tonight and not to tell Evan’s parents that I’d already proposed. My mom felt as though she was keeping secrets, but my dad said he didn’t give a shit and the whole thing is ridiculous.
I climb out of my car, and Evan walks out of her apartment above the garage as I walk up the driveway. Her curly hair is down and styled, along with a fresh face of makeup and a dress. Damn, I’m wearing slacks and a button-down, but maybe I should’ve worn a suit.
She jogs to meet me and presses her body to mine, her arms wrapping tight around my neck. “Seth,” she coos.
I hold her, unsure where this affection is coming from.
She whispers in my ear, “Our dads are in the backyard. I’m going to slide the ring inside your front pocket, so act like you wish you could sweep me upstairs and make love to me instead of having dinner with all of them.”
Finally something I don’t have to lie about. So I kiss her neck, and her one hand slides down my side, then I feel a tug on my pocket.
“We’re all good,” she says.
“Son, you don’t kiss your girlfriend on the lips when you see her?” my dad yells from the backyard where he’s standing next to Mr. Erickson. My dad has a beer in hand but I notice that Mr. Erickson doesn’t.
“They’re cordial,” I say in a low voice to Evan.
“More than cordial, they’re actually talking,” she says.
“Don’t be shy, Seth, kiss her,” my dad says.
I place my hands on Evan’s face. “Ready?”
She nods and I place my lips on hers, not adding my tongue into the mix.
“Sad, son, just sad,” my dad says, shaking his head.
I step back and release Evan. “Well, I don’t like PDA.”
“Come on,” Evan says and leads me to the kitchen, where our moms are talking over cutting vegetables.
My mom beams at me, and for the first time in I don’t know how long, nothing about it looks forced.
“Hey, Mom.” I kiss her cheek.
“Hey, sweetheart. Say hello to Mrs. Erickson.”
Evan’s mom wipes her hand on her apron. “Please, call me Jenny. We’re all adults now.”
Her arms open wide and I glance at Evan, who shakes her head like she doesn’t know what’s going on either. It’s like nothing happened and if they’d remained friends, this is exactly where they would’ve ended up.
“Where are Eli and Elsie?” Evan asks, stealing a cucumber from the salad.
“Oh, Elsie took Eli to Los Tacos and for some ice cream. It’s just the six of us tonight.” Mrs. Erickson glances over her shoulder at my mom with a grin that isn’t even close to sly. “Why don’t you two set the table?”
I move to follow Evan into the dining room.
“Hey, Seth,” my mom calls. “Have you heard from the Food Channel yet? I haven’t and wondered if they reached out to you?”
My gaze goes to Mrs. Erickson, but she’s not where she was a second ago. Where the hell did she go? “Nothing yet.”
“Are you sure you didn’t miss a call or anything? I was at the grocery store today and saw Lucy from Porterhouse. She was upset because they weren’t chosen.”
I shrug. “Maybe they’re waiting to notify the winners.” Please accept my answer. Please let this go until I’m ready to tell you what I signed off on.
“Maybe.”
Mrs. Erickson walks back into the kitchen from the garage with a roll of paper towels. She smiles sweetly at me.
“I’m gonna go help Evan.” I point with my thumb behind me, then bolt. Evan is putting the plates on the table. “Something is going on. They know.”
She scoffs. “How on Earth would they know?”
“I don’t know, but they must. Something weird is going on.”
“Well, I agree with you there, so make the proposal fast, okay? If you wait, everyone will know you’re hiding something.”
“Hey, I’ll propose how I want to,” I tell her.
“I’m just saying that if you drag it out or get all gushy about it, that’s not you.”
“Not me? How do you know what I’d be like if I was actually going to propose to you for real?”
She stops placing the napkins next to the plates and stares at me with an expression that says, “I know you.”
“I’m going to be so convincing even you will think it’s real.”
She laughs and continues setting the table.
I shove my hand in my pocket, feeling for the ring. “Try me.”
As normal as it feels to be with Evan, our parents’ attitudes toward one another