“Uh, that’s probably not the best plan.”
“Why?” He tilts his head to the side as if I’m a puzzle he’s trying to solve.
“I’m living with my parents.”
“And?”
“And, are you sure we’re there? I mean, this is all happening fast, Eli. You don’t want to burn that bridge. It’s bad enough that you’ve already told Cameron before we even really talked about this”—I wave my hand between us—“and what we are.”
“Well, we’ve talked, and we’re on the same page. I’m not hiding this from anyone. I fought it, Marley. I told myself that you were off-limits. First, because you’re Cam’s little sister, and then as my employee. I’m tired of pretending that I don’t want you. I refuse to hide us. You’re not a dirty little secret. We can be professional at the office, and I’ll try to control my hands and my mouth when we’re around your parents and brother, but, babe, this is us. It’s the real deal. Fast or not, we’ve known each other for years. I’m not a stranger to you or to them.”
“You feel like a stranger.”
“Explain that.” His brow is furrowed as he tries to work out what my words mean.
“I’m still trying to reconcile the man from the last twenty-four hours with the man who used to call me Bob and constantly tease me.”
Instantly his face is shadowed with regret. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am for that. For all of it. It’s the only way I knew how to keep myself away from you. To keep you away from me. The moment I came back to town, it’s been different. No matter how hard I tried to keep you tucked away on the off-limits box, it just never happened. I couldn’t ignore the way your smile lights up your eyes or the way your laugh seems to find a way to reach into my chest and wrap around my heart. I’m not strong enough to fight it anymore, and I don’t want to. I want this. I want us. I don’t know what that means, or what it’s going to look like six weeks or even six months from now.” He pauses. I watch as his throat bobs as he swallows hard.
“I know what I want it to look like. I know that… you’re all that I can think about. You’re the only woman that I see.”
Running my fingers through his hair, I give myself some time to process his words. “I hear you. You’re not alone in what you’re feeling. Just be patient with me as I try to process this in my head. It’s a big adjustment. You’ve told my brother that you want to be with me, and now you want to tell my parents too.”
“Because this is real for me, Marley. Look, I know that you have no reason to trust me after the way I’ve treated you over the years. Just give me a chance to prove to you that this is what I want. That us, you and me, are a for-sure thing.”
I nod. “I can do that.”
“And we’re not hiding. So, give me ten minutes, and we’ll get you home so you can shower and change. While we’re there, you should maybe pack a bag for the rest of the weekend. Maybe even toss in something to wear to work on Monday.” He winks.
“I’m not moving in with you.” I’m sure my eyes are bugging out of my head right now.
“Not yet.” He smacks a kiss to my lips and rolls out of bed, leaving me to watch as he disappears into the bathroom with my jaw hanging open.
On the way to my parents’, I texted my mom to give her a heads-up. I didn’t tell them where I was staying last night, just that I wasn’t coming home. However, I wanted to make sure I gave her and Dad some time to process where I was. I’m an adult and lived on my own for four years of college, but I’m still their daughter, their little girl, and Eli is like a second son to them. I have no idea how this is going to play out.
“You sure about this?” I ask him. We’re almost at my parents’ place. I can tell Mom I was just messing with her. She’ll buy it. She knows, hell, everyone knows that there has been no love lost between Eli and me over the years. What they don’t know is that it was his coping mechanism. Well, that’s what’s going to come as a shock to them. Now that I think about it, Cameron took this all too well. I’m going to have to talk to him about that. Did he know?
Eli pulls our entwined hands to his lips and places a feather-soft kiss on my knuckles. “I’m sure, Marley. I know it’s going to take some time for all of this to sink in and for you to believe me. I get that. I’m here for that.” He slows his car and pulls into my parents’ driveway. “Ready?” he asks.
Pulling in a slow deep breath, I exhale and turn to face him. “Yeah. I’m ready.”
“Stay put. I’ll get your door.”
“I can open doors on my own.”
“Yeah, well, I can also do it for you. Stay put.”
My eyes follow him as he rushes around the front of his car and reaches for my door. “Didn’t know you had it in you, Morrison,” I tease.
He nods. “I know. I’m going to change that.”
I was trying to tease him, lighten the mood before we enter my parents’ house and drop the bomb on them that we’re… together, and he didn’t take the bait. “Hey.” I reach for his hand, pulling him to a stop. “I wasn’t trying to be mean. I was teasing you.”
“I know you were, but I also know that the teasing is also an insecurity of yours. I’m going to work on changing that. Now, let’s get in there before your parents think we’re having our first fight in their driveway.”
“Are we fighting?”
“No, but I’m not against pretending that we are so we can skip this cruise and get right to the make-up sex.”
“We don’t have to go—” I start, but his lips pressing to the corner of my mouth stop me.
“It’s going to be fun. Besides, we’ll hang out today, and tonight I get you all to myself. That is all the motivation I need to get your fine ass in that house, showered, changed, and on the boat. That just means that I get to take you home soon. To my bed.”
“No turning back,” I say, placing my hand on the door handle.
“We only move forward from here,” he assures me, placing his hand on the small of my back.
“Mom, Dad, I’m home,” I call out. Might as well just rip the Band-Aid off. Besides, I told Mom that Eli was coming with me.
“In the living room,” Dad calls back.
I glance over at Eli, and he nods. All right then, we’re really doing this. With each step we take toward the living room, the heat from his hand on my back intensifies, as does the beat of my heart. “Hey,” I say, my voice rough. “I’m going to take a quick shower, and then we’re going to take a boat cruise with Cam and Carla.”
“Oh, we met her. She seems like a sweet girl. I hope your brother holds onto this one,” Mom tells us.
“It’s about time he settles down,” Dad adds. “We aren’t getting any younger, and we need grandkids while we can still enjoy them.”
“Dad, it’s a lunch date. I don’t think they’re talking kids just yet.” I laugh.
“Well, he’s never going to get there until he settles down. You too.” He points at Eli, and my eyes widen.