Page 31 of Simply Irresistible
Silence. Blessed, lovely silence.
Made awkward by the fact that all the women turned their attention to me.
Melanie tightened her grip on my hand, probably smelling my fear. I hadn’t been lying when I told her I never met a girl’s parents before. This encounter—an entire extended family—was brand new.
“This is my boyfriend, Tyler.” She tugged me into the room and right up to a short thin woman with Melanie’s eyes. “Hi, Mama,” she said, hugging the small lady. Melanie must have gotten her height from her father.
Her mother looked at her with adoration, in a way I’d guess my mother would have looked at me if she were still alive. When her attention turned to me, her expression was thoughtful.
“It’s lovely to finally meet you, Tyler.” She spoke perfect English. I’d wrongly assumed she’d have an accent, thanks to that movie. “Melanie has told me so little about you, but I was so pleased to hear she’d be bringing you to our little party today.”
“Mom,” Melanie whined, making the word several syllables long.
“What? I’m telling the truth.”
“You don’t always have to be so forthcoming with the info, Ma.”
She was blushing again, and I loved it. I thought I was even starting to love her, but aside from my sister and my parents I’d never loved anyone, so I wasn’t quite sure what it was supposed to be like. What it was supposed to feel like. I just wanted to be with her all the time. Talk to her. And when I couldn’t do either of those things, I thought about her. Was that what it meant to be in love?
Melanie nudged me. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Katsaros. I can see where Melanie gets her good looks.”
Her mother laughed, not falling for my charm but still mildly entertained. “Aren’t you adorable? You can call me Kathy.”
“Thank you, Kathy.”
“Your father is at the grill. He’s been there all afternoon.”
“Come on,” Melanie said, tugging me along again. “Let’s get this out of the way.” She stopped by the refrigerator on the way to the back door and pulled out three amber bottles. She handed me two, which I held in my free hand.
“Sam Adams?” I was going to get along great with her dad.
“It’s his favorite.” She lowered her voice. “It’s a peace offering. You’re dating his little girl...his only child...you need all the help you can get.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” I groaned as we exited the house into a screened-in patio, then out to the yard. I spotted Meredith sitting at a table with a few younger women who may have been Mel’s cousins. They had the same dark hair and eyes as the older women in the kitchen. Meredith smirked and waved, then said something to the other girls at the table that had them turning to watch me and Melanie approach her dad.
Thanks, Meredith.
“Daddy,” Melanie said to the tallest, bulkiest man standing by the grill. Even I had to look up to him, so he was definitely six-five, at a minimum.
“Cupcake!” the big man said, enveloping Melanie into his arms and lifting her off the ground.
“Put me down,” she laughed, hitting him on the back. It was clear she was a daddy’s girl, and it was also easy to see how much her father adored her.
“Hi, Uncle James, Marty.” She nodded to the two other men. I picked out James and his weak beard immediately. “Daddy,” she said in that same saccharine sweet voice she’d greeted him with, “this is my boyfriend, Tyler.”
Her father visibly stiffened and faced me straight on.Shit.He was intimidating.
I held out my hand and hoped my voice didn’t crack. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Katsaros.”
He took my hand and shook it. Quite possibly the most firm handshake I’d ever experienced. It also felt like twenty-five silent minutes had passed before he finally let go. “You planning on drinking both of those?” he asked, nodding to the beers in my other hand.
“Oh. No, not at all. This one's for you,” I handed him a bottle. “I’ll stick with one since I’ll be escorting Mel home later.”
“You driving?” he asked.
“No, sir. But I like to keep my wits about me when I’m out with your daughter.”
Melanie smiled and wrapped herself around my arm again. She made me feel one hundred feet tall, and I needed that in that moment.
