“Hi,” Sara says, as she walks up to me. The boys walk hesitantly behind her, eyeing me uncertainly.
“Hey there. Thanks again for doing this.”
“You’re welcome,” she replies. She looks back at the boys. “Liam, Lucas, this is my friend Lucille. Lucille, this is Liam and Lucas.” She points first to one boy, then to the next.
I crouch down so I’m eye level with them and hold out my hand. “It’s very nice to meet you both.” Liam shakes my hand first and then Lucas follows his lead. “I guess we’d better head out,” I say, looking up at Sara.
She grabs booster seats from the back of her car and gets the boys strapped into mine. I help her transfer the bags from her trunk, before we both climb in.
“This is a fancy car,” Lucas muses.
“Thank you,” I say. I’m not sure why, but the fact that a six-year-old, that this six-year-old, approves of my transportation choice makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. There’s a part of me that really wants them to like me.
I’ve never spent much one on one time with children before. Not because I don’t like kids, but because they’ve just never fit into my lifestyle. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting to happen, but I’m pleasantly surprised by how little trouble these two are to hang out with.
The boy’s chit chat quietly amongst themselves most of the trip. Periodically, they throw a random question my direction. In between, Sara and I get a chance to chat. She has a lot of plans about how we can prove to my horrid family what an awesome person I am.
“They need to know what an asset you are to the bookstore and how much you help people.”
I’m touched by her sincerity. I never realize how much she was paying attention to me before now. Almost as much as I’ve been paying attention to her.
She’s so passionate and invested in making my family accept me, that I can’t help but smile. It feels as if, for once, everything is right with the world.
Between my conversation with Sara, and the entertaining questions from the boys, the drive ends up being a lot more fun than I anticipated. I’m surprised when we’re already half way to the estate, and Sara suggests stopping for dinner.
“Yay, I’m hungry,” the boys say in unison.
We pull into the next diner we see. “This might be a good place for a trial run of our relationship before we have to convince my family,” I say as we get out of the car.
Sara wraps her hands aro
und my arm and leans into me as we step through the door. The smell of grease hangs heavy in the air, and the atmosphere is upbeat and family friendly.
“Go ahead and take a seat in one of the booths by the window. I’ll be with you in just a minute,” says the waitress behind the counter.
The boys run down the aisle between the booths and hop into the largest one in the corner. “Can I get a chocolate milkshake, Aunt Sara?” Liam asks.
“I want a vanilla one, please,” Lucas chimes in.
“Milkshakes sound great,” I agree as Sara and I slide in next to each other.
“Aren’t you just the sweetest family,” says the waitress as she sets menus down on the table. “How long have you all been together?”
“Oh gosh,” I say, reaching over and brushing a few wavy strands behind Sara’s ear. “Sometimes it feels like forever.”
I lean over and kiss her cheek softly as I wrap my arm around her waist. The scent of vanilla and wisteria float across my nose and I inhale deeply. Her body leans closer to mine and the air fills with electric heat.
When I pull back, there’s a look of longing in her eyes that makes my breath hitch in my throat. I never imagined I’d get the chance to be this close to her, and I have to remind myself that we’re in public. Now is not the time to push further, besides, we have rules about taking this too far.
“Oh, dear lord!” The waitress fans herself with her order pad.
“Too much?” I ask grinning up at her.
“You might be overdoing it just a tad. Keep up all the lovey dovey stuff, and I’ll have to bring the fire extinguisher out,” she grins.
Lucas and Liam fall into a fit of giggles on the seat.
“What can I get for you fellas? I heard something about milkshakes,” She says to the boys.