7
Bryce
I waited for Chloe to come up with an answer, hoping I hadn’t crossed the line, although, if I were to be completely honest, that line had been crossed the moment I put my hands on her.
She mulled over my question for several seconds, and I crossed my fingers that she would agree to it.
I had thought about this a lot. I couldn’t quite divulge my plans for expanding my business to my parents because they had been clear about where they stood the first time I mentioned my plan to head along the entrepreneur route. They had thought I’d bitten off more than I could chew, failing to understand my desire to increase the zeroes on my bank account.
If I came to their house with Chloe as my assistant, they would press me to know all the details of my visit, and I was sure they would blow their top and drive me up the wall with their nagging comments and lectures about my excessive ambitions.
The only way to prevent this and get a shot at spending this dinner with them in peace was to present Chloe as my girlfriend. Pretending could be awkward at first, but it was better than bickering or something worse.
“I know this may be a lot for you, so I’ll understand if you don’t want to do that,” I told her, quick to assuage her in case I’d weirded her out.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s okay. After all, it’s just one dinner.”
“Yeah. We’ll just have to keep up the ruse around the table and nothing more. So is that a yes?”
She nodded, cracking a smile at me. “Yes.”
“Thank you.” I cupped her face and brushed my lips against hers, sensing her shiver at the contact. I felt warmth spreading through my chest, and I was more than ready to have another round with her, but we didn’t have much time. “As much as I want you, we should really get going.”
“Sure. Let me just dry my hair off and put some makeup, and I’ll be ready.”
I had to hand it to Chloe—she didn’t show a hint of nervousness when we reached my parents house, staying composed about meeting my parents.
“So, let’s go over this once again. We’ve met several months ago when you came to my hospital for a treatment. A few visits later, I invited you on our first date, and we’ve been together ever since,” I recapped our fake story. “We’re exclusive, but we still don’t have any plans for the future.”
“I work as an assistant in a real estate company, and I hope to become a real estate agent.”
“You’re allergic to peanuts.”
“I’m allergic to peanuts.”
“And I hate sports.”
“And you hate sports. Is all of this really necessary? I mean, with the way you’re describing your mother, it sounds like she is an FBI agent. I can’t help but imagine her firing all these questions about me and our relationship.”
“Nah, she’s not that curious, but one can never know.”
I rang the bell and snaked my arm around Chloe’s waist, putting a huge smile on my face. Not even ten seconds later, the door burst open and my mother appeared, throwing her million-watt smile at us.
“Bryce!” she squealed and pulled me into a suffocating hug, cutting my air supply instantly.
“Mom! You’re going to kill me if you keep squeezing me like this.”
She smelled like cookies and home, reminding me of all the things I’d been missing while I was away from home—reminding me of my empty penthouse that lacked any warmth. Pushing these gloomy thoughts aside, I stepped back to introduce Chloe to her.
“Mom, this is my girlfriend, Chloe Lewis. Chloe, this is Ruth Evander—the woman who will call me a thousand times a day until she gets what she wants.”
“Oh, shut up, you,” she said, keeping her smile on her face, and hugged Chloe. “It’s nice to meet you, Chloe, dear. Welcome to our home.”
“It’s good to be here, Mrs. Evander.”
“Oh, please call me Ruth.” She winked at her before she threw me an inquisitive glance. “I’m curious as to why Bryce didn’t mention anything about bringing you here tonight!”
I rolled my eyes, not surprised by her reproof in the least. I was sure that if I’d told her about Chloe she would go above and beyond to make Chloe feel at home.
“It’s okay, Ruth,” Chloe replied politely, and a feeling of awe settled in my chest. She was amazing at handling this—acting politely and with class. She glanced at me, her lips curling up in a mischievous smile. “It was an eleventh-hour decision, after all, so I apologize if this is inconvenient for you.”
“Oh, nonsense! Look at you, all formal! Relax, we’re family! But why are we still standing here? Come in!”
She moved aside to let us in, and I took Chloe’s hand, relieved that mom didn’t make a fuss about me bringing Chloe.
“Roger! Your son and his girlfriend are here!”
“His girlfriend?” we heard him say from the living room, and a few moments later, he appeared in the hallway. His gray eyebrows furrowed slightly as he assessed Chloe, right before an approving grin formed on his face.
“Hello, son,” he said and hugged me with one arm, patting my back with the other.
“Hey, Dad.” I motioned at Chloe. “Meet Chloe. My girlfriend.”
For a brief moment, Chloe’s and my eyes met, creating an unusual feeling in my chest. Even to my own ears, those two words of endearment sounded too intimate.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Chloe said and shook hands with my dad. “Bryce has told me a lot about you.”
He guffawed. “I hope he mentioned only good things.”
“Absolutely.”
We continued to the dining room, which held massive amounts of food, as if my mother had prepared dinner for ten people, a huge turkey occupying the center of the table. Light music played in the background, adding to this rather cute wintery scene, and I could see Chloe reveling in it.
“So, how did you two meet?” my mother asked us a half-way through our dinner.
I was a bit tipsy after a few glasses of wine, finding this time with my parents to be more enjoyable than I’d thought. My dad engaged himself in conversation more than usual, trying to impress Chloe with the stories from his college days when he played football and aspired to be making a career out of it. Chloe gave him full attention, eagerly listening to his stories, and I wondered if she was going out of her way to please my father only because she was trying to do her job as best she could, or she was genuinely interested in what he had to say.
I caught myself wanting this to be real. There was a part of me that enjoyed this illusion too much, and I had to remind myself that she was just my assistant and nothing else.
“Chloe was my patient,” I answered her. “She was having a terrible cold, and it lasted for a few weeks.” I caught Chloe’s hand on the table. “Isn’t that right, sweetie?”
“Yes. I was so sick that I had to come to Bryce’s office several times. Little by little, we got to know more about each other and found out that we share similar interests.”
“So one thing led to another, and a few weeks later, we got together,” I said and took a sip of my wine.
“I’m a bit surprised that you didn’t mention her to me at all,” Mom told me, a hint of reproach coloring her voice.
“You know how he is, Ruth,” Dad interjected. “He never tells us anything these days.”
“Dad, don’t start. You know I’ve been really busy.”
He raised his hands in the air. “Alright. I won’t. But you know how your mother and I feel about it. If you hadn’t appeared tonight, she would’ve started a war here.”
Mom smacked his hand. “Oh, stop it! Anyway, how long have you two been together?”
“Seven months,” Chloe replied.
My parents looked at each other with identical smiles on their faces, and I knew what kind of thoughts circulated in their minds. Seven months wasn’t a short period of time, and since I brought Chloe here that could only mean this relationship was serious. I wasn’t surprised in the least when the next question popped up.
“So do you two have plans to, you know, get married?” my mom asked.
Mothers. They never get uncomfortable asking about this, as if it was the most normal thing to ask.
“Mom! Don’t push it. We’re taking it easy for now. Maybe in the future, but let’s not rush it, okay?”
Dad shook his head at this. “Young people these days. Taking it easy? What are you waiting for? You’re already thirty-four.”
Chloe reached for my hand under the table and gave it a reassuring squeeze. I appreciated this gesture of support.
“Bryce is currently busy in the hospital, so at the moment, we can’t make any plans,” Chloe responded calmly with a polite smile on her face.
Mom frowned and glared at me, dissatisfied with this. “Bryce, what is happening with you? I understand that you love work and all, but don’t you think you’re overdoing it? Why can’t you slow down for a change?”
And just like that, my mood dropped, her preaching ruffling my feathers. “Mom, Chloe didn’t come here to listen to this same old argument. Please, can you leave it be?”
Thankfully, Dad changed the topic, asking Chloe if she liked fishing, but I saw that Mom didn’t want to drop this. She didn’t mention anything for the rest of our dinner, talking with Chloe about her favorite TV shows, but each time she looked at me, the frown lines around her mouth appeared, and it irked me.
“Bryce, love, will you come with me to the kitchen and help me with desserts?” she asked me and stood up, heading to the kitchen without even waiting for my answer.
I met Chloe’s worried gaze and shrugged my shoulders, hating that she had to witness this.
“I’ll be right back,” I told her and went after my mother, preparing myself for yet another argument.