“Yeah?” Mason said excitedly. “So she wasn’t boring?”
“Definitely not boring,” I grumbled back. “It was the same girl.”
“Huh?”
“The Wish Maker set me up with the exact same woman she’d set me up with the first time. Parker. The redhead.”
“Seriously?” Mason had all but abandoned his dinner with shock. “What’d you do?”
“I stayed, she stayed. We had a really uncomfortable meal and then we left.”
Mason tilted his head to the side. “That’s it?”
“Yeah. That’s it.” I could feel his stare on me as I ate some of my food, so I looked over at him. “What?”
“Nothing, it’s just you said it was interesting, but what you just described was the pinnacle of boring.” Having Mason explain it so plainly was annoying, but he wasn’t wrong.
“I mean…” I fumbled around for the words trying to explain it. “She’s not boring. We didn’t really get into it like we did last time, although she did make some comment like I made her feel like her life was meaningless. I didn’t say anything like that to her, so I’m not sure how she got that impression, but…” I couldn’t quite find the words I needed to describe it. “We talked about our families a little. She has a younger brother, about the same difference in age between Alaina and I. It was fine when we were talking about that.”
“Okay?” Mason said with a growing smile. “So it didn’t go poorly?”
I shook my head. “No. It didn’t go poorly.”
“So you’re seeing her again?” Mason asked.
I looked over at him confused. “What? No. We’re not a good match, trust me.”
Mason scoffed. “You don’t look like that when you’re not a good match for something.”
“Look like how?”
“That fiery look in your eyes.”
I hunched my brow. “I don’t have a fiery look.”
“Do too.” I looked over and Alaina smiled at me, completely listening to our conversation. “It’s a girl?”
“Yeah,” Mason responded for me. “Parker.”
I glared at him. “Hey.”
“She good-looking?” my mom asked, also listening.
“Is everyone listening to my conversation?” I asked, annoyed.
My dad took a sip of his wine. “Not a big table, son.”
“He told me she’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen.”
Alaina smiled. “Aw.”
I leered at Mason. “Whose side are you on?”
Mason shrugged. “Hey, I’m still trying to recover brownie points.” Alaina held a hand up over the table and Mason gave her a high-five. “Anyway, you’re obviously interested in her.”
“You don’t get interested in people easily, Andy,” my mom said. “If you like her, you should see her again.”
“I don’t like her. I just don’t hate her. It’s totally different.” I looked at my mom. “We had a really bad first meeting.”
My mom looked over at my dad and laughed before looking back at me. “Your dad and I got off to a terrible start.”
It hit me like a truck. “Really?”
“I thought your mother was the prettiest thing around, well she was, still is actually.” My mom smiled at my dad’s compliment. “So I told all my friends that I had claimed her. She was off-limits. She found out and, well, let’s just say she didn’t take it well. I tried to ask her out a couple of times and she told me she wouldn’t date me if I was the last man on earth. It took a lot of effort. I had to back way off, build up a friendship, prove that I respected her right to choose.” He side-glanced her. “Eventually my good looks won her over.”
My mom snickered. “Yeah, that’s what happened, honey.”
Alaina had a wide grin on her face. “You never told us that story before.”
My dad was staring lovingly at my mom and I couldn’t help but smile at it. “Well, I never really wanted you kids to think there was anything but love between us.”
“There isn’t,” my mom said and then leaned over enough to kiss my dad on the cheek. She noticed his glass of wine was almost empty and lifted it. “I’ll get you a refill. Anyone else?” She looked around the table and then her eyes landed on Alaina’s glass. I followed her confused gaze to Alaina’s glass which was still totally full. “You don’t like the wine, dear?”
Alaina and Mason locked eyes and Mason shrugged and nodded. Alaina looked back at my mom. “I’m sure it’s fine, but I can’t drink it.”
“Why not?” my dad asked.
She took a deep breath in and then out. She linked eyes with Mason again, a bright smile on her face. “I’m pregnant.”
My dad gasped. “Are you serious?”
“What?” my mom said. “Before marriage?”
I side-eyed my mom. “Ma.”
Alaina rolled her eyes. “Yes. Before marriage.”
Mason reached across the table and grabbed Alaina’s hand. “Obviously, it wasn’t our plan to have a child before the wedding, but Alaina is my soulmate.” His eyes sparkled with happiness as he spoke. “Whether before or after a formal union, it doesn’t matter.” He looked over at my mom. “We’re so excited.”
He was calling my mom out on Alaina’s behalf. That was pretty cool.
“I can’t believe it,” I said. “I’m gonna be an uncle?”
Alaina smiled. “You’re gonna be the coolest uncle.” There was a loud, dramatic sniff, and all of our eyes shot over to where my mom was bawling. She wrapped her arms around Alaina and hugged her tightly. Alaina’s face registered shock first before filling with tears of her own. “Mom?”
“Oh, I’m so happy for you.” She nuzzled her head against Alaina’s. “You’re going to be such a good mom.”
“I…” Tears streamed down Alaina’s face as she hugged my mom. “Thanks, Mom.”
My dad stood up and walked over to Mason and tapped him on his back. “This kid is gonna have a pretty great dad.”
Mason smiled. “Thanks, Bryant.”
I watched them, and as happy as I was for the news, my jealousy got even deeper. I wanted that. The way Alaina and Mason looked at each other, a family. I didn’t even know when I started wanting it so badly, but not being even one step closer to it was frustrating. How long was I going to have to wait for it?
Parker’s smile crept into my brain again, partnered with my family’s advice, but I forced it away. Parker wasn’t the one, I didn’t know who the one was, but I knew it wasn’t her.
9
Parker
“Can’t I stay the whole weekend?”
“Peyton. Come on. I’m gonna come get you after school today and then we’ll spend the whole day together tomorrow. It’s gonna be great.”
“Yeah, and then you’re gonna drop me back off and I don’t get to come back until, when, Wednesday?”