“These are my parents, Jim and Dora,” Dylan said.
His mom looked a lot like a mix between Dylan and Isabelle. I imagined Dylan would look just like his dad in a few decades. He was as tall as Dylan, with the same dark blond hair.
They both regarded me with surprise. I felt my face heat up. This was as big a deal to them as it was to me.
"Mom, Dad, this is Mel, my trainer, and the girl I told you about."
His mom smiled widely. “You were the one who convinced Dylan to adopt a puppy.”
"Temporarily," Dylan clarified.
I laughed. To my surprise, his dad gave me a half hug and a kiss on the cheek, and his mom did the same, catching me completely off guard. I didn't remember how a mother’s touch felt. My mom had left when I was so young that I had no memory of her at all.
I blinked rapidly, clearing my vision before pulling back. Dylan was looking at me intently.
"I'm glad to meet you," I said. "I’m a bit overwhelmed, to be honest."
“I don’t blame you. Call me Dora,” his mom said. “This is such a lovely surprise. We didn’t know you were coming.”
“It was spontaneous,” I replied.
Isabelle called Dylan’s name just then, and we all looked in her direction.
“I’m going to see what Isabelle needs. You okay?” he asked, putting a hand at the small of my back.
I nodded because my nerves had indeed subsided a bit. Once Dylan was out of earshot, I focused on his parents.
“How was your flight?” I asked.
“Oh, lovely,” Dora said. “I slept the whole way. Jim watched movies.”
Dylan’s dad nodded, looking around. “I can’t believe this place is so big.”
I grinned. “I’m thinking the same. It’s so beautiful. You’re staying here?”
“No, we’re staying with Josie and Hunter,” Dora replied. “I don’t want to miss any time with Sophie. Especially since Josie is with clients all the time.”
“All your children are very successful and hardworking,” I said.
“Yes they are, and we’re very proud of them,” Jim replied. His eyes sparkled. “Though I think Ian and Dylan are stretching themselves a bit thin,” he continued.
“Because of project Z?” I asked.
Dora looked at me in surprise. “Yes. It’s a big undertaking.”
“I think what they’re doing is incredible,” I said.
“It is,” Dora replied. “They’ve always been so observant, especially Dylan since he’s older. I think those rough winters we had impacted him more than the rest. One year he came to us and said he didn’t want anything for Christmas because Ian and Isabelle wanted new toys, and we couldn’t afford them.”
Oh wow. I brought a hand to my chest, looking around instinctively. Dylan was still with Isabelle, near a table that wasn’t there a few minutes ago. It was full of food.
He caught my eye and winked at me. I winked right back before focusing on his parents again.
Dylan joined us a few minutes later.
“The food is ready,” he announced.
“Great. I’m starving,” Jim said.
Dora smiled warmly at her husband. “So am I. Let’s see what they’ve got.”
They immediately headed to the table.
Dylan trained his eyes on me. “You’re not nervous anymore.”
“I like your parents. They’re great.”
“They are. I’m sorry if they made you uncomfortable in the beginning. They’re big on hugging.”
Oh, so that hadn’t gone unnoticed. I looked up at the majestic crown of the maple tree, trying to think of how best to explain it. He grew up in a big and loving family, so this would sound weird to him.
“I wasn’t uncomfortable. It’s just not something I’m used to. Dad is not a touchy-feely person, and I don’t remember Mom at all. I’m not used to hugging.”
I lowered my gaze to him, startling at the intensity in his eyes. He stepped closer, splaying his hand on my shoulder and neck.
“Well, brace yourself, because my family is not one to hold back.”
I laughed, wiggling my hips a bit. “Yeah, I got that.”
“Want to go check out the food?”
“Hell yes. That croissant was great but not nearly enough.”
He tapped his temple. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“You will?”
“I can’t do a half-assed job at spoiling you, can I?”
I let out an exaggerated sigh. “I’m swooning just because you’re thinking about this.”
I was swooning more than he could know. And after what his mom had shared with me, I’d made up my mind about the phone.
He was a generous person, and I’d been difficult in the car. I realized my response was a gut reaction based on a previous situation and that was like comparing apples to oranges. Not fair to Dylan at all.
“Thanks again for the phone. I really do appreciate it—it was so thoughtful and unexpected, and... well, thank you.”
“Decided to keep it as a present?”
I nodded. “I did.”
“Good.” He kissed my forehead before linking an arm with mine. We went together to the buffet. His parents weren’t there anymore, but Ian and Isabelle were inspecting the dishes.
I immediately grabbed a steak, along with grilled tomatoes with cheese on top.
While we filled the plates, Isabelle asked Ian and Dylan, "How's the business going, by the way? Mom keeps saying she thinks you’re stretched too thin on this project."
"She’s not wrong," Ian said. "I think we're going to be a bit more needed in D.C. to finalize it all than we had foreseen."
"I think I might have to go there soon and check out a situation," Dylan added.
I felt a knot form in my stomach. Would things cool off between us while he was gone? I wasn't even sure when he had to go or how long he had to stay, but I couldn't help wondering what was going to happen with us.
As I put a grilled onion on my plate, I noticed Isabelle watching me closely. After we all put food on our plate, Dylan's dad pulled him and Ian to one side.
Once alone, Isabelle asked, "What's wrong?"
I shook my head. "Nothing."
"You can tell me anything. You know that, right? And I will keep it a secret."
"I'm not sure what's happening between your brother and me. I mean, I do know. I'm just not sure if it’s going somewhere," I blurted and pressed my lips together before I gave her even more details. Even though she said she'd keep a secret, she was Dylan's sister. I didn't want to put her in a position where she had to keep a secret from him.
Isabelle smiled at me. "If I know anything about my brother, you're more important to him than he realizes. Probably than you both realize.”
"What makes you say that?" I asked.
"It's a hunch."
"And I agree with it," Ian said, appearing out of nowhere.
Isabelle placed a hand on her hip, glancing at her brother. "And you're judging that by the glare Dylan gave you at the gym that one time?"
"Hey, there are three types of glares, okay? I patented them. The playful one, the teasing one, and the glare-like-you-mean-it one, and the one he gave me was definitely of the last type."