I run a hand through my hair as I glance at the idyllic mountain cottage that is Alexis’ childhood home. Any minute now I will be shaking hands with her dad, meeting her mom. How is a boyfriend supposed to act in this situation? Is it normal for my hands to be so sweaty? Will they like me, or is Levi in there now spreading lies about me?
“Slow down, hotshot. We asked you tofakedate our sister, not actually fall for her. Your little stunt at the stargazing thing didn’t go over well with him.” A loud rapping sounds from the passenger side window as Alexis tries to open the door, but Alissa just flips her off. “Levi thinks you’re using Lex like a puck bunny without her realizing, which is just insane. And very degrading to our sister, I might add. I tried telling him you’re down bad and disgustingly smitten, but he wouldn’t have any of it. I tried everything, but this one’s on you. He’ll be watching you like a hawk.”
Slowly, I start to nod. Levi thinks I’m not serious about Alexis; this I can work with.
“Thanks for the heads-up,” I say. “Now, would you mind unblocking that door so I can go embarrass myself in front of your family?”
Alexis’s childhoodhome is the very opposite of mine.
A cute cottage in a wooded mountain area, where kids play in the streets without fear and gardens sprawl out in every direction. The house itself, though tiny in comparison, is filled with warmth and plants and photos. It’s the kind of pleasantclutter that makes you feel at home the moment you step inside, like there are actually people living here instead of it being a showroom parading as a house.
“Bet you can’t guess which one is me,” Alexis says as she catches me looking at one of her baby photos on the wall. Well, hers and Alissa’s, as they are rarely not in the same frame.
“Of course I can,” I tell her, and point towards the baby with the same adorable freckle under the eye as she has. “The cutest baby to have ever been born.”
Alexis rolls her eyes, but I know I’m right.
A short, plump woman rushes into the room wearing a simple yellow T-shirt and pants, her long curly blond hair pulled up into a ponytail. I don’t think I have ever seen my own mother wear something so…casual,normal. It’s very clear Alexis grew up in an environment far different than mine, because as soon as the woman spots me I’m engulfed in a warm hug.
It's odd and foreign and strange, but I never want it to end.
“Mom, this is Blake. Blake, meet my mom.”
“Mrs. Moore, it is so nice to finally meet you.” I stumble over the words, not at all how I practiced them in my head, thrown by the hug and the warmth this woman extends to a total stranger.
“Oh please, call me Nora!” she pulls away with a dazzling smile, the same faint dimples on her cheeks that Alexis has. Her arms linger on my biceps as she glances me up and down, and with a wink aimed at Alexis she says, “You picked a handsome one, love.”
I grin at the blush that creeps into Alexis’s cheeks. The sight brings butterflies to my stomach every single time—it’s like crack to me. But then again everything about her is.
Reaching into a tote bag I pull out the box of chocolates I bought this morning. “It’s not much, but I brought this as a little thank you for allowing me to stay in your lovely home this Christmas.”
“Oh love, you shouldn’t have!” Nora gasps as if I’d just handed her a huge envelope of cash, and promptly hugs me again. Something tells me this will be a strange, strange week for me. “Bill! Come meet Lexi’s boyfriend!”
Boyfriend.The term is correct, yet so foreign to me it might as well be a different language. I have never been a boyfriend before. It feels like a title that must be earned; something that comes with a great amount of responsibility. It’s probably not a good sign that I do not know what those responsibilities are.
A man slightly taller and leaner than Nora steps into the room. How these two managed to create the absolute unit that is Levi Moore is beyond me, but I don’t have much time to ponder as Mr. Moore gives my hand a too-firm shake and a clap on the shoulder.
“Blake, is it? Nice to meet you, son. Impressive goal average.”
It seems Alexis has been gossiping about me to her parents. The thought alone gives me a disgustingly fuzzy feeling. “Thank you, sir. Though it’s all due to your son’s leadership?—”
Mr. Moore waves a hand to cut me off. “Drop the formalities, boy. You’re among family. Call me Bill.”
Family. I turn the word over in my mind. Much likeboyfriend,it feels distant and foreign, but also…comforting. Like I belong here. Like I am accepted for who I am, not how I play. Like they want to hear aboutme,and get to knowmeinstead of the Brookside Badgers’ Blake Taylor.
I am not sure how to respond, so I’m glad when Bill stalks back towards the kitchen without giving me the chance to say anything. Alexis makes a tiny sound before pulling me down a hallway and into the dining room; this house is bigger than I thought.
“They like you,” she says as she fixes my collar. I’m not ashamed to say I dressed up for this trip, trading my hoodies for button-ups and sweaters. Family is everything to Alexis, and ifI want to be with her, I’ll need to win over her parents. “I can tell. They’ve never been this welcoming of a partner my siblings brought home. Aside from Lottie, of course.”
A crease forms between my brows. I figured they were simply kind and welcoming people, warm to everyone they meet. “Really?”
“Oh, yes. First year of college Alissa brought home this guy. Nothing wrong with him, but Dad did not say a word to him the whole week. He left early, and they broke up before he even got home.” Alexis holds my gaze, her fingertips brushing my jaw. “That wouldn’t have been us, but...I’m really glad they like you.”
Despite my best efforts,I can barely get a bite down my throat.
I may have my Sunshine by my side, but her brother sits right across from me, his eyes practically dripping with anger. If we had been anywhere else I would have called him out on his childish behavior, told him to fight me to get it out of his system so we could all move on. But I don’t think that would go over well with Bill and Nora, and I need their approval more than Levi’s.
Alexis gets in a few great kicks under the table, though.
