I went to get up, but Jameson grabbed my waist. “I don’t want you to cancel.”
He didn’t? “We can fake it. We’ll pretend we don’t know each other, outside of him introducing us the one time. Maybe this is a good thing. They can think we started to get to know each other there.”
“Again, do you know me? I’m not good at faking it. I’m going to make a fool of myself.”
“No.” I shook my head. “You won’t. You’re better at things than you think, and even if you get all rambly, I think it’s cute as fuck, so it’ll just make me want to jump your bones even more.”
He laughed, then dropped his forehead against my chest. “I finally get to bring a boyfriend home, something my mom has wanted me to do for years, and no one can know he’s my boyfriend.”
“We could…tell them?” I ventured. The thought made me a little queasy, to be honest. I wasn’t ready to have to worry about my job. Maybe I should start looking for another one now… That made me feel even more like shit. I liked working for Crane. It felt right. I didn’t want to lose that, but I didn’t want to risk Jameson either.
“No, not yet. I’m not ready. We just started dating, and what if things change? What if you decide you don’t want to do this, and you risk making things weird at work for nothing? It’s better if my dad doesn’t know.”
“What if you decide you don’t want to do this? I don’t know why you think it would be me.”
He sighed, and I could tell he still didn’t think that was a possibility. “Same outcome. You risk making things shitty at work regardless. We just need to fake it. How hard can one dinner be?”
That was the million-dollar question, wasn’t it?
But as we got up and settled onto the couch together, Jameson admitted, “I’m a little excited too…to bring you home, even if they don’t know who you are to me.”
I decided that no matter what happened, I wouldn’t let myself lose him. Ever.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Jameson
So I was basically, probably, going to throw up. I didn’t figure there was much I could do about it. I did pack a spare pair of clothes just in case. When I was younger, we went on this ride at the carnival once, and there was this cute boy who got on the Ferris wheel when we did…and I puked. On the Ferris wheel, in front of a cute guy…and got vomit on my clothes. I wasn’t making that same mistake twice.
The thing was, Will made me feel comfortable in ways no one else ever had. I wasn’t as self-conscious around him, and the times I was, were getting less and less. This time was only because he was going to be in my home, with my parents, and no one could know we were together.
I wasn’t real good at the whole incognito thing.
But I could also tell how much this meant to Will. It meant a lot to me too, but mostly, I just wanted to make him happy and wanted him to feel part of a family in ways he didn’t with his own.
We’d decided to take separate car services. He didn’t want to run late, so he was going to get there on time, and I’d get there a few minutes after. He was already on his way. He’d left fifteen minutes ago, and I was waiting for my car.
As if thinking about it conjured my ride, a car pulled up in front of my condo. I got in and tried to chill the hell out during the drive over. Because it was just my luck, it felt like I blinked and suddenly the car was pulling up in front of the ridiculously large house my family called home. For just a moment, I looked at it and wondered what Will thought when he saw it. I knew he’d grown up differently than I had. I knew he wanted more for himself, but I also hoped he didn’t think this was what made happiness.
My parents could take all my money from me, and if I had him, I’d have won.
“Thanks, man,” I told the driver and got out. I heard Will’s voice the second I walked inside, and it was nice, hearing him there. I wanted to always hear him.
I followed the voices to the living room. Will had his back to me. He was talking with Cherise and Dad, who had his hand on Will’s shoulder like…well, like Will was his son and he was proud of him.
My heart squeezed. It was so ridiculous to be jealous. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that my dad loved me. Hell, I was worried he’d fire Will for dating me or that he would when we broke up, but I also wanted to connect with my father the way Will did.