Page 39 of Laugh

This is Your Family?

Beau

Haddie opens her door within seconds of me knocking, and I thought it was because she was excited to see me, but the moment I see her face, I know something’s not right.

I go to ask what’s wrong, but she holds her finger to her mouth to keep me from talking. That’s when I notice that she’s got her phone up to her ear.

“Do you want me to go over there tonight and check on him, Mrs. O’Brien?”

Thinking quickly, I remember that Marcus’s last name was O’Brien, so maybe it’s his mom that she’s talking to? She’s looking up at me while she listens, opens her mouth to say something, then snaps it shut again. Finally, she responds.

“I saw him last night when we were all out. He seemed like he was a bit tired, but he said that he had to work early today. When we spoke this afternoon, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But I have noticed that he’s not been quite himself over the past couple of weeks. Honestly, I can go over there. I havenoproblems canceling my plans with the ‘rents.”

There’s worry written all over her face, but once she lets out a quick laugh and relaxes, I find my muscles loosening right along with her.

“Maybeyoushould come along and protect us.” She pauses, then gives me a shy smile. “Oh, right. I suppose it’s been a minute since we’ve talked. I’m sort of bringing a boy–” I cut her off with a raised eyebrow and she snickers. “Excuse me, amanwith me to dinner tonight. I’m sort of seeing someone right now.”

Mrs. O’Brien’s voice raises through the speaker in what sounds like excitement, but I can’t make out what she’s saying. Haddie turns her back to me and hisses, not quietly, “Go ask your son for details, Miss Buttinsky. I’ll tell you nothing.NothingI say!”

Her affronted gasp has me chuckling out loud. “You take that back! You can’t be trusted with secrets. You’ll run to your cribbage group so quickly to fill them in that I’ll have a call from my dad before I even make it to his house. Don’t deny it.”

The look she gives me over her shoulder makes me take an involuntary step closer, and I wrap my arms around her from behind. Leaning down, I can hear the end of Mrs. O’Brien’s rant.

“–all about it tomorrow then. I refuse to get secondhand details from Marc or anyone else around here. I want ALL the details. Is he a nice boy? Treating you right? He better–”

Clearing my throat, I know she hears me when she immediately stops talking. “I’m going to try my best, Mrs. O’Brien,” I tell her.

“Oh my. Well, I’m so happy to hear that. Our Harry is a special girl, and we only want the best for her.”

Groaning, Haddie closes her eyes. “Don’t be weird, Mrs. O. He hasn’t even met the whole family yet.”

I press a kiss to her cheek and step back from eavesdropping on their conversation. Jingling my keys at her, I grin when she nods quickly, shoving her phone between her shoulder and ear as she picks up her purse. “Listen, I need to run. Are yousureyou don’t want me to go over there?”

Another pause and her shoulders drop and a giant smile spreads across her face. “Awesome, I’m glad he’s calling you right now. Tell him I’m going to kick his ass tomorrow. Love you.”

Haddie hangs up the phone and gives me an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that. Mrs. O’Brien had tried to call Marcus today a few times and couldn’t get a hold of him. She’s been worried about him because he’s been doing that a lot lately.”

There’s worry in her voice, which makes my concern grow. She knows him well, so if that’s out of the norm for him, I don’t like it either. “Do we need to go over to his place? I’m at your disposal, happy girl.”

The smile that lights up her face is absolutely breathtaking. “He was calling through at the end of the conversation. I’ll go see him tomorrow. As much as I’d love to avoid the stepmonster tonight, I’m not letting you off the hook. I need protection from her passive aggressive complimentary insults.”

Smirking, I hold the door open for her. “It’ll be my pleasure. Can’t wait,” I say sarcastically.

Haddie’s little snort is adorable and makes me chuckle. “I was slightly worried that this would be the last time you’d ever want to see me again, but I think you’ll hold up well enough.” She pats my chest as she walks by. “Deborah likes a man with muscles.”

We make our way down to my car and, of course, she makes more comments about it being equivalent to a spaceship. Her obsession with the technology in here is actually pretty flattering. I’m glad she likes it, especially because I love having her in here with me.

Every other time I’ve driven a date, the drive has seemed uneventful and slightly boring. It’s always been about getting to the destination. But with Haddie, I have just as much fun during the between parts and it’s refreshing to feel that. Looking forward to just hanging out with her has been some of my favorite parts of spending time with her.

By the time we make it to her dad’s place, her mood has changed. She’s still cracking jokes, but now her smile is brittle and shifting around nervously. She shoots quick looks out the window toward the house, like she’s having difficulty making eye contact with me.

“Happy,” I say carefully, interrupting another rambling speech she’s making about the different tassels of sweet corn and field corn. “We don’t have to go in if you’re not comfortable. If you want to go home, I’ll turn the car around and pretend we never stopped. If you’d like to go in there alone, I’ll wait until you’re ready to be picked up. I’d offer to go in there alone, but I don’t think you’d want that because you’re too sweet to subject me to them without reinforcements. Just tell me what you want to do.”

Haddie looks me over, presumably deciding how serious I’m being. When she finally realizes that I mean every word, she leans forward and plants her lips heavily against mine.

Cupping the sides of my face when she pulls back, her eyes dance back and forth. “I think that’s probably the sweetest, most gracious offer I’ve ever been tempted to take. It’ll be okay though. Just… please don’t judge me for the way they are.”

Her pleading breaks my heart because I feel her anxiety in my soul. It’s the same when I introduce my father to anyone I care about. Kissing her forehead, then the tip of her nose, I pinch her chin and tilt her face up to look at me. “Your family doesn’t make you who you are. I’d never hold their sins against you. Someday, I hope you’ll meet mine, and when that day happens, I’ll need the same reassurance from you.”

---