Pulling back from him, I choke out, “You should get that. She sounds really upset.”

He seems to war with the decision for a second before searing my lips with one more kiss. Lifting me off his lap, he says, “We are most definitely not done.”

Slumping further into the soft cushions of the couch, I can barely catch my breath. My lips, swollen from his hot kisses, are almost vibrating with life. A smile spreads across my face remembering how hard he was, how heavily he was breathing.

How much he wanted me.

How much I want him.

By the time I’ve processed all of this, David is walking back into the living room, to-go coffee cup in his hand. “Slight change of plans for breakfast,” he announces, sliding back into his spot on the couch.

“Oh, man,” I joke. “And I was really looking forward to cold pizza.” As I take my first sip of coffee, I smile and wink at him, loving how smoothly we move from hot and heavy, to playful and funny.

Without reacting to me at all, he sips his coffee. With his lips still touching the paper rim of his cup, he says, “We’re going to my parents’ house.”

And then there’s coffee everywhere. “I’m sorry,” I choke. “Did you just say your parents’ house?”

“I did,” he answers casually, taking another sip of coffee. “And once they heard you were here with me, they were really excited.” He smiles, a smug look that on anyone else would probably look arrogant, but on him it looks gorgeous. “So unless you want to let them down, you have to go.”

“But I have nothing to wear. And I need to shower. And . . . no, just no. I can’t meet them today. Like this. They’re going to think we slept together, with me being here on a Sunday morning. I can’t face them,” I ramble on and on, his face becoming more and more amused with each word tumbling from my mouth.

Standing from the couch, he holds out his hand for me to take. “You have clothes. Nice ones, even,” he adds, eyeing me as I stand before him. “And you can shower here. I could use some company in there, if you’d like.” When all I give him in response is an arched brow, he continues on as if my protests are completely pointless. “And when I told my mom you were here last night because I was hurt at the game, she was very thankful. Not at all suspicious. Not that there was anything to be suspicious about, anyway.” He winks, popping a kiss to my cheek. “So really, you have no choice. She’s ordering brunch as a thank you for you taking care of me and because she’s really happy to see you again after all these years.”

“But–” I protest.

“Nope,” he stops me before I can really say anything. “You can’t let her down and we both said we wanted to get to know each other better. And there’s no better way to do that than to spend a few hours with my parents. They’ll tell you everything.”

I quickly shower and then we’re on our way to his parents’ house. Bubbles of nervousness turn over and over in my stomach. There’s no hiding the anxiety I feel over making a fool out of myself. But when we step out of David’s apartment and he twines our hands together, my butterflies soar away on the soft breeze.

When he opens my door for me, comfort evaporates my jitters completely. After sliding into his seat, he leans over to my side, kisses my cheek, telling me, “You look beautiful.”

Those three words combined with his easy and carefree attitude help me feel more at ease than I thought I could have been. Any worries I had, fly out the window with the warm summer air.

Yet the second we pull up to his parents’ house, my nerves return in full force. They live in the same house they did all those years ago. Which means my old home, the one I only lived in for a few months before it nearly burned to the ground is right next door.

“I’m sorry,” David apologizes, taking in the look of surprise on my face. “I didn’t even think about that.”

“That’s okay.” Taking a deep breath, I calm myself. “It’s fine, really. It was so long ago.”

Before we can say any more on that topic, David’s parents step out their front door, waving at us from their wrap-around porch. “You ready for this?” Leaning in to me, he smiles before kissing my cheek.

I nod. “Yep, let’s go.”

Fake it till you make it. I coach myself, taking another calming breath as I step out of the car.

“Oh, my goodness,” his mom gasps, descending the few steps of the porch. Holding my hand in hers, she smiles brightly at me. “It’s really you. It’s so good to see you again.” She pulls me into a hug, squeezing the life out of me.

“Okay, Mom.” David steps next to us, dropping his hand to my shoulder. “Let her breathe.” Draping his hand on my shoulder, he pulls me to his side. “Told you she was a hugger,” he says, not at all trying to hide his words from his mom.

“Hi, Mom,” he greets her with a wide, boyish smile on his face. Stepping to her side, he kisses her cheek. Moving away from his mom, he extends a hand to his father, greeting him with the handshake-slash-backslap thing. After his dad says hello to me, he pulls David into the kitchen, his explanation of what happened with the water fades as they walk away.

“Come out back.” His mom loops her arm through mine. “I have some bagels and coffee set up out there. I can’t wait to catch up.”

“Me, too, Mrs. Andrews.”

Waving away my formality, she says, “Shush now. It’s Penny, okay?”

“Okay.” I nod as we walk to the back gazebo.

By the time we have our mugs prepared, David and his father walk out to meet us. Seeing them next to each other gives me a clear picture of what David will look like in thirty years or so. It’s as if I’m catching a privileged glimpse into the future and it puts a dreamy smile on my face.

“What?” David asks, a self-conscious tone to his question as he takes in my look.

“Nothing,” I deflect. Handing him a mug, I say, “I made you another cup.”

We all sit around the small table, preparing our bagels. Just as I’m sinking my teeth into an everything with veggie cream cheese, Penny says, “It’s been so long, Grace. Tell us everything.”

Shooting David the side-eye, I realize his plan all too clearly. While his mom might very well spill every juicy detail about him to me, she’ll also get me to share a good deal as well. He shrugs, digging into his bagel as I place mine back on the table.

“Everything is a lot,” I attempt to deflect, but Penny is having none of it.

“How are your parents? Where are they? Where did you go after the fire? We never heard from you again,” she goes on and on and I wonder how she’s getting any oxygen into her lungs.

“Mom,” David tries to interject. Meanwhile his father sits there, enjoying his meal seemingly unaffected by his wife’s rambling. I guess after all those years he’s used to it. That thought makes me smile for some odd reason.

Covering David’s hand with my own on the table, I say, “No, it’s okay. Really.” After a sip of coffee, I try my best to encapsulate the last eighteen years into a few sentences. “After the fire, we moved to South Jersey where my Uncle Henry lives. Dad landed a really great job and so we stayed there. After high school, I moved to Manhattan for college. And that’s where I ran into David. We bumped into each other at a bar and well, here we are.” Looking over at David, he has a mesmerized look plastered to his face. His arm draped over my shoulder is warm and comfortable, as if that’s where it belongs.

“What did you study in school?” his father asks, putting his empty plate on the table.

“Literature. Mainly American lit, with a teaching certificate. Minored in developmental psychology, Mr. Andrews.”

“John. Please call me John,” he insists. “That’s really impressive. Any luck on the job front yet?”

“Not really.” Shrugging, I try not to think of the implications of possibly not finding a job. “I’ve sent my résumé out to pretty much every school in Manhattan and on Long Island. The most I can do now is hope for someone to bite.”