“You can thank them when you come visit in November.”My mom looks at me.“They’re upset they missed the ceremony.”
“We’ve been over this, Mom.I don’t want a big wedding.”
I’ve put it on myself so they wouldn’t think poorly of Hadley about why we’d choose to get married without my entire huge-ass family there.
“What does Hadley want?”My mom turns back to Hadley.“It would just be a party, not a vow renewal or anything like that.We just want to celebrate you.But you say no, and that’s it—not another word from us.”
“Holly,” my dad sighs.
My parents would never put someone in a place they don’t want to be, but I also know it hurt my mom that she wasn’t here.
“I’ll think about it,” Hadley says.
I hate that she’s in this position.
“How about we go upstairs?”I ask to get us out of this room.“Tanner probably needs a nap.”
“Perfect.”My mom hops up.“Do you mind if I carry him up?”
“Where do you guys usually stay?”Hadley asks, probably assuming a hotel.She’s about to get another surprise.
“Just in the spare room.Is it still okay?”my mom asks.“It’s taken me so long to get here, I want to be with Tanner every minute I can.”
Hadley blinks a few times and plasters on a smile.All I had to do was have a dinner with her family, and here she has to sleep under the same roof as my parents.
“Tanner is in my room.”I stand and push in my chair.
“Our room,” my mom corrects me.She rolls her eyes at Hadley.“He’ll get there.
After I moved into Austin’s family home, it took him forever to use the wordour.”
She takes Tanner out of the high chair.Hadley pulls off the placemat and grabs the diaper bag.
We all leave Peeper’s, Ruby giving my mom, dad, Hadley, and Tanner a wave and a nice goodbye while she completely ignores me.
Once we’re outside, I debate going upstairs with my parents or going out.
“We were going to go to the food truck festival.Tanner will probably fall asleep on the way.You guys want to join us?”If we’re going to sell this, we can’t be holed up in my condo.We need to be out in public, where my parents are distracted.
“Sure.”
Before we reach it, the security gate opens, and all of our friends file out.Decker, Penelope, and Hazel first, then Callie, Foster, and Ellis.They see my parents, and each give them a hug, telling them how good it is to see them again.
Perfect.Reinforcements who can help us navigate this.
“You guys want to go to the food truck festival?”Hadley asks.
We must be on the same page.More people means more distractions away from us.
Callie and Penelope glance at one another.“Sure,” they say at the same time.
“Babe, I thought—” Foster says.
“Ellis would love something sweet.”Callie loops her arm through Foster’s.
“Okay, we’ll put our stuff upstairs quickly and then be ready to go.”My dad looks at me.
I leave the stroller with Hadley, helping him take the gifts and their suitcases past the security gate.
