Page 118 of Dark Tangled Truths
“Come on.” Cam gestures to the door. “I’m not looking forward to telling my parents I’m fucking my tutor and so are my best friends. I might get grounded. But you telling your folks?” Cam grins like a kid in a candy store. “I can’t fucking wait.”
Damon brushes his fingers against Annie’s and she looks up at him. They seem to be good again. Thankfully. She also showed her gratitude to both Cam and I for repairing the necklace.
I hold open the door for her, and she walks into my house. The guys follow us as I lead them down the hallway to the sitting room where my parents are expecting us. I swallow and push open the door. Lately it’s been a crap shoot of what I’ll find behind any door in the house. My parents are definitely in the honeymoon phase again.
Fortunately, they’re clothed and waiting with drinks in hand. When we walk in, they rise.
“You must be EvanAnn.” Mom practically beams. “I’m so glad to meet you.”
“Pleased to meet you too, Mrs. Wilker.” Annie holds out her hand, but Mom grabs her and pulls her into a full body hug. I probably should have warned Annie about that. After an uncomfortably long hug, Mom holds Annie’s shoulders and pushes her out to arm’s length to look her over.
“You can call me Naomi.” Mom touches Annie’s hair. Mom’s blue eyes sparkle when she looks at me. “She’s so pretty, Hawk.”
“Thank you,” Annie says. Her face is flushed.
“And so polite. I love her already.” Mom pulls her back in for a hug, and Annie glances at me. “Can we keep her? I’ve always wanted a daughter.”
“I’m not planning on giving her away, Mom.”
When Mom releases her, I draw Annie in against me so Mom can’t keep hugging her. She’s known to be a clinger.
“Dad, you remember EvanAnn.”
Dad holds his hand out, and Annie takes it with a small smile. Her cheeks flush even redder.
“Mr. Wilker, it’s nice to see you again.”
“Paul,” he says as he releases her hand and looks at Cam and Damon. His face changes into an honest smile. “How have you two been? It’s been a while since I’ve seen you at the house.”
Probably because my parents are rarely here to see anyone including me.
Both Damon and Cam get a handshake from Dad and a hug from Mom. Mom touches their hair and their arms and comments on how tall they’ve gotten like we’re still little boys growing up before her eyes.
When we all take a seat, Dad leans forward. “How’s hockey looking this year?”
“I think we’re in for a good season,” Damon says. He’s still riding the high of last week and probably from fucking Annie last night.
I hold Annie’s hand as Cam, Damon, and I tell my dad about the team’s prospects this year as well as the other teams we’ve played in scrimmages.
“I hear you’re directing the play Hawk is in.” Mom finds a break in the conversation to say, trying to draw Annie into the conversation.
Annie clears her throat. “Yes, I’m directingOthello.”
“Lovely.” Mom looks at me knowingly. “Top grades too. Talented and smart.”
Annie smiles and her hand tightens on mine. Probably worried my mom will offer to adopt her again.
“We should go in for dinner,” Dad says.
Damon glances at me with a raised eyebrow. My parents obviously don’t think there’s anything unusual about me having my best friends here when they meet my girlfriend for the first time. When we sit at the table, Cam takes the chair on the other side of Annie.
She smiles at him and then looks at me. Her look asks if we’re going to do this or not.
After the first dish is set in front of us, I clear my throat. My parents look at me expectantly.
“EvanAnn is very special to all of us.” I clear the lump that seems permanently stuck in my throat. There’s no easy way to say this. “We aren’t in a typical relationship.”
Dad sits back and steeples his fingers against his lips as he waits for me to say I’m just fucking the girl or that we’re friends with benefits or some such bullshit.
