She waves off my concern, and I can tell she means it. “We’re thrilled to have you, and you didn’t need to bring flowers.” She leans forward with a big smile and gives them a sniff. “But I’m so glad you did. These are gorgeous. Thank you, Niki.”
“I’m really glad you like them,” I tell her.
“I’m Phil,” her dad says, extending his hand for me to shake. “Nice to meet you, Niki.” He grins and holds up the pasta. “I hope you’re hungry. You’ve timed it perfectly because I made way too much.”
His eyes briefly drop to my neck and hands, but I don’t see any judgment in them. Maybe some mild curiosity, but no harsh, instantaneous judgments. Phil is the exact opposite of all the men I’ve been surrounded by since birth. He’s in a sweater jacket that immediately makes me think of Mr. Rogers. His glasses are definitely more for function than style, and he’s sporting a few extra pounds that don’t look like they’re covering any muscle.
I quickly decide I like him. When he smiles, it’s genuine, and he has the small dimple his daughter has. He may not look like the men I’ve been around, but I can tell they share some core values, the most important of which is an extreme loyalty and love of family. It comes through when he laughs and pullsSavanna in for a big hug and in the way his eyes soften every time he looks at his wife.
I suddenly feel like an outsider, a law-breaking, not-worthy-of-being-here outsider, and when I take a step back, I feel Savanna’s eyes on me. She hugs her parents and then comes to stand next to me, wrapping her arm around my waist and resting her head on my shoulder.
“Surprise,” she tells her parents with a laugh. “We’ve been seeing each other for a couple of weeks now. I wanted to tell you, but then I thought I’d just ambush you.”
Grace’s eyes soften when I lean in and kiss Savanna’s head and rest my hand on her shoulder.
“We’ve been expecting this,” Phil says, grinning at his wife. “She did warn us she’d do this one day.”
“She did,” Grace agrees, and when she starts to carry the food to the table, I kiss Savanna again and then step forward to help.
While we set the table, she asks, “So tell us about yourself, Niki.”
“Not too much to tell. I guess I’m kind of a computer nerd,” I say with a soft laugh. “More of an introvert.”
“How did you meet Sav?” her dad asks.
While we sit down at the small table, Savanna reaches over to grab a bread roll and says, “Dad, he’s Sasha’s cousin. I first met Niki when Cindy and Sasha were dating, and then I saw him again at the wedding and a few other times, but we just recently started dating.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize you were cousins,” Grace says. “Sasha seemed really nice.”
I take a drink of the iced tea in front of me so I don’t laugh. Phil does it for me, though. He laughs and says, “No one’s touching Cindy, that’s for sure.”
“Good,” Grace says while passing me the large bowl of spaghetti. “It’s about time she had someone looking out forher. We did everything we could when she was young, but she deserves a man who will keep her safe, lift her up instead of always putting her down like her stepdad did. Has that bastard shown back up, or is he still MIA somewhere?”
“Mom,” Savanna says with a laugh.
“What?” Grace asks, giving an innocent shrug. “We’re all thinking it.”
I scoop out a large portion of spaghetti for Savanna before filling my own plate, and I don’t miss the smile Grace gives her husband when she sees it. “Don’t worry,” I tell her, “he hasn’t shown back up, and Sasha will never allow anything to happen to her. He was protective before, but with her pregnant, he’s even worse now.”
I wish I could tell them that they never have to worry about her stepdad again because Sasha killed him months ago, but that’s a secret, like so many others, that I’ll carry to the grave.
“So IT, huh?” Phil says, changing the subject.
Before I can answer, Savanna jumps in and says, “Dad, he’s crazy good with computers, like genius level. He even gave me a crash course on them, and you should see me now. My files are organized and clearly labeled, and I even went through and deleted like a thousand screenshots that I just had lying around for whatever reason.”
“Wow,” her dad says, giving me a thumbs up while he finishes chewing. “That’s impressive. Sav’s always had a brilliant mind, but she’s never really gotten along with technology.” He grins and adds, “Takes after her mom.”
Grace snorts out a laugh and playfully smacks his arm. “You’re so full of it.” She turns to me, her blue eyes the exact shade of Savanna’s and full of amusement when she says, “You should’ve seen how long it took me to explain to him how the Roku works.”
Phil looks at me across the table. “There’s no reason for all those damn buttons. None.”
I don’t laugh, but I want to. “You’re right,” I tell him. “They make it needlessly complicated.”
He gives a triumphant grin and points his fork at me. “Finally, I’m not outnumbered around here. You hear that, honey? Niki agrees with me.”
Grace gives me a friendly wink before looking at her husband. “I heard, sweetie, and even with all those confusing buttons, you still managed to figure it out.”
“You’re patronizing me,” he tells her.
