“Wait…what?”
“I…umm…” Griffin looks like cornered prey.
“Well, we should let you go,” my mom says, trying to give the poor guy an exit from the insanity.
“Where are you guys going?” Jude asks like an overprotective dad. I frown at him.
“To a sex club,” I snark.
“What? No,” Griffin breaks in.
“Well, if you don’t have set plans,” my dad says, and I hold my breath, “why don’t you both join us for dinner?”
His words are so slurred. He tried to say them slowly, but I’m worried Griffin won’t understand because he’s not used to it. I open my mouth to repeat his offer, but to my surprise and relief, Griffin doesn’t need a translator. “I’d love to join you all…if you’re sure it’s okay.”
“It’s more than okay,” Winnie replies, grinning brightly, and I reach out and shove her.
An hour later I’ve barely touched my steak sandwich and I want another Perrier, but the waitress is ignoring me, just like everyone else. No one can take their eyes off Griffin. I’m so stressed out about it, my stomach is in knots. My anxiety isn’t over how weird this is or how badly it’s going—it’s over the fact that it isn’t weird and it’s not going badly at all. My whole family loves him. And Griffin fits. I don’t know how else to explain it. He just fits. The teasing, the jokes, the way we all talk at each other like we’re re-enacting an episode of theGilmore Girls, none of it seems to faze him. In fact, he somehow gets more charming and funny, like his personality feeds off this bunch of lunatics. I’m in awe. Blissful awe.
“So growing up in Minnesota sounds cold,” Winnie tells Griffin.
“Says the Canadian,” Griffin replies with a chuckle.
“Touché,” Winnie says, smiling at him and then at me. And I can’t help but smile back, because I love that he’s already comfortable enough to joke around with her.
“Sadie mentioned you have a daughter,” my dad says, slowly but clearly.
“Charlie. She’s six and nothing short of amazing.” I love the way he looks when he talks about his daughter. It’s equal parts sweet and sexy and makes my heart swell and my ovaries tingle.
“Daughters are the best,” my mom says with a wistful smile.
“Umm…excuse me.” Jude clears his throat. “I’m right here.”
Everyone laughs.
“You actually have a lot in common with my daughter,” Griffin says, turning his gaze to Jude, who is sitting across from him. “She stuffed a raisin up her nose the other day. It’s not exactly Lego, but—”
Dixie lets out a whoop that has other customers looking over at us. She turns her eyes to me as Jude groans and my parents laugh. “You told him about the Lego! That’s awesome!”
“Not awesome!” Jude grumbles and glances up at Griffin. “You look well adjusted and happy. I assume you don’t have sisters.”
Griffin laughs. “One brother.”
“Is he in Minnesota?” Winnie asks.
“He’s here in San Francisco,” Griffin says. I love the proud smile that overtakes his face as he talks about his sibling. “He moved here after law school because his wife’s from the area. It’s been great having him nearby, and Charlie adores him.”
“See?” Mom says, looking over at my sisters and me. “Some people actually like their brothers.”
The table erupts in laughter again. I glance over at my dad, and he gives me a wink. It’s a wink of approval, and it makes me grin. Ten minutes later, when we’re back in the parking lot and Mom is wheeling Dad back to his room, and my sisters and Zoey are still fawning all over Griffin, Jude pulls me aside. I face him and want to cross my arms, but it would ruin the bouquet of unicorn roses in my hand, so I settle on a scowl instead. I’m hoping it says “back off,” but I know even if it does, he won’t.
“Don’t get all bitchy about sharing the Lego incident with him,” I warn him before he can speak. “He was feeling like a bad dad, and I wanted to make him feel better.”
“I don’t care about the Lego. I want to know when the hell were you going to tell me you’re dating my coach?” he demands, not angry but definitely annoyed.
“Eli’s coach,” I correct. “And it was one date.”
“That ended with your clothes on inside out and backward,” Jude reminds me. When I flip him my middle finger, directly in front of his pretty-boy face, he relents. “Not that there is anything wrong with that. You know me, I’m all about removing clothes on a first date. But clearly there’s more to it than instant gratification if he’s here again. With roses.”
