Page 183 of Surprisingly Us

Rhys could buy me anything I want. He told me that, but it didn’t hold much appeal. While I do enjoy nice things, having people around me that love and support me, and show that by lightening the load when I’m stressed, is what really fills my cup.

I dip a forkful of the turkey meatloaf into the cauliflower mashed potatoes, because the combo of them together is what makes it tasty, then take a bite.

Delicious. It’s so good I make a little humming noise around it as I chew.

“Is it okay?” he asks, eyes watching me closely.

“It’s delicious. Thank you for cooking.”

“You’re welcome. I actually kind of enjoyed it. Until the finger slicing incident. And the task wasn’t as challenging with Taylor keeping me company.”

“Should I be jealous?” I tease. “Of Taylor?”

“Nah, I prefer brunettes.” He winks while he takes another bite of food.

“So, back to love languages. I should know yours.”

His lips twitch knowingly. “I’m sure you can guess it.”

“Let’s see, what are the options? Acts of service, gift giving, words of affirmation. What else?”

“Quality time and physical touch,” he adds.

He’s right. I do know his.

“I’m going to go out on a limb here and say physical touch.”

His grin is wide. “You know me so well.”

I laugh because I do and being with him is easy. It’s our first date but we’re far from strangers.

I want to keep things light and easy, but I’m also curious how my mom sounded when he talked to her.

My dad has officially moved out. And even though I know this is what they both want, my mom mentioned it was starting to sink in and she was feeling lonely.

“When you called my mom, how was she?” I ask.

“She was good. Happy that I was cooking for you. That you were being taken care of.”

I set my fork down, my appetite fading when I think about my parents.

“I’d love for my parents to be together and everything be good, like it has been my entire life, but they’re not happy. I can’t fault them for that.”

“Even if you want the best for them, it still sucks.”

“Yeah, it does.” I scoop some mashed cauliflower onto my fork and lick it. “I’m sorry. This conversation is depressing.”

Rhys reaches for my hand on the table. “It’s what’s going on in your life, Lettie. And I want to hear about it.”

I squeeze his hand. “Thank you.”

“Are you done?” he asks.

“Yeah, it was so good, I just can’t eat anymore.”

“I’ll pack it up so you can have leftovers.”

“You know how much I love leftovers.”

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