Page 54 of It Starts With Summer

Parker moaned and collapsed onto a bench near the entrance.“This break is going so badly.”

Jiya looked at Parker, then patted me on the shoulder.“Well, this looks like something the golden retriever’s boyfriend should handle.I’m going to go text my girlfriend.”She walked off, still rambling to herself as she pulled out her phone.“I can’t believe I came out to my parents!Eee!And they didn’t disown me or anything.”

Parker and I watched her walk to the next bench and start typing furiously on her phone.

“She’s going to call that coming out?”he asked, tilting his head.

“Typical Jiya.She’s the baby of the family.She gets away with everything.”

“Funny, that’s what she said about you.What are the chances your parents will forget all of that?”Parker buried his face in his hands.I sat next to him, rubbing his back.

“Look at it this way.My family loves you because you love me.Really, Jiya was the one I was most worried about.She’s sort of judgy, if you didn’t notice.And you now won her over for life.”

Parker rested his head on my shoulder.“She’s right about one thing: I need food to keep me cheerful,” he admitted.“Though I don’t know why she keeps calling me a golden retriever.”

“Maybe it’s the hair,” I said, ruffling his hair, which looked golden in the sun.

His eyes widened as realization dawned.“I can’t believe we gave up a free breakfast.”

I stood and pulled him to his feet.“You know what?We didn’t give anything up.Breakfast is still waiting.Jiya, we’re going to go inside and feed my boyfriend.You want to stay out here?”

Jiya waved me off and kept texting without responding.

“You’re sure you’re okay alone?”Parker asked her, but she ignored him, still busy texting.

“She’s fine.She’s right by the door to the hotel.”I took Parker’s hand in mine and led him back inside.My family was conspicuously absent from the breakfast room, and Parker and I stood shoulder-to-shoulder as a chef made us both omelets.He grabbed a gigantic pile of pastries and I poured us both coffee, and we went to sit at a booth in the corner.Parker sat so close that it would have bothered me in the past.He was touching me everywhere, invading my space.But somehow, knowing that touch was what he needed at the moment made it all okay.I was giving him something — helping him — and that made me wrap an arm around his waist and pull him closer.Doing that made eating awkward, but it felt right, too.

He sighed as he bit into a croissant.“I love you, baby,” he whispered, lifting his lips to kiss my cheek.“Sorry, I’m screwing this up.”

“Stop saying that,” I admonished, then cleared my throat.“Er, keep saying the love part.Stop saying the screw-up part.My family is going to welcome you as one of their own, you’ll see.”

He blinked, his eyes looking a little glassy, and I set down my fork and wrapped both arms around him, holding him close as he buried his face against my neck.“I don’t know why I’m crying.It’s probably just that I haven’t eaten.”He burrowed his head into my shoulder.I kissed the top of his head and held onto him, rubbing his back.

“I love you too much to worry about what my parents think.”

“I worry about what they think.I didn’t realize how alone I was until I had you,” he said after a moment.“For so many years, I told myself that I was fine on my own.But what if I wasn’t?”

“You’re strong, Parker, but I think everyone needs people sometimes.Look at me, even I get lonely sometimes, and I find most people baffling and irritating.”

He laughed softly into my shoulder, kissing me there.

“Anyway, it doesn’t matter now, because you’re not on your own, are you?You have me, Aiden and Jay, Ben,” I murmured."Now eat your food before low blood sugar makes your emotions even more volatile."

He sat up again, wiping his eyes on a napkin.They flooded with tears again.“If only I could stop screwing things up with your family, I might be able to keep you.”

“You don’t screw things up.You’re perfect and you get to keep me.Now eat your goddamn food.”

I reached up and cupped his jaw, marveling at his beauty.A shadow falling over the table made me look up to find my parents standing there, frowning.

“Is Parker okay?”my mom asked me, sitting down and reaching across to lay a hand over Parker’s.“Sweetheart, we didn’t mean to upset you.Esha is very sorry.And Jiya says you’re a wonderful boy, something about a golden retriever?And that you need us.”

My father was studying us both, a frown on his face, but he said nothing about what had happened.“You two ready to show us this town?”he asked.

Parker looked up, swallowing hard, blinking back the shine in his eyes.“You still want to?”

“Of course.”My dad waved his arms out wide.“We didn’t fly all this way to sit around in the hotel room, moping.You two finish your breakfast.We’ll gather up the family.And if there’s anything you feel uncomfortable with, you can tell us, son.My wife told me you don’t have a family, so you’d better get used to having one.”

“It’s not a threat!”My mom swatted at my dad’s arm.“What he’s trying to say is we can see the love between you and Ravi, and we appreciate that you are an honorable young man.We are happy to welcome you into our family.”

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