She almost looks embarrassed when she says, “The fireworks are the point, the love between Elizabeth and Darcy, and the attraction that they can’t deny.”
I cup her face and pull her closer. “I want to hear more about this later, Van, but right now I need to meet your parents, and I can’t do it with a hard-on.”
She laughs and shakes her head. “No, we definitely don’t want that. God, that would be so awkward.”
“You have no idea. I think I’d just grab you and walk right back out of the house. I could never face them again, which would make things very difficult for you.”
“Oh yeah?” she teases. “How so?”
“Well, for starters, I’m sure they’d hate to have to watch their daughter’s wedding over Skype.”
When her mouth drops open, I take the opportunity to run my tongue along hers in a quick swipe that makes her suck in a breath. The soft whimper she gives reminds me that we can’t do this right now. If she starts making sexy noises, I’m done for.
“Let’s go, Van. Time to introduce me to my future in-laws.” The smile she tries to hide lights up her whole face, and it’s one I’ll never forget. I get out and open the car door for her. “Come on, beautiful.”
She takes the hand I offer her, grabbing the large bouquet of flowers I picked up for her mom on the way over. Savanna said daisies were her favorite, so that’s what I went with. The florist arranged them in a yellow vase, and when Savanna had seen it, she’d clapped her hands and insisted her mom would love it. I don’t want it to seem like I’m trying to bribe her, but if it earns me brownie points, I’m not going to turn them away. I think I’m going to need all the help I can get.
“So this is the house you grew up in?” I ask, even though I already know it is. It’s an excuse to hear her voice, though, and as we walk up the drive to the modest brick house, it’s easy topicture a young Savanna playing in the yard and climbing the large tree in the front. The neighbors are spaced out enough to give the illusion of privacy, and the house is in a cul-de-sac, so the perfect place to ride a bike.
“Cindy and I used an old tire my dad had and tried to make a swing.” She points at the large tree I’d just imagined her climbing while she laughs at the memory. “We nearly broke our necks. My dad was furious when he found out we’d tried to do it without his help.”
“Was he able to put it up for you?” I ask.
“Yeah, we loved that thing. The limb fell off last year during a storm. I nearly cried when it happened. We’d still swing on it every time we came here for a visit.”
“I’m sorry it broke, but I’m glad you had such a great childhood,” I tell her when we reach the front door.
“I did. I’m very lucky.” She looks over at me and raises her hand to reach for the doorknob with an exaggerated slowness that makes me grin. “You ready?”
“No,” I quickly say, and then tug on the neckline of my hoodie, wishing I’d worn a turtleneck to cover my tattoos. I look down at my inked hands. And gloves.
Her whole face softens when she sees how nervous I am. Her hand stops hovering over the knob and instead cups my face, pulling me closer.
“You look very sexy when you’re nervous,” she murmurs against my lips.
“You always look sexy,” I tell her.
“I’m really glad you think so, but you’ll learn the truth of things this weekend. I look hideous when I first wake up.”
I raise a brow and grin. “Oh yeah? Like scary hideous or just kind of hideous? Should I close my eyes until you’ve left the room so the image doesn’t affect our relationship?”
She tries her best to look serious and nods. “Yes. It’s an erection killer. Just you wait and see.”
I laugh at the ludicrous idea that she could ever make me soft. “I’m looking forward to proving you wrong on that one.”
She looks very amused when she says, “Challenge accepted.”
I kiss her once more for courage, and then watch as she opens the door and steps into her childhood home. There are some homes that you walk into that immediately feel cozy, not perfect, not filled with the most expensive things, but welcoming and comfortable, and as soon as you step into them, you feel relaxed. Grace and Phil’s house is like that. My nerves start to dissolve when the delicious scents hit us. We hear laughter coming from further inside the house, and when I follow Savanna down the hall, I make her stop so I can take a few seconds to watch her slowly age from the very first kindergarten photo to the senior year one at the very end.
She goes from an adorably cute little girl, nothing but big blue eyes and a dimpled cheek, to the awkward early teenage years of braces and questionable haircut choices, and then finally to the stunning woman before me. I want to go back and study each picture in detail, but we’re close enough to hear her parents’ voices, and I know we can’t delay this any longer.
Savanna reaches back to grab onto my finger, squeezing it to let me know she’s right here with me, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I love this woman and that I’ll be spending the rest of my life with her. With that knowledge firmly in place, I let her lead me into the brightly lit kitchen. Her parents are standing at the island. Her mom is in the process of adding chopped carrots to a large salad bowl, and her dad is holding a colander filled to the brim with pasta. Both of them stop what they’re doing when Savanna and I walk in.
To their credit, neither one of them drops the food they’re holding, and they do a pretty good job of hiding their shockedlooks. It’s Grace who finds her voice first. She lets out a friendly but surprised laugh and drops the salad tongs she’d been holding so she can reach her hand out to me.
“Well, hello,” she says. “I’m Grace, Sav’s mom.”
I shake her hand and return her smile. “It’s very nice to meet you. I’m Nikita, but everyone calls me Niki.” I shoot a quick look to Savanna, and she smiles, not looking even remotely guilty about her plan as she sets the large bouquet on the counter. “I had no idea you didn’t know I was coming until very recently. I’m so sorry for just barging in here. Sav told me you like daisies,” I say, using the nickname everyone uses for her because I feel the need to protect my own special name for her right now.
