“My momlovestheir profiteroles,” I reveal, “so I like having them on hand when she visits.”
As far as caveats go, that wasn’t my smoothest, but I haven’t found the nerve to outright tell Maya that my entire family will be here later this week, let alone broken the news that they’re desperate to meet her. It took what felt like a lifetime to convince her to go on a date, so God knows how she’ll react to this.
“That’s sweet of you,” she says, her expression serene. “She’s visiting soon, I assume?”
“Yeah, my whole family’s coming to town.”Christ, when was the last time my palms were this sweaty?“Will you come to dinner with us on Friday?”
So much for easing into it.
Maya’s eyebrows hit her hairline. “What?”
“Dinner. Friday. You. Me. And?—”
“Your entire family,” she finishes, hands clasped tightly in her lap. “Yeah, I got that. Are you sure? We only just started dating. I don’t want to intrude. I’ve never done the whole ‘meet the family’ thing, so I can’t promise that I won’t completely fuck it up.”
All I hear is that I get to experience another one of her firsts. “I’m positive. I want to be with you on my birthday.”
Her eyes go wide. “Your birthday?”
“Yep,” I confirm. “I turn thirty on Friday.”
“Why didn’t I know your birthday was coming up?” Maya squeaks out, her tone laced with panic.
She seems more concerned with this than meeting my family, which I suppose is a win.
I laugh. “Because you didn’t stalk me on Wikipedia.”
She smacks my arm, but there’s no heat behind it. “This isn’t funny. I don’t have a gift for you.”
“You don’t need to get me anything.”
“Of course I do.” She rolls her eyes. “Aren’t we supposed to get wiser, not dumber, as we age?”
“Harsh.” I clamp my lips together to hide my grin. “You know, I’m fine with just a blow?—”
“Donotfinish that sentence, Nicholas Berrett,” she says with an adorably grumpy pout.
“So you’ll come to dinner? It’ll be low key, I swear. And I made my mom promise not to bring up babies or marriage.”
It’s a miracle Maya doesn’t unlock my car and tuck and roll her way right into the intersection. Her eyes, however, do widen, making her look like a deer in headlights.
Internally grimacing, I tell her I’m kidding. Although I most definitely am not. I did confirm with my mother that she had to be on her best behavior, which specifically involves no talk of new grandchildren or weddings.
Maya glances at me from the corner of her eye. “Only because it’s your birthday.”
Maya thrusts a neatly wrapped box into my hands. “I hope you like it, considering I only had a few days to choose.”
“You’re really harping on that, aren’t you?” I rip into the gift like I’m three instead of thirty, and as I take in the thin, long box that houses a brand-new e-reader, a smile overtakes my features.
“I preloaded it with books I think you’d like.” Maya motions to the box. “But if you don’t think you’ll use it or want something else, I swear I won’t be offended. I got a gift receipt so?—”
I shut her up with a lingering kiss. “I love it. Thank you.”
She pulls away and blinks up at me. “Actually? Or are you just placating me?”
“It’s perfect,” I reassure her. “Now my teammates won’t see the cover of my next read and give me shit. I saw onPagePulsethat there are a ton of books in theAlien Lovers of Planet Dexxarseries.”
Maya groans into my chest. “Now I’m envisioning you as a sexy librarian. I totally get the hype now.”
