Page 69 of Bi-Partisan

With a sigh, he turns his head.

“They’re gonna adore you,” I tell him.

“How do you know?”

“Because there’s nothing about you not to like,” I say, smiling gently.

He scoffs.

“Would I lie?”

He raises an eyebrow, as if to say, “You’re a politician,” or “you literally lied to your parents and the entire internet about us dating.” And, okay, yes, he has a point, but I roll my eyes anyway.

“Fine, I’ll rephrase: would I lie to you?”

He takes a deep breath, then lets it out slowly. “No, I don’t think you would.”

“Correct,” I say with a gentle smile. “They’re going to love you, okay? And I won’t leave your side, I promise. And if you get overwhelmed, I’ll use showing you my childhood bedroom as an excuse for you to duck out.”

He nods and offers a tentative smile. “Okay. Thank you.”

“Of course.”

“Are you okay?” he asks, squeezing my hand.

Just the fact that he asks already has some of the tension leaving my body. “I’m a little nervous, but I’m also excited.”

With my free hand, I cup his chin and lean in to give him a chaste, but lingering kiss on the lips. When I pull away, his eyes dart to the front porch, and his cheeks go pink.

“My mom is standing on the porch, isn’t she?” I say dryly.

“If your mom has blue hair and wears what looks like long kimonos, then yes,” he says with a grimace.

“Blue hair?” I whip my head toward the house to find my mother standing on the porch.

She’s wearing a floral kimono over a T-shirt and leggings, and sure enough, her usually gray hair is tinted blue. She waves, and I smile and unbuckle my seatbelt.

“Come on.” I squeeze his hand one more time before climbing out of the car. “Hey Mom,” I shout as I wait for Adrian.

“Hey, baby,” she shouts back.

As he rounds the hood of the car, I hold my hand out to him, then lead him up to the porch.

“How was the drive down yesterday?” my mom asks as she gives me a one armed hug since I’m still holding Adrian’s hand.

“Good. We hit some traffic coming out of the city, but what else is new?” I say with a laugh. Then I look at Adrian with a soft smile. “Mom, this is Adrian. Adrian, this is my mom, Shelia.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” he says, sticking his free hand out to shake.

“Oh, none of that,” she says, waving off his hand. She holds out her arms. “I’m sure Jamie’s told you we’re a hugging family.”

I smile at him encouragingly, then let go of his hand so he can step into her hug. He bends slightly to tentatively wrap his arms around her shoulders as she hooks her chin over his shoulder and squeezes him tight.

“It’s so good to finally meet you, sweetheart. Jamie’s told us all about you,” she says warmly. She pats his back once, then lets him go with a grin. “Well, come on in. We’ve got coffee and mimosas, and Dad’s making eggs and bacon.”

“Mimosas? Really, Mom, it’s 9:30 a.m. on a Friday.” I laugh and rest a hand on Adrian’s lower back to guide him inside after my mom.

She scoffs and waves a hand dismissively. “What? Your dad is still on summer break, I have the day off, and you’re on vacation. Besides, it’s not every day my only child brings home his boyfriend for a visit,” she says before heading down the hall toward the kitchen and shouting after my dad. “Paul, the boys are here!”

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