Page 84 of The Fall

Mom answers on the third ring. “Hey, Sav. Everything ok?”

“Hey, Mom. Yeah, everything’s great. Just wanted to catch up.”

“Oh.” She sounds surprised, and I don’t blame her. “Well, great. Dad and I are good. I just sold a house yesterday.” She’s a real estate agent. “And Dad recently got a smoker, so he’s all into that now.”

I laugh, picturing my dad smoking meats every weekend. He always comes up with random hobbies that he’ll be all in on for a few weeks and then never think about again. “That’s great.”

“How are you? How’s skating?”

“It’s good. I’m really proud of the work we’ve put in this season. Our programs look really good.”

“You do look stronger this season. That first place was well deserved.”

“There’s also, um, well, there’s someone I’d like you guys to meet.” Logan has asked me about my parents and expressed interest in meeting them, but I brushed it off. But now that I’m accepting that Logan and I are actually together, I want them to meet him. I want them to like him as much as I do.

Mom gasps. “Is this someone a boyfriend?”

I smile from ear to ear even though she can’t see me. “Yeah, it is.”

“Tell me all about him.”

And I do. On the drive home, I tell her all about him and end up scheduling a time when we can come over for dinner. By the time I pull up to my apartment, my cheeks hurt from smiling so much, and I know I’m a goner for this man. Especially when he parks next to me and walks up, scoops me in his arms, and spins me like we didn’t spend the entire day together.

“I missed you,” he says. I laugh like he can’t have missed me on the short car ride here, but the sad part is that I actually missed him, too.

THIRTY

LOGAN

I grabbed a bottle of wine and a bouquet of flowers to take to Savannah’s parents. Ok, my mom suggested I not show up empty-handed, but I was already thinking it before she said anything.

Savannah rides with me, giving me directions to her parents’ house, with Kelsey in the back seat. I’m a little nervous. I’ve never actually met the parents of a woman I was dating. Or if I have, it made such a little impact on me that I don’t remember.

This is different, though. I want Savannah’s mom and dad to trust that I’m good enough for their daughter.

Savannah has reassured me that they’ll love me. Even Kelsey agreed, so that gives me a little confidence going into this dinner. Honestly, I’m just glad Savannah finally agreed to introduce me. I’d asked about her family before, and she kept telling me I’d meet them soon enough. For a while, I was worried she didn’t want me to meet them, but it seems like telling Tati about us motivated Savannah to fully embrace our relationship. You won’t hear any complaining from me.

The house she instructs me to stop at is a quaint, two-story home. It looks similar to every other house in the neighborhood, but the difference is the woman standing by the front door waving at us. I’m assuming it’s their mom. The three women share the same dark brown hair.

“You ready?” Savannah asks.

“I was born ready, baby.” She laughs and gives me a quick kiss before she gets out of the car. Savannah and Kelsey walk to their mom while I follow behind, giving them enough space to greet her but still remaining close enough to show that I am happy and eager to meet her. It’s a delicate balance that I’m probably overthinking, but I’m determined to make a good first impression.

Their mother hugs them and then focuses her attention on me.

“Mrs. DuPont. I’m Logan. It’s lovely to meet you,” I say.

She smiles. “Please call me Mallory.”

I go to shift the gifts to shake her hands, but she wraps me in a hug instead. My mom would love this woman. They’re both huggers.

“It’s nice to meet you as well,” she says when she pulls away from me.

I hand her the gifts, which makes her smile even more. She thanks me profusely and tells me the gift is that I’m here. It’s such a sweet thing to say. Honestly, I was expecting Savannah’s mother to have the same attitude that Savannah has, but it seems they’re opposites.

She ushers us into the house. “Your dad is out back. He decided to smoke us ribs tonight. But don’t worry, I have a backup in case the ribs are bad.”

“Mom!” Kelsey exclaims.