I turn to my mom. “Mom, you wanna say hi to Briar’s mom?”
“Oh, I’d love to.”
I walk over with her.
“Hey, you should ask her about her garden,” I say, remembering that Briar’s mom is a serious gardener. “She could probably give you some good tips on how to get your tulips to bloom next season.”
“Oh, that’s a great idea.”
Rachel’s serious expression fades when she sees my mom. They greet each other with smiles and hugs, and immediately start talking about their gardening projects for next summer.
Briar steps away, letting the two of them talk. She turns to me. “Thanks for that.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Honestly? Really tense. I can tell the only thing my mom wants to do is tell me off. She asked me about my classes, which I thought was a good sign, but then she started asking if I would have to graduate late because of the transfer, which annoyed me.” She sighs. “But then you and your mom came over and distracted her. You saved the day.”
She aims a small smile up at me.
“Anything for you, babe.”
Her eyes light up. I’ve only called her babe when we’re fooling around…but I think she likes it when I call her that outside of the bedroom.
Maybe I shouldn’t. It feels like something a boyfriend would do. And I’m not her boyfriend.
But she likes it. So as long as she likes it, I’ll do it.
“Okay, everyone! Brunch is served!” Nick announces from the dining room. He gestures to the dining room table, which is covered in all the food we spent the morning cooking and preparing. “Parents, you eat first.”
All the parents head over to the table. Leo grabs a plate for his mom and hands it to her.
When he walks off, I stop him.
“Is your dad not coming?” I ask.
“Guess not. My mom said he got roped into doing an interview for some sports podcast.” His tone is on the edge of hard.
I frown. That seems like a shitty reason to miss spending time with his son. His parents live in Breckenridge, which is less than two hours away from Denver. If he was dead-set on doing the interview, he could have arranged to do it before or after coming to see Leo.
“Sorry, that sucks,” I say.
Leo shakes his head. “It’s better this way. I’m not in the mood to see him anyway.”
He walks off right as Nick stands in the middle of the room.
“After we eat, we’re having a parents vs. kids beer pong tournament,” he says. Everyone laughs.
“I don’t like beer,” my mom says. “Can I do wine instead?”
I shake my head and smile. “Absolutely.”
* * *
An hour later, my mom is kicking my ass in beer pong.
She sinks another shot and pumps a fist. “Yes!”
I roll my eyes, grinning as I drink my glass of beer. Leo and Travis are playing beer pong with their moms on the other side of the dining room. Nick’s parents and Poppy’s parents are grazing on the snacks and drinks while playing a card game in the living room.
