I try to school my features, not wanting to give away what’s going on with us. We still haven’t told our parents yet.
Just in case, as Caroline put it.
“There it is again,” she comments. “Something funny?”
“Girlfriend of the year award goes to…drumroll, please…me! I bring coffee,” Caroline announces, and I turn around to see her carrying two mugs, her eyes not leaving them as she tries to balance them in her hands without spilling anything. “Though I filled the mugs up too full. You’re way better at this than I am.” She shrugs, setting my coffee on the bedside table. “And that’s fine. You have your skills and I have mine, like that thing I do with my tongue that you love. It’s—”
Her eyes widen when she realizes I’m on the phone, mug paused halfway to her lips.
At least she put panties on.
“Oh god,” she mutters.
I have to give her credit—she doesn’t drop her cup.
But her face flames a bright red. Probably redder than I’ve ever seen it, and that’s saying something.
I shake with laughter and she shoots narrowed, accusatory eyes my way.
“Cooper!” she hisses. “You could have warned me.”
I shrug. “I wanted my coffee.”
I turn my attention back to my moms. Momma Kira’s smirking, and Momma B has her hand covering her mouth, probably trying to hide her laugh.
“Did I hear that right?” Momma Kira asks. “Girlfriend?”
I feel the corners of my lips pull up, still loving the fact that Caroline is indeed my girlfriend.
“Well,” says Momma B, “guess that explains why he looks so happy. And here I was worried about his hairy palms.”
Caroline sputters, nearly choking on her coffee.
No matter how long she’s been part of my family, she still can’t seem to get over how open and honest we are. My moms have never been the type to shy away from talking about sex. They figured the more open they were, the more open I’d be, and the more I’d come to them with any questions or issues.
They were right.
“Don’t hide behind him now, Caroline,” Momma Kira teases. “Come say hi.”
Caroline comes around the bed, taking the spot next to me, setting her own cup of coffee down, and cozying up at my side until we’re both in the frame.
“Hey, Mommas,” she says, giving them a shy grin. “I’d say it’s nice to see you, but…”
They chuckle.
“So how long has this been going on?” Momma B asks, not wasting any time jumping to the twenty questions I’m sure are going to follow. “Oh no.” She gasps, her hand flying to her chest dramatically. “You two weren’t having sex in our house when you were here last Christmas, were you?”
“Momma!” I chide, and Caroline smashes her face to my shoulder, hiding from the camera. “No. Nothing like that. It’s…new.”
“How new?”
“A few weeks now.”
“Four,” Caroline answers, grinning against me, then finally looking at the phone. “We’ve been official for four weeks now. Well, almost four.”
She’s counting.
I fucking love that she’s counting.
“Wow. A month and you didn’t tell us?” Momma Kira sounds a little hurt, and I’m not surprised. I usually tell them everything.
“I didn’t mean to lie. It’s just—”
“It’s my fault,” Caroline interjects. “It’s all such fresh territory and I didn’t want to tell anyone, not knowing what was going to happen. We have too much history with each other and our families to bring anyone into it. I wanted to be cautious. Just in case.”
My moms exchange a glance, and it’s one of those talking-without-speaking kind of moments.
I’d know—Caroline and I have them often.
“What?” I ask.
“It’s… It’s just…”
She pauses, chewing on her lip with uncertainty.
Momma B tilts her head, encouraging Momma Kira to talk.
She clears her throat.
“We just want you kids to be careful, you know? You’ve been best friends for a long time. Relationships are hard as it is, but adding in the fact that you two have known each other for so long… Well, we just hope you aren’t rushing into anything and that you’ve really thought this through. Things are different now.”
“We do definitely kiss a lot more.”
The moms laugh.
“I’m sure you do,” Momma B says. “Just…be careful. Be open. Communicate more now than you ever have. It’ll save a world of hurt because there are things at stake now that weren’t before.”
“The heart,” Momma Kira provides. “That’s what’s at stake now.”
I want to tell her the heart was always at stake, but I understand where she’s coming from.
Just in the last month, Caroline’s come to mean more to me