After what seemed like an hour of anticipation, they were finally there.
“I got the name of this place from someone, so I’m trusting them to do good work.”
Good work? Elise rolled the words around in her head. She’d assumed that they were going to a restaurant. But then wouldn’t he have said something about good food instead of good work?
“Can I see now?”
“Nope.”
The excitement was too much. “I’ll give you a hummer if you let me look.”
Luke laughed, and she let the rich sound roll over her. She couldn’t believe she’d almost let this wonderful man get away.
He kissed her, a quick peck on the lips. “You’re probably going to do that sooner or later anyway.”
“Dang it.”
He was right.
“Just sit tight. I’ll come around and get you out.”
She heard his door open and close. Then, her door opened, and the warm August heat hit her as Luke helped her out. He took her arm as he guided her to a sidewalk that she had to step up onto and then a little farther to a door that dinged when it was opened.
There were voices all around, and Elise heard what sounded like buzzing.
Luke led her to a counter and rested their hands on it. “Hi, yes, I have an appointment.”
“Name?”
“Luke. For Elise.”
“Ah, yes.”
Elise could hear the smile in the woman’s voice.
“I’m Trinity. Why don’t you come back here? We’ll let her decide what she wants.”
Now, the suspense was killing her.
“Come on, baby.”
They walked a little ways and stopped.
“Are you ready?” Luke asked her.
“Does a bear shit in the woods?”
Trinity laughed next to Elise.
Luke removed her blindfold, and that was when Elise saw they were in a tattoo shop.
Elise looked at Luke.
“We’re getting your nose pierced.”
“What?” Elise was excited and nervous instantly.
“I knew you would never come here on your own, so here we are. It’s the perfect birthday present.”
“What about my parents?”
Luke lifted an eyebrow.
“You’re right. It can’t get any worse.”
Elise and Kristen still hadn’t talked to their parents. Both of them were willing, but they’d decided they weren’t going to be the first to initiate anything. Their parents would have to reach out to them.
“Let’s do it.”
Luke clapped his hands. “Yes.”
Trinity pointed to a display case. “We have a lot of selections for you. Just pick what you want, and I’ll start setting up while you fill out the paperwork.”
There were so many choices, but Elise settled on a tiny lavender opal stud to go in her right nostril.
“Do you like it?” she asked Luke. “Do you think it’ll look good on me?”
He pulled her to him. “I think you’ll look sexy. And I love that you’ll be wearing something I gave you, even when you’re naked.”
A throat cleared behind them, and Elise’s face heated.
“Did you decide on one?”
Elise pointed to her pick. “This one.”
“All right, let’s do this,” Trinity said.
A half an hour later, Elise and Luke walked out with Elise’s new addition. She couldn’t believe she’d actually gone through with it, and she had Luke to thank.
“Does it hurt?”
“Just a little. Not as much as it did right away.”
They reached Luke’s SUV, and Elise instantly pulled down the sun visor, so she could examine her nose. It was so cute, and she loved her piercing.
Luke smiled at her. “You like it?”
“I love it.” She leaned over and kissed him. “Almost as much as I love you.”
Luke grinned. “I’m glad. Part of me thought you’d hate the idea.”
“Never. Even if I hadn’t done it, I would never hate the idea.”
“Good.”
“Thank you by the way.”
“You’re welcome, Lise. I just want you to have everything you want.”
“Have I already told you, I love you?”
“Yes, but you can always say it again.”
Elise smiled. “I love you.”
Luke kissed her again.
“So, where are we going now?”
“We’re going to eat.”
“Where?”
Luke shook his head.
“Another surprise?”
“Yep.”
“Ah, poop.”
Luke laughed, but at least he didn’t make her put the blindfold back on. Not that it mattered because Elise was too busy admiring her nose ring. He took a picture and sent it to Rachel and Kristen. Both gave her positive reviews and asked to hear the details later.
Before she knew it, they were pulling up to a two-story home in a middle-class neighborhood.
“Where are we?”
“Just follow me,” was Luke’s only answer.
They exited Luke’s SUV as another car pulled up, and a younger version of Luke got out.
“Hey, Luke,” he called out as he ran up to them.
When he got closer, Elise could see that his hair and eyes were lighter than Luke’s, but there was no denying that they were related.
“Hey, Cade. This is Elise. Elise, this is my little brother, Cade.”
“Little, my ass.” Cade flexed his impressive biceps.
Elise held out her hand for Cade to shake. “Nice to meet you.”
“Same here. Come on. Mom’s making bacon-wrapped chicken tonight. Yum.” Cade took off into the house.
Elise stopped Luke. “We’re having dinner with your family?” she asked, starting to panic.
Luke shrugged. “Yes. It’s about time you met them, don’t you think?”
He started to walk, but she stopped him.
“But I just got my nose pierced.”
“Babe, my parents don’t care about that. Wait until you meet Sydney.”
Elise remembered Luke’s phone call with his sister back in LA. “She’s home?”
“Yep. That’s why it’s the perfect time. You can meet all of them at once.”
“Oh, great,” she said sarcastically.
Luke had three siblings—two younger, Cade and Sydney, and one older sister, Alyssa. So, with his parents, that was five people. That was a lot of people to impress.
Luke laughed. “It’ll be fine. You’ve already met my brother, and he was totally cool with you.”
He had a point.
“Okay, let’s do this.”
They headed for the house.
“How old is Cade?”
“Sydney is twenty, Cade is twenty-four, I’m thirty-two, and Alyssa is thirty-three.”
“That’s an odd spread.”
“Yeah, I was an oops. They wanted to wait longer to have their second baby, but I guess I was impatient. That’s why they waited eight years to have their third. And then Sydney was an oops, too, I think, but Mom won’t admit it.”
Luke led Elise into the house and introduced her to his parents. His mom had dark blonde hair and blue-eyes, girl-next-door pretty, and his father was the most muscular Asian man Elise had ever seen. He was very handsome and still looked good for his age. And, while Luke’s dad, Jin, was the tallest in the family, he was an inch or two shorter than his wife, Beth.
When she’d asked him once how he was so tall, Luke had said that he figured he’d gotten it from his mom’s side.
Elise met Luke’s sisters last. They were completely different from each other.
Luke told Elise that Alyssa was a researcher and had a double PhD in microbiology and pharmacology. She had shoulder-length hair that she kept pulled back in a look that spoke of convenience, not style. Luke explained that his sister lived and breathed work.
Sydney, on the
other hand, was a free spirit who would rather enjoy life than work. Her hair was dyed platinum blonde with pink, purple, and blue streaks in it. She had her septum and lip pierced. Elise now understood why Luke said no one would care about her new piercing.
Cade worked with computers. He did IT work for a bank.
Even though Luke’s siblings were all different from one another, they were all very nice to her. Luke’s dad even gave Elise a beer as soon as she sat down, and his mom had made her a birthday cake. The whole family joked and had fun with each other over dinner, and the two of them didn’t leave until after ten at night because they were having such a good time. The whole experience was very different from Elise’s family, and she could see why Luke loved them all.
On the drive home, Luke asked, “So, what did you think?”
“They are all great. Was your dad born here?”
“Nope, he came to America when he was five. He can speak some Cantonese with my grandparents, but he has to insert English in there because he’s not quite fluent.”
“That would explain the phone conversation.”
Luke laughed. “Yeah, my grandma is stubborn and hard of hearing, so sometimes, Dad has to yell at her.”
Elise laughed. “I was a little surprised though.”
Luke looked at her. “Oh? What about?”
“This is embarrassing, but I guess I always assumed your mom was Chinese, and your dad was white. You never said their names until I met them today, and I don’t know why I thought that.”
“That’s because some white guys have a fetish with Asian females. Also, unfortunately, Asian men have a bad reputation as being skinny, nerdy, beta males. Ha. They never met my father.”
“I’ll say. All the men in your family are good-looking.”
Luke glanced at her. “Don’t get any ideas. I know some women like younger men.”
“I like my men older.”
Luke scowled.
“But only a little bit older, like say two-and-a-half years.”
“Good,” he said.
He was trying to be serious, but she saw a smile peeking through.
She put her arm through his and leaned against him. “You don’t have to worry. I’m not going anywhere,” she told Luke.
He kissed her head. “Me either, babe. Me either.”
About two months later, Elise received a phone call. She was leaving work, so she didn’t bother looking at the display before answering, too busy loading her stuff into her car, “Hello?”
“Elise, this is your father.”
As if she didn’t know her own dad’s voice, no matter how long it had been since she talked to him.
“Dad?”
He cleared his throat. “I would like you to come to lunch this coming Sunday after church.”
Elise didn’t miss the fact that he had said, I, and not, Your mother and I.
“Sure, Dad. I’ll be there. Is Kristen coming?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t called her yet.”
Elise closed her eyes, so grateful that he wasn’t going to ignore his other daughter. She opened her eyes and realized she was still standing outside her car with the door open.
“Is Mom okay with this?” she asked as she got behind the wheel.
“She will be.”
Great.
“It doesn’t matter. It’s my house, and I’m inviting you.”
For someone who lived by the Bible, her mom really did usually wear the pants in the relationship.
“Thanks, Dad. What time should I be there?”
“Noon, sharp.”
“See you then.” Elise ended the call and rang Luke right away.
Sunday rolled around, and Kristen picked up Elise before they drove off to their parents’. They’d decided it would be better for them to show up together, as a united front.
“What do you think’s going to happen today?” Kristen said.
“I have no idea,” Elise said.
The two of them had had variations of this same conversation many times this week.
“The anticipation is killing me. I could barely eat breakfast this morning,” Elise said.
“Oh, I know. Me either. And I have a feeling we’re not going to eat lunch either.”
Elise snickered. “You’re probably right. But maybe we’ll feel better when it’s all over. What’s the worst that could happen? I’m sure we’re already out of the will.”
Kristen laughed. “Agreed. Let’s go do our own thing if it ends badly.”
“It’s a deal.”
“Did Dad even tell you happy birthday?”
“Nope.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah.”
Neither of her parents had made contact with her on her birthday. Elise was trying not to let it bother her, but it still hurt after two months.
When they got to their parents’ house, their dad let them in. He looked good, and Elise was itching for some news on his cancer. She might be mad at her parents, but they were still her parents, and she loved them.
Their father led them into the living room where their mother was already waiting. She sat on the sofa, hands clasped, and was so tense that she looked like she might break if someone touched her.
“Sit, girls,” their father said as he sat next to his wife.
Elise and Kristen each took an armchair across from them. They exchanged a look.
Elise said what both of them were thinking, “What’s going on?”
Their mom started crying, and their father patted her arm.
“Girls, the cancer’s spread.”
Elise jumped to her feet. “What? But I thought they were getting it.”
“Peanut, please sit.”
Elise did somewhat reluctantly.
“We all thought I was doing well, but my latest scan showed the cancer has gotten worse.”
Their mother pulled out a handkerchief and covered her face as she cried harder.
“Oh, Daddy,” Kristen said.
“How-how much time do you have?” Elise asked.
“Six months to a year.”
With that news, the three women in her father’s life were crying in the living room.
Elise and Kristen rushed over and gave both their parents a hug. Elise saw her mom hesitate for just a moment before she hugged her tight.
When they had gotten the majority of their tears out, their father announced that it was time to eat.
“Dad, how do you expect us to eat at a time like this?” Elise asked.
“Because I’m a dying man, and it’s what I want. Every Sunday from now on. And you can bring your Luke, and you can bring”—he fluttered his hand around as he looked at Kristen, as if trying to find the word—“your girlfriend.”
“Actually, she’s my fiancée,” Kristen said.
Elise squealed. “Yay, I’m so excited for you,” she said, giving her sister a hug. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Kristen laughed and hugged her back. “Thank you. It just happened last night. I wanted to tell you in person.”
The two sisters pulled apart and looked at their parents.
Her father cleared his throat. “We’re happy for you, too.”
Kristen looked skeptical. “Why the change of heart?”
“Because I’m not going to live forever, and I don’t want to miss out on anything by being a stubborn fool.” He grabbed his wife’s hand. “And I don’t want your mother to be alone after I’m gone.”
“Oh, Ward,” she said.
“Mom won’t be alone,” Elise said. “We’ll be here for her.”
“That’s right,” Kristen said.
For the first time, their mom looked at them with a tentative smile.
Could their mom be ashamed of how she had treated them and that was why she hadn’t looked at them until now? Because she thought her daughters were mad at her?
“I made your favorite, girls. Chicken and dumplings,” their mom said.
“Oh my, that
sounds delicious,” Elise said.
“I can’t wait to eat,” added Kristen.
“Let’s go to the kitchen then,” their father said.
The four of them sat down at the table where Elise and Kristen had grown up and held hands to pray.
Elise spit out her toothpaste. “And then, Luke, my mother apologized. To both of us.” She rinsed her toothbrush in the sink and put it in the toothbrush holder. “I apologized for some of the things I said, and then they told me they were sorry they missed my birthday. I think I’m still in shock,” she finished as she walked out of the bathroom. “The best part was, I don’t think they even noticed my nose.”
Luke chuckled. “That’s amazing, babe. I’m so happy for you guys. You both deserve it,” he said from his spot on the bed. He was wearing boxers and a T-shirt and was reading a medical journal.
The first time she’d seen him doing that, she’d told him that he didn’t have to impress her with his smarts anymore. He’d replied that he actually found them interesting.
She remembered back to the night she and Luke had first slept together and how she liked brains in a man. She still did. But a medical journal? Bo-ring.
Elise changed into her pajamas and lay down on her side of the bed. She and Luke had been together long enough now for her to have a side, which made her smile inside. She rolled onto her stomach as Luke set his reading material down.
“I’m sorry about your father though,” Luke said as he slipped down on the bed beside her.
“Me, too. I’m sad about the things he’s going to miss. My wedding day. He won’t get to walk me down the aisle. He’ll never get to meet my kids.” She scrunched her pillow up under her head, so she’d have something else to do besides cry.
“Well, how about we take care of one of those things? And we can try really hard to start working on the second.”
Elise laid her head back down. “What do you mean?”
“Let’s get married. He can walk you down the aisle and be at your wedding. And then we can try for the baby-making. Unfortunately, I can’t speed up that process.”
Elise got up on her forearms. “Are you serious?” She held her breath as she waited for him to answer.
“Yeah, babe. Sorry, science has come a long way, but babies still take nine months. Ten, if you’re counting weeks.”
Elise pursed her lips and playfully pushed him. “You are such a tease.”
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