I said, happy tears gathering in my eyes. “I’m just so happy you guys are home. I can’t believe it.” My voice broke as I spoke, emotion flooding my every word.
Mom’s face lit up in a grin. “Well, it’s true. Surprise!”
I let out a choked laugh as I tried to stop the tears. “How is this possible?”
“We weren’t the only travelers stuck in the area, and the government chartered an emergency flight to get us all home,” Dad replied.
“And you guys didn’t tell me?” Frustration colored my tone. I’d been worrying about my parents constantly from the moment I’d first heard they were stranded overseas. How could they let me fret any longer than I needed to?
“We told Jade,” Mom replied. “But we didn’t want to tell you in case the flight somehow fell through. It all happened very last minute. We didn’t want to get your hopes up.”
I went quiet as I allowed her explanation to sink in. I’d barely spoken to them this week, and any time they answered the phone, they’d always been too busy to talk. Our exchanges had been so brief I hadn’t had a chance to tell them about my relationship with Aiden. It had felt a bit like they’d been avoiding me, but it suddenly all made sense.
“You’ve been dodging my calls all week. Is this why?” I asked.
Mom didn’t even look slightly guilty as she nodded. “You know I’m hopeless at lying. We thought you’d be happy.”
The irritation tensing my shoulders didn’t last long, and I nodded, “Of course, I’m happy. I think I’m in shock. I just wish I could hug you guys.”
Mom smiled in response. “You will in two weeks’ time.”
A couple of the tears I’d been trying so hard to keep back escaped, and I quickly moved to wipe them away. I still couldn’t believe this was happening.
“I’m glad to see you both got home safely, Mr. and Mrs. James,” Aiden said. He was standing at my side and lightly rested his hand across my back as he spoke. I’d completely forgotten he was there.
“Thank you, Aiden, we’re pretty glad too,” Mom replied. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“You too, Mrs. James.”
I wasn’t sure if Mom heard Aiden’s reply because her eyes had caught on where his hand was pressed to my back. She gave Dad a slight nudge as she nodded toward it. Dad looked totally oblivious, but from the knowing look Mom was giving me, I knew Aiden and I were totally busted.
It’s not like I was planning on keeping our relationship a secret or anything, but I hadn’t talked to them properly all week, and it wasn’t the kind of thing I wanted to announce to them in a text. There were no excuses for avoiding it now though.
“So, guys, I have something to tell you…” My stomach tensed as they sent me curious looks. I really wished I’d had a chance to tell them over the phone this week, because announcing this to my parents in person seemed so much harder. Dating was also pretty far down the list of things I wanted to discuss with Mom and Dad considering they had only just returned home. I knew it was best if I just got it over with quickly though.
“Aiden and I are dating,” I said, the words slipping from my lips in a rush. I had to resist the urge to cover my face. I wasn’t sure I wanted to see their reactions.
Mom’s face lit with a wide smile, but Dad’s expression had turned wary. I could see he wasn’t exactly thrilled by the news, but he didn’t seem totally against it either. I should have probably just been grateful he hadn’t started interrogating Aiden. My parents were oddly accepting of the news, and I had to wonder if they were simply too tired to react as shocked as I’d expected.
“Yes, Jade told us all about you two,” Mom said. “She wanted to make sure we were happy you continued staying at their house.”
“You already knew?” I blew out a breath, shaking my head. It seemed like everyone was finding out about Aiden and I before we got a chance to tell them. It was probably better this way though. Finding out from Jade probably softened the blow for my parents. I doubted either one of them would be acting so calmly if they haven’t received a heads-up. It was a miracle Mom wasn’t blurting out something embarrassing, and I didn’t even want to