an invite, silly. It’s going to be so fun!”
“So you’re okay with Lynn knowing we’re together?”
“Of course!” I playfully pat his hand. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know. I thought she might disapprove of the casual nature of things between us.”
“She might, but I don’t care. She’ll be happy I’m happy. So will my dad. And my mom already knows about you.”
His face when I mention my parents…I burst into laughter at how he scrunches his nose.
“You are so funny!” I tell him. “You’re actually nervous to meet my parents.”
“I’m not,” he says quickly.
“You are! I can’t believe it…Michael Wild, who goes out on the water in treacherous conditions and has endured so many scares, is afraid to meet a girl’s mom and dad.”
