Coffee Cup Confessions - Trish Williford Page 0,42

her. “We’re definitely on the same page.”

19

Misha

Now that Jake and I are back from vacation and actually dating, spending time together is more difficult than we both imagined it would be. We spend as much time as we can together, but with my hectic schedule now that wedding season is upon us and since he’s pulling more hours at the coffee shop, there have been times we end up not seeing each other for a week or more. Although I miss him, this gives me a nice balance. I’m still able to focus on baking, go to the gym with Drew, and visit my parents.

That being said, I still haven’t been to my parents’ house for family dinner since Mandy dropped the bombshell that she was dating Noah. I see my parents weekly, just not while Mandy is there. While visiting with my parents last week, I confessed that I had a new boyfriend. My mom was so excited that she made me promise to bring him by.

After talking to Jake about it, I think I’m finally ready to go back to family dinner, and he’s coming along tonight.

Besides Noah, Jake is the only guy I’ve ever brought home. Mandy has brought her share of guys through the front door, but I’ve never wanted to bring home a guy unless I knew the relationship was going somewhere. With Jake, at first, we promised to take this relationship slow, but since Curaçao, it’s been anything but.

Bentley is excited that I’m coming to dinner tonight, so much so that he’s texted me several times today to ensure I won’t back out. I’ve reassured him each time that I will be there and that I am bringing an apple pie—his favorite—and a guest. I’m sure he thinks I’m just bringing Drew.

On the drive to my parents’ house, I nervously tap on my steering wheel along to the beat of the song on the radio.

Jake reaches over and puts his hand over mine. “You seem a little anxious.”

His assessment is spot-on.

“A little?”

He chuckles. “It will be fine. Shouldn’t I be the one who’s nervous?”

Drew laughs from the backseat. “Yes, you should be. Why aren’t you?”

“I figure there’s no way that I can be hated as much as Noah was when Mandy brought him to dinner, so I should look like an angel.”

Drew laughs harder. “You definitely have a point. I really wish I could have been there that night. I love awkward moments.”

“Thanks, friend,” I toss over my shoulder.

Jake laces his fingers through mine and holds my hand for the rest of the drive. When we pull into the driveway, I find everyone has arrived, except Mandy. For a brief moment, I begin to hope that Mandy won’t come tonight. The thought of seeing Noah and Mandy together again causes my stomach to churn, but I breathe through it.

“In case we need to make an emergency exit, I parked behind Bentley, so we’re not blocked in.”

Jake laughs loudly. “Misha, calm down. I promise it will be fine. Just think, the sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can get back to your place and …” He trails off as his lips meet mine.

I wish I could skip over this damn dinner and get to the good stuff. His hand is tangled in my hair when Drew flicks our cheeks.

“Come on, you horny teenagers. Get inside.”

As we’re getting out of the car, I notice Bentley walking toward us.

“Oh, Mish … your fine-as-fuck brother … mmm,” Drew growls from behind me.

Drew’s always had a crush on Bentley and not necessarily kept it secret. Bentley usually dismisses the comments without anything more than an eye roll.

Bentley hugs me after I shut the door. “Finally, you return to dinner. And you’ve brought a friend.”

“Bentley, this is Jake, my boyfriend. Jake, this is my brother, Bentley.”

Jake extends his hand, but Bentley just looks at it. I punch his arm, and finally, he shakes Jake’s hand.

“Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Jake says.

Bentley eyes him up. “I’ve heard absolutely nothing about you, so I can’t say the same.”

“Bentley!” I scold.

Bentley starts laughing. “I’m kidding. It’s nice to meet you, man. Come on inside.”

“Hi, Bentley. We’ve got the pie Misha baked for you,” Drew says from behind us while we’re walking in the house.

Bentley turns around and nods at him, and then he disappears into the living room.

“He nodded at me, Mish. Did you see that?” Drew swoons. He pushes the pie into my hands