Page 10 of The Bro Pact
“Yup. All ready to go. If you are too, we could head out tonight. There’s nothing stopping us.” The impatient twinkle is back.
“That sounds awesome, but we can’t leave without saying bye to my mom, and that means family dinner with my parents and Nelson tonight.”
Warren groans, and I can’t blame him when he’s not even subjected to his own family dinners, but he agreed to go, and he knows he has to say bye to my mom.
“You can bring Val if you want. My mom’s always happy to have another girl at the dinner table.” I’m looking for a distraction, and Warren’s sister is almost as close with my mom as he is.
“Nah. If she comes, she’ll only drag the dinner out. If we just eat and say goodbye to your parents, in a respectable amount of time of course, we could possibly still hit the road tonight.”
“You’re really eager to get going, huh?” I chuckle lightly.
“Aren’t you?” Ren asks in return. His gray eyes shimmer with excitement, reminding me of the hidden lake and secret dock.
Thoughts of Marissa hover at the surface, but I push them under. I don’t care what she’s doing this summer. I’m going on a road trip with my best friend.
“Yeah,” I say wholeheartedly. “I am.” My grin mirrors his, slowly stretching into a wide smile. “You’re right. We should try to leave tonight. Even if we only drive for an hour. Let’s get the fuck outta here.”
Val apparently got wind of Sunday dinner from Nelson, so here she is sitting across the table from me in a white sundress with red roses, looking like a prettier version of her brother.
“Valentina, honey, I’m so glad you could join us tonight,” my mom coos, smiling warmly. “You look lovely. Doesn’t she, boys?”
We all hum our agreement. There’s no question that Val is beautiful. Nelson’s been chasing her for years.
“Thank you, Mrs. Fitzpatrick. I’m so happy to be here.” Val gives me a wink before helping herself to my mother’s famous green bean casserole and baked chicken legs.
“How many times do I have to ask you to call me Carol, honey?” my mom insists with a kind smile.
“Sorry, Carol.” Val smiles sweetly. Her shiny dark hair, full red lips, and perfectly white teeth make her as popular with the guys as Ren is with the girls on campus. “Thank you so much for having me over, you know I love your cooking and your company.”
My mom beams fondly at Ren’s sister before passing her homemade butter rolls. “Eat up.”
We all dig in, eating in silence for a while. My mom is an amazing cook, and I’ve tried to learn a few of her recipes, but nothing seems to compare.
Engrossed in my meal, I nearly jump out of my seat when Ren moans loudly as he takes a bite of Mom’s fluffy rolls. “So fucking good, Mrs. Fitz,” he mumbles with his mouth stuffed full and his lips glistening with butter.
My dad clears his throat, frowning at the curse word and poor manners. He’s a quiet man, but he’s old school when it comes to respect. Kinda like Ren’s dad, so he should know better.
Ren’s cheeks go pink as he continues to chew the large bite, and Val snickers under her breath.
Once he swallows the lump of bread without choking, he smiles sheepishly at my dad. “My apologies for the foul language, sir. Like my sister said, I really enjoy having dinner with you all, and your wife’s cooking is just icing on top of the cake.”
Ren grunts when I kick him in the shin under the table, hoping he’ll stop laying it on so fucking thick.
“I understand you like to eat, and you know we’re happy to have you, but let’s do without the curse words, hmm?” my dad asks with a stern smile. “There are ladies present.”
Valentina giggles, batting her eyelashes at my dad, and my mom stands up, heading for the kitchen.
“Well, this old lady is off to get dessert,” she jokes, petting Ren’s head as she walks by. “Glad you enjoy the butter rolls, honey.”
I follow Mom into the kitchen while the table continues to laugh and joke. I catch Ren’s eye and give him a reassuring nod that I’m okay before I disappear.
He knows I’ve been dreading this, but I need to speak with my mom privately before we leave, even if I have to brush off any talk of my ex.
“Hey, Mom,” I whisper, walking into the kitchen with small, shuffling steps. This is her domain, and it makes me feel like a kid again.
She spins around with a potholder on. “Hi, baby. Give me a hand, please?”
There’s a sheet pan covered in foil sitting on the countertop, and I can smell them without even looking. Underneath are her famous double chocolate chip brownies, fresh out of the oven.
