Page 114 of Dear Mr. Brody

It means I think I love you.

“Good, because I’m pretty fucking crazy about you, too.”

It means have me.

“Good, are you going to kiss me now?”

“I always want to kiss you,” he said and pushed me onto my back.

It means I’m yours.

Parker

The aquarium parking lot was almost completely full. When I’d finally found a parking spot, it was already thirty minutes past the time I was supposed to meet Van and his daughter. Anne’s birthday was this past Monday, but since it had also been the week of Thanksgiving, Van wanted to wait until after the holiday to celebrate. If I hadn’t had to take my mom and sister to the airport, I would have been on time. The fall breeze seeped through my thin sweater as I jogged toward the entrance. The last thing I wanted to do was ruin Van’s birthday date with his daughter. Yesterday, when I’d stayed the night at his place, he’d invited me to tag along. It had been kind of a surprise that he wanted me to come. We’d been a lot more careful about how often we were in public after he’d gotten the full-time job offer two weeks ago. He’d tried to say he didn’t want the position, but I’d told him he should take his time to consider it. The dean had emailed him the official offer, and as he’d predicted, the pay hadn’t been comparable, but the college did offer an extensive benefits package. With my encouragement, he’d talked to Anders, and they’d both worked out a plan where, if Van decided to take the job, he could still work for Lowe, but with a smaller client list. He’d have the best of both worlds. He could do what he’d always wanted and supplement his income. The only thing holding him back was me, and the longer he went without giving the dean an answer, the guiltier I felt.

There was a small group of people milling around outside, and as I made my way around all the eager families, I spotted Van. My chest tightened as I stared at him. He stood out in his dark jeans and black sweater, his smile wide for his daughter. His cheeks and nose were pink from the cold, his hair a little wind swept. The only word I could think of at the moment was breathtaking. If I wasn’t worried about the influence it would have on his decision about the job, I would have told him already how hard I’d fallen for him. For us. For Anne. I didn’t care if we had to be careful or hide longer than we’d originally anticipated. I graduated in two years. Things between us might not last that long, but if they did, two years seemed like nothing after all I’d already been through. He was worth the two years.

“Park!” Anne practically tackled me as I approached them. “You’re late.”

Van’s gaze was soft as I bent down and gave his daughter a hug.

“I’m sorry, little monster. I had to take my family to the airport,” I said. “If I give you a piggyback ride, will you forgive me?”

“I think so,” she said, and as she wriggled her way onto my back, she dug her heels into my stomach.

I might’ve grunted.

“You’re getting too big for piggyback rides, sweetheart.” Van laughed. “Park, you don’t have to do that.”

“I’m not too big,” she pouted.

“Are you doubting my strength?” I asked him, a private smile curving my lips. “I’m pretty sure I could lift you if I wanted.”

Like I did last night.

But I kept that to myself.

He blushed, stuffing his hands into his pockets, he said, “Should we head inside?”

“Can we see the whales first?” Anne asked. “Or the penguins.”

“Penguins, we should save the whales for last,” I said, and she rested her chin on my shoulder. “They’re the best.”

“Good plan.”

The inside of the aquarium was packed wall to wall with large groups of people: families, moms and dads, and shrieking children.

“I thought everyone went shopping the Saturday after Thanksgiving,” Van said as he scanned the crowded plaza. “I didn’t think this many people would be here today.”

“My sister and my mom went shopping for deals yesterday. Spent all day fighting for some rare toy for my nephew.” I laughed. “Mandi said Mom almost got into a fight.”

“Which toy?” Anne asked.

“Some robot thing, I don’t know, kiddo. Definitely nothing worth getting into a fight over.”

“Was your sister sad to leave?” Van asked me and I nodded.

“Yeah. But at least my mom flew back with her to help her pack everything up,” I said. “They’ll be back here with my nephew after the new year.”

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