“If Gabe finds out that he’s marrying into crazy,” Melanie said, “he’ll break off our engagement.”
“Your parents aren’t crazy,” Nikki said, but then she lifted her hands in surrender. “Okay, your parents are a little out there, but it’s only because they love you so much. I’d give anything to have parents like yours.”
Melanie snorted. “You wouldn’t say that if they were yours.”
Nikki yanked Melanie’s phone from her hand and managed to dial Melanie’s mother before she could get the device away from her. Melanie ended the call and shoved her phone back into her pocket. She had her mouth open to chastise Nikki, when her phone rang. She didn’t have to look at caller ID to know it was her mother. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then answered. She didn’t want the police to show up at her place because she didn’t pick up.
“Is everything okay, Melanie? You called but I wasn’t fast enough to answer.”
Melanie imagined her mother practicing speedy call acceptances like she was a Western gunslinger trying to perfect drawing her weapon.
“Everything is fine, Mom. I just butt dialed you. Sorry.”
“That’s okay. I haven’t talked to you for days. How’s work?”
“Uh, well, I took some vacation days.”
“Then why haven’t you visited? Your dad made this great new beer. He’s been dying for you to come try it out.”
Nikki was giving Melanie a blend of the evil eye and a look of chastisement.
Melanie pivoted to the wall. “Actually, I did want to call and ask if you and Daddy wanted to join me for dinner. I . . . uh . . . have someone I’d like you to meet.”
“A new boy?”
Melanie rolled her eyes. Would she be perpetually twelve years old to her parents? “Not a boy, a man,” Melanie said. “And he’s incredibly important to me, so I don’t want you to act all overprotective when you meet him.”
“So it’s serious? How come you haven’t mentioned you’ve been seeing someone?”
She hadn’t had the time. “Because I wanted to be sure he was impervious to criticism before I introduced him to you and Daddy.”
Mom snorted. “Mel, we aren’t that bad.”
They were that bad. “So, dinner?”
“Dad’s been working on a rack of ribs for hours. Why don’t you bring your little friend here? Around seven?”
Her little friend? Gabe was far from little and was much more to her than a friend, but Melanie said, “Okay, but if you start acting like jerks, we’ll leave, and you might not ever see me again.”
“Why would we act like jerks?”
“Because . . .” How should she put it? “Because he’s not an accountant.”
Her mother laughed. “That’s probably a good thing. I remember how well your last relationship with an accountant went.”
“You’re being a jerk,” Melanie pointed out. “See you at seven.” She hung up before she changed her mind. Perhaps she should have asked Gabe if he was okay meeting her parents on their turf. They’d have to be more civil to him in public. But maybe she was worried over nothing. Except for the overprotective-bordering-on-oppressive thing, her parents were wonderful people.
She sent Gabe a text. How’s the car doing? We’re having dinner with my parents at seven. Hope you’re not stuck on the side of the road somewhere. Let me know if you need a tow.
He didn’t respond immediately—she hoped that meant the driving was going well—so she continued to help Nikki pack while Nikki prattled on about various times she’d gone head to head with Melanie’s parents. They treated Melanie like a princess. It was anyone who dared cause their princess grief that they turned on. And Nikki had caused Melanie plenty of grief in the past. Melanie kept them separated these days. She loved her parents dearly, but Nikki was an important part of her life too. If Mom and Dad had issues with Gabe, she supposed she could just keep them apart as much as possible.
A message from Gabe came at about six. Just now saw this. I’m on my way back to the apartment. The car is running fine. See you in a few.
“I thought maybe he’d chickened out and headed back to Texas,” Melanie said as Nikki helped her pick out something to wear to dinner.
“He’s the one who wanted to meet them,” Nikki said, holding a slinky red dress up to Melanie’s front.
“Uh, I’m taking my fiancé to meet my parents, not picking up johns on a shady street corner.”
Nikki rolled her eyes. “You’re so gorgeous, yet you never show off the goods.”
“I show them off plenty to Gabe. He’s the only one who needs to see them.”
Melanie shoved the red dress back into the closet and pulled out a soft wholesome-looking green sundress that she knew her father liked. She paired it with flat sandals and a light sweater. The only make-up she applied was the lightest dusting of powder, some mascara, and a blush-toned lip gloss. Maybe by looking fresh-faced and sweet she’d counter some of Gabe’s overstated alternative look. She liked how he looked. In fact, his tattoos, piercings, and Mohawk turned her on, but it wasn’t the kind of look her parents would appreciate. She wasn’t going to insist he dress in any particular fashion when he met them. If he wanted to wear leather, a T-shirt that read FUCK AUTHORITY, and his Mohawk spiked straight to the sky, she wouldn’t have a problem with that. Whatever made him comfortable was fine with her. She’d love for her parents to accept him, but if they didn’t, it wasn’t a deal breaker. She loved him and didn’t care who approved or disapproved of their relationship.
Yeah, she told herself all that. But in her heart she’d be overjoyed if they approved of him.
A few minutes later, Gabe knocked on the door. She smiled at him, took from his hand the bouquet of white lilies and pink roses that he told her were for her mom, and kissed his cheek. He was filthy—hands covered in oil, grime, and general filth—and she had to admit he’d never looked sexier.
“Hope I have time for a shower,” he said, pulling his shirt off over his head as he headed for the apartment’s single bathroom.
Nikki offered his shirtless body an appreciative whistle before he closed the bathroom door.
“Aww, he bought you flowers?” Nikki said, touching the silky white petal of one of the lilies.
“No, he’s even sweeter than that. He bought my mother flowers.”
The shower kicked on, and Melanie stared at the closed door, wishing she had time to join him in there. She loved the dirty, sweaty version of Gabe, but might admire his wet and naked version even more. She couldn’t be sure unless she got an eyeful for comparison.
“If they don’t absolutely love him, they’re idiots,” Nikki said.
“Let’s hope they can get over their prejudices. If not, they’re the ones who’ll miss out.”
“Are you going to tell them that you two are engaged?”
Melanie lifted her left hand to show Nikki her naked ring finger. “Don’t see why I should. He hasn’t put a ring on it yet.”
“He hasn’t had time to put a ring on it.”
“I’m not upset about it,” Melanie said, staring longingly at the bathroom door. How late would they be if she stripped off her dress and joined him? “I figured we’d let them adjust to the idea of my new boyfriend before we force them to consider him my future husband.”
“Hey, if I was engaged to that delicious man, there wouldn’t be a person on the planet that I wasn’t proud to tell.”
Melanie grimaced, appalled by the connotation in Nikki’s words. “Does it seem like I’m ashamed of him?”
Nikki shook her head. “No, just that you expect others not to accept him for who he is.”
It was practically the same thing. She needed to get that vibe under wraps. If her parents picked up on it, they’d run with it. “I wish everyone saw him the way I do.”
“As a hot-as-fuck and talented badass with a great body and amazing green eyes?” Nikki snorted. “Trust me. Everyone sees him that way.”
But that was
n’t all that Melanie saw when she looked at him. “I see him as heroic, tender, a little hot-headed if he’s been wronged, but ultimately a good person.”
“I assume you’re talking about me.”
Gabe’s deep voice made Melanie jump.
Nikki giggled. “He caught you waxing poetic about him.”
Melanie turned to find him wearing nothing but a towel, his exposed chest and belly glistening with water. The fresh, clean scent of soap on his recently scrubbed flesh had her knees a bit wobbly. “If he hadn’t interrupted, I would have added that he’s smart, adventurous, talented, and devastatingly inventive.”
Gabe crossed his arms over his chest, his towel slipping an inch lower as he stood straight. “Do go on,” he said.
“He’s also a bit cocky. I’m not talking Shade Silverton’s level of cocky, but he’s not lacking in self-confidence.”
“Shade is perfectly cocky,” Nikki said. She moaned as if being tortured. “He also has a perfectly huge cock.”
“Gabe,” Melanie said, “you might want to keep your gorgeous body concealed from the recovering sex addict. She’s already thinking of Shade as a viable option.”
“Shade is always a viable option,” Nikki said, taking in an eyeful of Gabe. “He stops when you say stop, but who the hell would want him to stop?”
“Who would want him to start?” Melanie countered. She honestly didn’t understand Jacob’s appeal. He was good looking, but she just didn’t recognize him as having any substance, and now that he’d left Gabe and his bandmates high and dry just because he felt like it, she liked him even less.
“How long do I have before we’re supposed to be at your parents’ house?” Gabe asked.
Melanie glanced at the clock on the wall. “About three minutes.”
“Shit!” He disappeared into Melanie’s bedroom and shut the door.
“I hope they don’t use our tardiness against him,” Melanie said, figuring they’d use any negative as ammunition.
“He really is a good guy,” Nikki said. “But admit it. If you’d realized who he was before you started talking to him, you never would have come to know who he was, because you wouldn’t have given him a chance.”
“Exactly, and where do you think I picked up that horrible bias?”
“Your parents.”
Melanie nodded. “It will do me good to get out of Kansas.”
“Not sure how much a week in Austin will free you from their shelter.”
Melanie opened her mouth to remind her that she was moving to Austin for good, but remembered in time that they hadn’t told Nikki the move would be permanent. And that would be another weapon in her parents’ arsenal against Gabe. He was taking their baby girl far away from them. She predicted the evening was going to be a total disaster.
Gabe hurried out of the bedroom a moment later, looking mind-bogglingly attractive in a pair of black slacks and a white button-down dress shirt. She stared at him, mouth agape, for a long minute before realizing he was asking for assistance in buttoning his cuff sleeve. He’d applied a splash of cologne, which she could only smell when she was really close. The scent made her want to bury her face in his neck and breathe him in.
“Should I wear a hat?” he asked.
Melanie tilted her head back, her heart throbbing with excitement. Why on earth would he want to shade those gorgeous green eyes beneath the brim of a hat?
“I don’t have time to grow my hair out,” he added.
“Wear whatever makes you comfortable,” Melanie said. She was too far gone over the guy to give a fuck what her parents thought.
Gabe licked his lips. “Trust me when I say a man is never comfortable when he meets his future in-laws.”
“Her parents are ultraconservative,” Nikki said. “You should probably wear a Ronnie Reagan mask if you want them to like you.”
Gabe blew out his cheeks. “Hat, it is.”
He slipped back into the bedroom and reemerged wearing a trendy black fedora. Melanie let out a low whistle.
“Why didn’t you tell me you clean up so well?”
“Because I prefer to be dirty.” Gabe winked at her and extended his arm to take her hand. “Ready when you are.”
He let her drive since she knew the way. The flowers he held clutched in one hand were shaking slightly, but she didn’t let him know she noticed. She did let him know that he was flipping brilliant. Her car ran better than it had in years.
“I thought fixing new cars was impossible for anyone but a technician with all sorts of diagnostic equipment,” she said.
“You had a vacuum hose leak. Easy to fix.”
“My car has a vacuum? Can’t tell with all those crumbs under the seats.”
He laughed and picked up her hand. His palm was a bit damp, but she didn’t point that out either.
“Just so you know,” Melanie said, “if they don’t love you—and I’m not sure how they couldn’t, you’re amazing—I love you. Their opinion won’t change my mind.”
“Just like their opinion didn’t make you afraid of tattoos and men who have them?”
“I was an impressionable child at the time. I didn’t think my parents could be wrong about anything. They were wrong to exacerbate my fear into a phobia. I see that now. You helped me see that. Now it’s their turn to get over their stupid prejudices against tattoos. Tattoos are mainstream. I’d say half the people our age have at least one.”
“How many of those have them on their scalps?” Gabe pointed to his head.
“Just the best ones. I plan to get one to match.”
He laughed and squeezed her hand. She had been joking, sort of. She did want to get a tattoo, mostly to prove that she wasn’t afraid, but also because she was starting to think of them as sexy, and she wanted to be sexy for Gabe. She didn’t have plans to add one to her scalp, however. That had to hurt. She was thinking of something like a butterfly on her shoulder. Nothing too over the top. In any case, she’d hoped her little spiel would make him feel better, but he still looked green around the collar.
She pulled up into her parents’ driveway, the brick ranch house looking much the same as it had her entire life, and put the car in park. “Just remember you’re the one who wanted to meet them. I did not force this on you.” She kissed him on the lips and opened her door. After a few seconds, Gabe climbed out and adjusted his hat, tugged at a shirt sleeve, and smoothed a nonexistent wrinkle in his pant leg. Her warnings had the poor guy entirely nervous. Perhaps she shouldn’t have told him about her parents at all. Maybe it would have been easier to surprise him the same way she was surprising them. She linked her elbow through Gabe’s and urged him forward.
“Last I checked, they don’t have rabies,” she said, leaning close to him and catching the scent of his sweet and woodsy cologne. “They won’t bite. Their schnauzer, on the other hand, has been known to take a nip out of a kneecap or two.”
“Maybe I should wait for you in the car.”
Their arrival was announced by Lucy’s vigorous barking. Melanie opened the front door, and the barking morphed into an excited howl. She squatted to pet the pooch, but Lucy had spotted Gabe. Her growl of warning made Melanie cringe. Undeterred, Gabe squatted next to Lucy and made no threatening moves while the dog sniffed him.
“What’s his name?” Gabe asked.
“Her name is Lucy.”
“Hello, Lucy,” Gabe said, taking on his higher-pitched dog-speaking voice. “Are you a good girl?”
He extended his hand slowly, gauging the dog’s reaction, and she gave it a sniff before licking him and accepting him as a new member of her pack. Gabe scratched behind her ear, and she wagged her tail.
Melanie smiled as she watched the pair bond. “Good at fixing cars and charming cranky little dogs. I picked a winner.”
Gabe laughed and stood straight.
“Is that you, Melanie?” her mom called from the back of the house. “We’re out on the deck. Dad’s grilling ribs.”
“Dad
makes great ribs,” Melanie said, her belly rumbling at the thought of scarfing some down. She was a little surprised the pair of them weren’t standing at the front door in anticipation of meeting her new boyfriend. Maybe they’d mellowed since they’d celebrated the loss of her last one.
“I love ribs,” Gabe said.
When they entered the kitchen, her mom was removing cold dishes from the refrigerator and setting them on the counter. “Could you give me a hand, Melanie?”
Melanie rushed forward to take the huge bowl of coleslaw out of her mom’s hands. Which was a good thing. Mom had just spotted Gabe, and her grip went slack. If Melanie hadn’t had a hand on the bowl, it would have dropped to the floor.
“This is Gabe,” Melanie said, feeling all sorts of awkward. “My mom.”
Trust Me Page 9
