17
Tucker
Ruth is nervous. It’s there in the stiff set of her spine and the way she’s about to chew off her poor lower lip as we make our way in through the back door of my parents’ house, Birdie squirming in her arms.
I was hoping meeting most of my family beforehand would make tonight a little less stressful. And maybe it has. I would hate to see what she’d have been like if we’d gone into this cold turkey. I’d probably have to carry her out and then Trevor would have had a whole heart attack over it.
I gotta admit, I don’t hate the idea.
“I think I’m going to throw up.” Ruth's grip on my hand is tight as we walk down the hall. “Where’s the closest bathroom?”
“You’re not going to throw up. You’re going to be amazing.” Reassuring her is easy, because I believe it with the entirety of my being. Ruth is awesome, and there is not a doubt in my mind my mother is going to love her. Who wouldn’t?
I’m still gonna show her where the bathroom is. Just to put her mind at ease.
We take a quick detour, turning down the hallleading to the nearest location she can escape to if the need does arise. It’s also probably the place she’ll be most comfortable taking Birdie if her toddler decides to destroy a diaper.
I don’t foresee that happening though. In the two days that she’s been staying with me, the only time Birdie seems to take a shit is when she can get inside my room. At this point, I’m starting to get a little concerned the smell is going to become a permanent fixture. Even the scented candles and odor eliminating spray I bought don’t always take the edge off the noxious fumes. I never would have guessed something so cute could smell so bad.
Flipping on the bathroom light, I lead Ruth inside, closing the door as she sets Birdie onto the floor. I give her a minute to pull in some deep breaths before asking, “Ready?”
Ruth shakes her head. “Absolutely not.” She gives me a weak smile. “But I’m going to do it anyway.”
“That’s good to hear, because we’ve come a little too far to back out now.” I start to laugh thinking about what would unfold if we ducked out. “And my mom will absolutely lose her shit if she doesn’t get to meet Birdie tonight, because I’m sure she’s already heard all about her.”
It’s actually a little strange my mother hasn’t shown up on my doorstep, hoping to get her hands on Ruth’s daughter. Maybe she’s been busy. Distracted with the twins and simply didn’t have enough time to make it to my square of the property.
Or, maybe she’s already figured out I’m full of shit and decided not to get attached because she’s planning on calling my bluff tonight. Asking me outright what’s really going on with me and Ruth. If she does, I’m going to have to figure out how to become one hell of a good liar, because I won’t have Ruth feeling like she’s screwed this up.
“We need to get out there.” Ruth smooths down the waves she curled into her dark hair just for tonight. “I’m pretty suresomeone heard us come in, and they’re going to start wondering why we’ve been in the bathroom for so long.”
“Only because Birdie’s in here with us.” I smirk, thinking about the night Titus and Mariah were in this very same room. “If it was just you and me, they’d have a pretty good idea why we’ve been in the bathroom for so long.”
A look of horror crosses Ruth’s face. “Ew. No.” She shakes her head aggressively. “No way would I even pretend we would do that in your parents' bathroom during family dinner.” Her chin tucks, eyes widening as she looks me up and down. “Please tell me that’s not something you would ever do either.”
Any hope I have that I’ve become better at lying flies right out the window when Ruth’s mouth drops open at the look on my face.
“Gross.” She wrinkles her nose. “I hope your mother grounded you.”
“My mother stopped grounding me when I moved out.” I don’t realize how wrong that answer is until Ruth gasps.
“You did it asan adult?”
“It wasn’t at family dinner night. It was during a very large party with lots of noise. No one even noticed I was gone.”
I don’t normally feel inclined to defend the social life I’ve chosen. What goes on between two consenting adults is no one else’s business. But I don’t like the way Ruth is looking at me right now. Like I’m an asshole. Like learning this information is changing what she thinks of me.
And I don’t have the opportunity to do any more damage control, because a heavy hand bangs on the door.
“You know Mom saw you come in, right?” Walker’s voice carries through the wood between us. “If you want her to believe this bullshit you’ve got going on, you better get your asses out here real fucking quick or she’s going to start questioning things before you even get started.”
Ruth pales. “Who is that?” Her voice is barely a whisper. “And why does he think this is bullshit?”
“Because it is.” Walker answers her. “But I’m not going to rat you out, because I’m pretty sure this is all gonna work out in my favor.”
His steps are heavy as he walks away, leaving me with a very freaked out woman pacing from one end of the bathroom to the other.
There may be almost a decade between us, but Walker and I have always gotten along well. Now it seems like I might have to kick his ass for upsetting Ruth. I don’twantto, but it has to be done.
