“Almost certainly,” Perry said with a nod. “There’s a reason Mom doesn’t hang out with her sister very much. Last time I introduced a boyfriend at a family event, Yvonne had scared him away within one night.”
A caterer with a tray of fresh fruit walked by, and Perry grabbed two little bowls, handing one to me. He popped a strawberry in his mouth, shaking his head.
“Underripe berries,” he said. “That’s what we get for having these before the proper season has begun.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “No one else is judging the precise ripeness of the strawberries. Tell me more about Aunt Yvonne screwing things up with your last boyfriend.”
He pulled in a breath, shrugging. “It wasn’t actually her fault. He was bound to leave me soon anyway. But Yvonne’s always been critical of me. She doesn’t think being a cook is a ‘real job.’ She told my ex that I was going to be in the same place in life five years from now, and I think that made him realize… he didn’t want to be.”
“Oh,” I said. “So she’s a fucking asshole. I get it.” I shifted on my feet, taking my weight off my injured ankle.
“I don’t think she tries to be, but yes.”
“You told her off, right?”
“What?” he said, narrowing his eyes. “No. I ignored it. There’s no changing a person like that.”
“But you can’t just let her say things like that, to you or about you.”
He waved a hand through the air. “Let’s avoid her for as long as we can.”
I’d known Perry was a bit of a people pleaser, but this was a whole different level. I felt a fierce urge to protect him from cruel people who walked all over him, but I also suddenly had a flare of anger in my chest.
It pissed me off that Perry didn’t realize how wonderful he was. What a catch he was. He accepted poor treatment from other people because he didn’t believe there was any point in standing up for himself.
And that was infuriating. Because Perry was incredible, and he deserved every bit of respect in the world.
The sounds of Cursehound’s electric guitar floated through the garden as we made our way around, accepting mini quiche bites from the caterers and saying hello to more family members. The family was sprawling, just as Perry had told me. Multiple people had come in from Sweden, and the rest were from all over the country.
“I know I’m doing well on remembering names right now,” I said spying a tray of mimosas coming our way. “But that’s about to change. It’s mimosa time, baby.”
“Hell yes,” Perry declared, grabbing one for each of us. “I specifically asked for a little bit of passion fruit concentrate in the mimosas. Tell me if you like it.”
“To a great week.”
“Cheers to that.”
I took a sip, tart fruit flavor hitting my tongue. “Jesus, that is delicious.”
“It’s my favorite thing to add to champagne drinks,” Perry said, a proud twinkle in his eye.
“You really are a wizard with flavor,” I said. “You could make cardboard taste good.”
“Pan-seared cardboard with a tarragon and white wine reduction,” he said.
“If it comes from you, I’ll put it in my mouth,” I said.
I loved the slight blush that appeared on his cheeks. It was devilish, and I knew it, but I was going to have fun this week pretending to be his boyfriend. It was already coming naturally to me, like putting on a glove that somehow fit just perfectly.
I leaned in and pressed a small kiss to his cheek, right where the blush was. It deepened, and I bit my lower lip to try and hide my smile.
“Oh, quit it,” Perry said softly, in a tone that I could tell meant don’t quit it at all.
“You love it,” I murmured.
He smiled as he looked down at the ground, kicking a stone with the toe of his boot. I felt like a teenager, flirting so shamelessly, but I didn’t want to stop.
“Here’s the happy couple,” Perry’s mom said, coming up to us with Aunt Yvonne by her side.
I was instantly glad to see Merrilyn. She was wearing another huge, beautiful shawl, this one patterned with purple and deep blue swirls that brought out her eyes. I’d only known her for one day, and I already liked Perry’s mom. She had a quiet warmth to her, just like her son. The kind of person I felt like I could trust, just from how clearly genuine she was.
Merrilyn actually reminded me a bit of my own mom. Both of them had been through so much, and had been struggling single moms for portions of their lives. I knew they would make fast friends.
In another world, at least. A world where Perry and I were actually dating. A world different from this one.