Page 51 of Unraveled

I was wearing a loose-fitting T-shirt with a cashmere cardigan to go over the top.

“Thank you. You do, too. Is that honeysuckle?” I could smell the sweetness of it.

“It is.”

“But how?” It wasn’t something you could get in a typical flower shop.

“I went to a florist, and she told me about a place to go get some. As for the cake, don’t worry, it’s sugar free.” He walked into the kitchen to put everything down.

“It is?”

“Yeah. A guy I work with is diabetic, and I asked where he gets desserts. He told me about a bakery in Ballard known for their sugar-free cakes. His favorite is this cheesecake, so I thought we’d try one tonight if that’s okay.”

He had to be the most thoughtful man ever. I got up and walked over to him in the kitchen. “I think this deserves a kiss.”

He grinned. “Russell, look away.”

“Gladly,” my brother quipped from the living room, causing us both to laugh before Kellan took my face between his hands and kissed me thoroughly. The sound of the doorbell made him pull back.

“What’s your safe word?”

A giggle bubbled up. “My what?”

“For your mother. What’s your safe word to use if it gets too much, and I need to insist you go into the other room to lie down.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard a nicer offer.” I thought about it for a second and before coming up with a Game of Thrones reference. “My code words will be ‘Jon Snow.’ If I need to call on him, then winter is coming and I need help.”

Kellan let out a hearty chuckle before turning toward my parents who were coming through the door.

My mother was the first to talk. “Goodness, this place was not easy to find. The GPS didn’t take us the correct way, and of course your father wasn’t listening when I told him to turn left.”

“Hi, Mom,” I greeted, watching as she seemed to remember the reason she was here.

“Hello. Sorry we’re late.”

“You’re not. It’s fine. The dinner should be here in about forty-five more minutes.”

“I wish you would’ve let me cook.”

“The girl getting chemo on Monday gets to choose, Mom, and she chooses The Keg steaks,” Russell said, coming to my rescue.

“And cheesecake,” I added, hoping this wasn’t the beginning of a very long night.

Unfortunately, an hour later when we sat down to dinner, I was wishing for wine. Loads and loads of it. It started innocently enough.

“I like your sweater, dear. Is it new?” my mom inquired.

“No. I got it a couple of years ago.” I wore it tonight because it was loose enough it wouldn’t highlight my chest. Or lack thereof.

“After your surgery, you’ll be able to get back into properly fitting clothes. Unless you’ll go a size bigger with the implants?”

Holy non-dinner conversation, especially with my father and brother at the table. Russ thought the same.

“Mom, can we not talk about this as a family discussion?”

She sighed. “Fine, fine. I thought we could go shopping or something.”

My mother loved to shop, and we used to spend hours together doing it. I likened it more to torture but decided to give her a crumb. “Maybe after it’s all done, we can go shopping.”