“Come on. I’ll make you breakfast while we see who’s gonna take home this week’s star baker.”
Rafe had never wanted to pat himself on the back harder and with more relief and satisfaction than he did after he introduced Sloan to the rest of his family. Before they left the house, he pulled up their family text stream.
Sloan and I are on our way.
We’ve decided to give a relationship a try.
Direct all audience questions to me.
Thank you.
Then he set his phone to Do Not Disturb and drove himself and Sloan across town to his parents’ house. When they got there, Gracie was bouncing off the walls and couldn’t help but mention to Sloan that she had already suggested that Rafe marry her. She was glad they were at least getting the ball rolling. After Gracie escaped from the headlock Rafe put her in, he took Sloan into the house to introduced her to his dad and Hope.
Immediately Monica put Sloan to work assembling skewers and Joe sent Rafe to help their elderly neighbor Mrs. Davis change a lightbulb in her garage. When he got back from Mrs. Davis’s, both his parents shot him looks that made it clear he had an earingful coming his way, but for the time being, they just let him and Sloan enjoy the block party.
Finally they helped themselves to the first round of burgers and chicken skewers off the grill and then they joined Gracie and Hope on the porch. The neighbor’s son Darius had set up his speakers on the other side of street, blasting 70’s and 80’s R&B classics, which had Monica two-stepping in front of the grill. BBQing with his family and neighbors, hanging out with his sisters, listening to Monica laugh with her friends—they’d been here dozens of times before, but it was different having Sloan with him this time.
Rafe felt different. He sat back, hiding the smile that wanted to plaster itself across his cheeks as he watched Sloan with Gracie and Hope talking her head off. Hope’s cell phone appeared in front of Rafe’s face. He leaned back and looked at a red carpet photo of a beautiful Asian woman and an average-looking White dude.
“You have to follow this site,” Gracie said. “They post all of her outfits. WhatNadiWore.com.”
“I love that dress,” Sloan said with a dramatic sigh.
Rafe took the phone and looked closer before handing it back. “Who are these people?”
“Nadia Chau and her new husband, Prince James. They had, like, the biggest wedding of the decade. Where were you?”
“He was probably asleep,” Hope said. “The wedding came on at four a.m.. You know her, Rafe. She’s onGalaxis.”
“Ah, okay,” Rafe remembered her when Hope dropped the reference. She’d made him binge watch three seasons ofGalaxisfor a short story she was writing for her friends. On the show, Nadia wore a ton of make-up to make her look like an alien. He remembered the weekend they got married too. The female members of the Baker family were all about it, but he’d had that Saturday off and gone for a ride up the coast with the boys. Clearly he’d made a mistake and missed out on the wedding to end all weddings.
“I woke up to watch it,” Sloan said with a chuckle. “Totally worth it.”
Rafe took the phone back and looked at the photograph a little harder. “Oh okay. She looks different in this picture. Couldn’t pick him out of a line up.”
“I can’t imagine marrying a prince,” Gracie said.
“That’s a hard no for me,” Hope agreed. “I don’t like having my picture taken like that.”
“Yeah, you do!” Gracie leaned over and snapped a selfie of them both. Rafe looked up as their father came out of the house, his keys jingling in his hand. He tapped Rafe on the shoulder, then pointed to his pick-up truck parked at the curb.
“I’m gonna run and get some more ice. Come on.”
Rafe stood and turned to Sloan. “The store is just around the corner. Will you be okay?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I’ve missed at least the last four months worth of Nadia’s outfits. That should keep me busy.”
“Dad, can you get me some Skittles?” Gracie asked.
“Oh yeah. Double the Skittles?” Hope added.
“Double the Skittles. Let’s go.”
The whole way to the store, his dad told him about the issues he was having with some of the guys on his crew at the airport. Aircraft maintenance was no joke. When they pulled into the parking lot, his dad put his truck in park and things took a fucking turn.
“So, she’s the one?” Joe said, all casual like.
“Whoa! What the hell? It’s been, like, an hour,” Rafe replied. Yeah, he was falling pretty hard for Sloan, but that was his business and he didn’t need his dad calling him out like that.
