Page 51 of What If I See You

Griffin turns off the car and glances at me. “You ready?”

I click off my seatbelt still glancing out my window. “Yeah. Where are we exactly?”

“Home sweet home,” he answers. “This is where I grew up.”

My jaw drops and a million butterflies begin to flutter through my stomach. “Wait, are you kidding? We’re at your parents’ house?”

“Yeah. My mom makes the best lasagna you’ll ever eat.”

A feeling of dread washes over me as every worst-case scenario spins furiously through my mind.

What if his mom hates me?

What if his dad hates me?

What if his brother hates me?

What if they can tell we’re not in love?

What if they call our bluff?

What if I’m forced out and have to find an Uber home?

I don’t even know where we are exactly.

“Griffin!” I scoff. “You brought me to meet your parents and you didn’t even tell me?”

Hastily, I yank down the passenger side visor to glance at myself in the mirror. Luckily my hair looks good because I styled it to take pictures with Griffin this morning but otherwise, I’m a mess.

Inside and out.

“I figured it was easier to just show up than it would’ve been to let you be nervous about it all day.”

I mean…he might be right, but fuck!

I wasn’t prepared for this.

“Ugh! Griffin! Look at me! I’m wearing leggings!”

His eyes slide over me from head to toe and then he smiles and brings a hand up to cup my face in his palm. “I am looking at you, Naughty. And you look amazing. I told you that.”

“But what am I supposed to say to them?” I worry. “We didn’t come up with a plan and I don’t want to come across all flustered in front of your family. What if they don’t like me?”

He laughs at me. “What’s not to like? You’re an amazing woman.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” I flail my arms. “Maybe they’ll think I’m a self-righteous bitch or maybe they’ll think I’m a spoiled brat, or maybe they’ll think I’m a failure, or maybe they’ll think my appearance is terrible or maybe, they’ll simply hate me for marrying you without their blessing or invitation. Maybe they’ll blame me for everything like I-I-I…took you away from them on purpose or something.” My body is heating so much I start to sweat. “Maybe they’ll see me as some kind of gold-digger who tricked you into marrying me for your money.”

“Layken,” he says softly. “Hey…” He brings one hand to my face, his fingers lifting my chin so I’ll look at him, and the other hand slides across my thigh. His touch immediately centers me. “Relax. Take a deep breath with me.” He inhales smoothly as I take a deep, shaky breath and then we both release together. “My parents are not your parents, okay? There’s not one thing about you they’re not going to like. They’re going to love you. I promise.”

“But how do you know for sure?” I grasp his arm. “Tell me right now, do I resemble an old ex or anything like that?”

He chuckles. “Not even close. You’re a billion times more beautiful than any ex I could have ever had.” He watches me triple check my appearance in the mirror as I bite the corner of my lip. “Trust me, okay? I promise I won’t leave you alone. Just…” He glances at me again and covers my hand with his. “Be prepared. I told you Gage has Down Syndrome, right?”

“You did, yeah.”

“He’s a great guy. The best. But he can be affectionate. I mean, we’re a family of huggers but you’ll find that out pretty quickly.”

“I don’t mind hugs, Griffin.” God knows I didn’t get them much growing up which is why I’ve always made sure to give the kids at the hospital hugs every time I see them.

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