We showered together, then got dressed for a day at my parents’ house. To be honest, I was slightly worried about it too. Not because I thought Milo would do something wrong, but because I’d never had a boyfriend around my family. I’d never had good luck with men at all. I was afraid I would do something stupid and lose Milo, and then the other people I loved would be entangled in it. At least they didn’t know about me and Kris, and they’d never met my asshole ex.
Milo packed a bag with beach towels and some other things. We stopped at the door for him to put his pants on, along with his shoes. A robe now hung close by, which was what he wore over his underwear when his mom was over.
Speaking of his mom, we were picking her up so she could go with us to meet my family.
Things were suddenly taking off at Mach speed.
Beverly was waiting outside when we pulled up at the hotel. Milo tried to get out of the passenger seat, but she told him to stay put and climbed into the back cab. I was wondering how this whole experience would go. If she made it obvious she didn’t think I was good enough for Milo, Mom would lose her shit. In some ways, she couldn’t be more different from my family—she was city and wealthy and it showed—but in others, she was more like them than me.
“Aren’t the hotel beds horrible?” Milo asked her.
“They’re not bad. I’ve slept on worse.”
“Mom stayed in a hostel before she could move into the dorms at school. She found a job, working her way through college on her own.” Pride beamed from his smile.
“Wow, that couldn’t have been easy.” My gaze flicked to her in the rearview mirror, but she wasn’t looking.
“I did what had to be done, is all,” Beverly replied.
It didn’t take long to get anywhere on Little Beach Island, but Milo’s nerves were obvious. He fidgeted more with every minute that went by. When we pulled up in front of my family home, I rested my hand on his nape and pulled him close, my forehead against his. “We’ll be fine, Lo. I promise,” I said softly.
“Okay,” he replied, and I pressed a quick kiss to the tip of his nose. When we pulled apart, I couldn’t stop from darting a quick look to Beverly, who was watching us, head slightly cocked, eyes studying.
“Rach will be a few minutes late,” Milo said as he got out and pulled the bag over his shoulder. The three of us met on their side of the truck.
“Tell her she can just come around back when they get here.”
Milo shot off a text before automatically taking my hand and entwining our fingers together. For someone who’d never had a boyfriend before, he’d fallen easily into the relationship.
We walked around the side of the house. My parents had decorated with a luau theme, which meant Mom had forced Dad to help her. She loved to do things like that when she entertained.
There were tiki torches, drinks in pineapples, leis on the table as well as hanging from a tall hook stuck in the sand. They’d pulled out the second picnic table too.
No one had seen us yet, and Milo plucked a yellow lei from the stand and put it over my head. “What color should I wear?” he asked, and my pulse ridiculously fluttered over such a simple question. I didn’t know how he could make everything feel so fresh and new.
“Green.”
He frowned.
“Blue?”
“Deal.”
I laughed, because of course he would ask me what color while knowing which ones he wouldn’t wear.
“Do you want one?” I asked Beverly, silently hoping she didn’t turn me down.
“That’s fi—”
“Mom,” Milo said.
“Yes, please. Thank you.”
She totally still hated me. I got her a blue one as well and handed it over. She wore it, but only for Milo; that much was blatantly clear.
“Milo!” Cammy yelled, running at him. Her arrival caught the attention of my family.
“Oh hey. Snacks is here!” Orlando called. I hated my brother.
Cammy slid to a stop in front of Milo.
“Energy level?” he asked.
“Mom said six.”
“We can work with that.”
“Look, we brought you these just in case.” Cammy held out a package of earplugs with a sticky note that read: Child Noise Blockers.
Milo grinned. “Perfect. I’ll keep them on me always.” I loved that he didn’t tell her he already had a pair in his pocket.
“Are you Milo’s mom?” Cammy asked Beverly, who had already met Rachel at the store.
“Yes, I am. What’s your name?”
“Camilla, but everyone calls me Cammy. Milo is super fun. I wanted to marry him, but Mom said he likes boys and is too old for me.”
“Hey, stop trying to steal my man,” I joked, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.