“Not enough,” Griffith huffed. “You didn’t say this place is a mansion.”
He was right. When I was a kid, I always thought it looked like a giant cake. “Oh, well, they only live in one wing of it. The servants have quarters out back. I can’t wait to show you my old childhood room. And after dinner, I’ll show you my home down the street.”
“Only one wing?” Kyle looked at me like I was joking.
I shrugged. “I guess that sounded a bit privileged, huh?”
He shrugged back at me. “You never told us you had servants growing up.”
“Ugh. Sorry. Trained omission on my part. People react weird if I say it.”
I parked right by the front columns of the vast porch. Immediately, one of the butlers came out to greet us and take my car to park it in the garage. There were always guest spots available in the garage, though most of it was taken up by Father’s cars. It was like a hangar and specifically built for his hoard.
When we walked in the front door, I was immediately assailed by wonderful cooking smells. Father loved to cook, especially meat on the grill. He wasn’t great at other foods, but he had cooks for that.
Just as I had that thought, he appeared at the end of the large greeting hall, Dad at his side looking elegant in glittery earrings and a long gown.
“Falkan!” Father rushed forward and enveloped me in a big hug. He smelled like comfort in his casual suit.
Dad followed, putting his arms around both of us from the side, his fragrance expensive and soothing. They both took my face in their hands and kissed my cheeks.
I pushed them away, slightly embarrassed. They were always so enthusiastic, and I loved it, but sometimes, it could be embarrassing in front of strangers. Or friends.
I turned to introduce Griffith and Kyle. “I want you to meet the two best men ever. I’m lucky to have them in my life.”
Dad stepped forward. He took Kyle’s hand. “You must be Kyle. I’ve heard such good things about you. I’m Paolo.” He looked up at Griffith, holding out his free hand which Griffith took. “You, too. Griffith, right?”
Griffith nodded.
Kyle said in a soft voice, “Nice to meet you.”
Griffith spoke next. “Thank you for having us here.”
“Of course. We couldn’t wait to meet you,” Dad said.
Father approached and warmly shook each of my mate’s hands. “Hello. I’m Danton. I’m so pleased you have arrived. Was the drive smooth?”
“Yes. Falkan’s a good driver,” Griffith said.
Dad nodded. “Agreed. He seemed to take to driving better than flying.”
I spoke up. “I love to fly. Just not in planes.”
Everyone laughed except me. I didn’t find it funny that I might trust my own wings to manufactured ones.
After the greeting, Father led us to the massive dining room. “I don’t want you to feel rushed, but I grilled steaks and chicken, and it’s nice and hot. Are you hungry?”
“Yes,” we all said in unison.
“Good. We have all the sides: mashed potatoes, gravy, broccoli, salad, fresh-baked rolls, an array of desserts. We mean to have you stuffed full in this house.”
Over dinner, my parents made me proud. They asked all the right questions and showed genuine interest in my mates. They kept saying how happy they were for us.
They were everything I could have ever hoped for in parents, unlike the last two parent meetings we’d had.
Father gestured across the table at me. “Son, you’ve been saying your beast has been restless. Now you know why. He wanted you to go out on this trip so you could meet them.”
“Plus,” Dad added, “you listened to your instincts and took the scenic route through San Diego.”
