“I’m kind of looking forward to the chaos,” I admit. “Holidays are usually pretty quiet at home, since it’s typically just me and Mom. Hanging with you guys has been really fun..”
“Oh, we know,” Paige teases. “We’re a delight.”
“Rylee, dear, why don’t you invite your mother to join us later?” Michelle offers.
I meet her gaze, surprised by her generosity. Part of me thinks that would be amazing - have my mom and Zander’s family hanging out and getting to know each other. We’re not quite there yet, though. Mom hasn’t even met Zander, after all.
But… maybe that should change.
“That’s really nice of you, Michelle,” I reply. “I might take a raincheck. Give my mom more of a warning.”
Michelle smiles. “I totally understand, sweety.”
“Yeah, you gotta ease people into this collection of crazy,” Paige chuckles.
We all laugh at that and Zander approaches me, rolling his eyes.
“Run while you can,” he tells me, offering me a set of keys. “You can take Dad’s car. He doesn’t mind.”
My eyes drop to the keys, then shoot back up toward him and I nibble my lip nervously before blurting, “Do you want to come with me?”
His brows shoot up nearly to his hairline and he stares at me in obvious shock. I wait anxiously for him to pull himself together again and answer. He shoots his sisters and Mom a look, and I see Michelle grin and give him a subtle nod.
“Yeah… yeah!” he finally stammers. “I’d love to go!”
My cheeks are burning and I know I’m red, but I’m happy that he’s coming with me. I don’t want to hang on to my anger any longer… it’s just not worth it. Not when he’s so genuine and amazing, and being with his family has only reinforced that fact for me.
“You two have fun,” Lauren chuckles softly and I turn to find all four Caldwell women watching us with twinkling gazes and satisfied grins.
“We’ll see you later,” Michelle adds.
Zander grabs my hand to quickly lead me out of the kitchen and away from delighted giggles of his sisters, and the tender, loving smile of approval from his Mom.
The ride to my mom’s house is quiet, neither of us saying a word. I’m not sure what’s going through Zander’s head, but mine is buzzing and my heart is thundering. I almost can’t believe I asked him to come with me. It doesn’t seem like he can believe it either. A few times, I catch him stealing glances my way, as if he’s afraid I’ll disappear or suddenly change my mind.
“Thanks for this,” I murmur.
“Oh, uh, yeah! No, thanks for inviting me. I’m excited to meet your mom.”
The corners of my lips twitch into a small smile.
“I’m excited for you to meet her too.”
My heart is still pounding by the time we reach Mom’s house and make our way up the front porch. Even though I’m excited to see her, I’m definitely more worried about her meeting Zander than I was about meeting his family. Given how tense and quiet he is next to me, I gather he’s plenty worried, too.
We approach the front door hand-in-hand. Zander has Gizmo tucked under his other arm, and I’m hoping the presence of her fur-grandbaby will soften Mom a bit and make her go easier on Zander.
“You ready for this?” I ask when we stop in front of the door.
“I… I think so,” he murmurs, then visibly gulps.
Giving him what I hope is a reassuring smile, I reach out and ring the doorbell. Seconds later, it flies open and all I see is Mom’s smiling face.
“Rylee! I’m so happy to see you, sweetheart.” She pulls me into a tight hug, and I’m not sure if she’s noticed Zander yet or not. That question is answered, though, when she pulls back and gazes up at him. “And who’s this handsome giant?”
“Uh, Mom, this is Zander,” I answer, my voice wavering slightly. “He’s my boyfriend.”
Mom blinks up at him for several moments, not saying anything, and I worry that she’s going to go into interrogation mode, but to my surprise, she lets out a gasp of delight.
