It made more sense when she put it that way. “Just don’t treat her like a grandkid because it might confuse her—”
“Why can’t we treat her that way?” Dad asked. “We want Lizzie to feel comfortable with us, to make Emerson feel like she’s a part of this family. So yeah, we’ll probably buy her stuff and dote on her.”
Mom smiled like she was proud of Dad’s response. “We’re gonna smother her with love, so deal with it.”
Dad nodded. “Yep. You’re gonna have to get over it, son.”
I looked down at my food and started to eat again. “I know a defeat when I see one…”20EmersonIt was Friday evening when we left the lab and headed home in the back of the SUV. When he’d stepped into the penthouse on Tuesday and looked like he wanted to rip apart the furniture, I knew something had happened with Ryan, but since he didn’t want to talk about it, I stopped asking.
Maybe someday he would come around.
I didn’t want to yank it out of him. I wanted him to tell me because he wanted to tell me.
After I held him and gave him what he needed, he snapped out of his rage and turned into the man I’d fallen in love with. Then everything was alright, and it’d been that way ever since.
“I had dinner with my parents last night.” He turned to me, relaxed in the seat like he was tired from the long day of running around the lab and working with the guys on something I would never understand.
“How are they?”
“Good. Desperate to meet Lizzie.”
“Yeah?” I didn’t just fall in love with Derek, but his family as well. How many parents would be so happy about my twelve-year-old daughter that they wanted to meet her and spend time with her? It made me more embarrassed that my mother was so harsh with him outside the apartment door.
“Yes. They’re very intent on making that happen.”
“That’s so sweet. I love your parents.”
His eyes softened. “Well, they love you too, baby.”
“Yeah, but they’re the kind of people that love everyone.”
“I don’t know about that.” He looked out the window again. “I told them it doesn’t make sense for them to meet Lizzie because it’s not like we’re married or anything, but they wouldn’t have it.”
“Do you not want your parents to meet Lizzie?”
He turned back to me. “No, not at all. But wouldn’t that confuse her?”
I hadn’t thought about it because I knew this relationship would last forever. All those reservations were gone. “Confuse her in what way?”
“What are they to her, you know? Like, grandparents? I told her we could be friends, that I’m not trying to be her stepfather, so I just…I don’t know. Maybe I’m overthinking it.” He looked out the window again.
“I think it’s a great idea.”
He turned back to me again.
“Whether she sees them as grandparents or just another pair of adults that care about her, it doesn’t matter. I know we’re going to be together forever, so I’m not worried about confusing her. If I’m family, she’s family, right?”
He stared at me for a long time, his brown eyes absorbing what I said. Then he gave a nod. “True.”
It was so nice to be with a man who wasn’t afraid to listen to me say how much I loved him, how much I wanted him forever. And he wasn’t afraid to feel the same way. Whenever I met guys online or wherever, I told them I just wanted a fling and their eyes lit up like Christmas morning, but Derek wanted the exact opposite—with me. “So, would you want to come over on Saturday night?”
There was no hesitation in his eyes. “Sure.”
“Lizzie and I will make you dinner, and then we’ll watch TV…and go to bed.”
“And you think that’s okay? For her to see me stay over?”
“Yeah, it’ll be fine.” She was mature for her age, and I also didn’t care because I was an adult woman with needs. It wasn’t like we were going to be loud and slam the headboard into the wall.
He gave no objection and stared out the window again.
I was looking forward to a simple night like that, the three of us spending time together, having dinner, getting along like a family.
“Does Lizzie know anything about her father?”
“No.”
He turned back to me. “I mean, does she know that he excused himself because he was too young?”
“Yeah, I told her that.”
“And she was okay with that?”
She shrugged. “When she was young, she asked me a couple times, but I thought she wasn’t old enough to really understand. So last year, I told her the truth. Her response was she didn’t think being too young was a reasonable excuse for him since I raised her all by myself and I was a year younger than him.”