Page 93 of Mayhem
Erin was spacing the cookie dough on parchment paper on a baking sheet, and he slid onto a barstool to watch her. It was quiet between them for a few seconds.
“The new software update starts rolling out tomorrow, right?” she asked.
Cruz knew he shouldn’t have been surprised that she remembered, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a bit. Erin was the first woman he’d dated who took an interest in what he did,outside of the fact that it could afford him to buy them anything they wanted.
“It does. We’re rolling it out in segments, but it should all be done by Monday at midnight.”
“Does that mean you’re doing more than half a day tomorrow, and you’ll have to work this weekend?” She placed the cookies in the oven.
“I may be at work a little longer tomorrow to triple-check that the rollout schedule is set, but I won’t be working the weekend. I did during the last update, so my engineers will split the shifts during this one.”
Paetyn returned from upstairs, dressed in gray lounge pants, and sat on one of the stools.
“How do you decide which businesses go in which update section?” Erin asked.
“By size. Smaller businesses tend only to have one security system, while larger ones may have multiple.”
“That makes sense,” she responded, leaning against the island. “So, I don’t know if I told you, but my dad was supposed to visit me for Father’s Day but got called away—a hazard of the job. Anyway, I’m inviting him to my opening. So, I thought I should let you know.”
“What would you like us to do, Angel?” Paetyn asked.
“What do you mean?” she asked, head tilted.
“Parents don’t always take our relationship well. We aren’t opposed to you introducing only one of us since we plan to be there for your opening, too,” Paetyn informed.
It wouldn’t be the first time they’d done so. While everyone that mattered to them knew about the relationship they liked to have, it didn’t mean that other people wouldn’t have an opinion. It was often hard for parents to comprehend or accept that their daughter was dating more than one man. They’d both alwaysunderstood that, and Cruz had no issue with them doing that for Erin until she felt comfortable enough to tell her father.
“Absolutely not,” she replied, shaking her head. “I’m not in this relationship with only one of you, and I’m not ashamed of that. I won’t be hiding it. I’m a grown woman, and my dad has no say in who I date. Besides, he’s always been accepting of my partners regardless of their gender, so having more than one shouldn’t be any different.”
Cruz had forgotten that Erin dated or used to date women also. He was pleasantly surprised that she had no issue introducing them both. It was the first time he could remember that being the case upon an initial meeting.
“If that’s what you want, Maly.”
“It is,” she assured.
Paetyn wasn’t shocked that Erin shot down the idea of introducing only one of them to her father. Throughout their relationship, he’d realized that she had no issue with their relationship and no intention of hiding it away from people. When they were out, she was always affectionate with them and didn’t care who was watching. He figured now was a good time to bring up her meeting their parents.
“Since we’re on the discussion of parents, Lena has asked that we bring you over to introduce you,” Paetyn stated.
Erin furrowed her brow. “But I’ve already met Lena.”
“We both told her that, but she claims she wants to meet you as our girlfriend, and my father is co-signing her request. They want to have dinner at their house,” Paetyn informed.
She looked between the two of them. “Your parents live together?”
“They do,” Cruz responded.
“Duh, I knew that. I remember you telling me that at dinner, Paetyn, but I guess it didn’t click. Are they married?”
“Mm, no. Not legally. I suppose they’d be considered common law married,” Cruz supplied.
“So, the two of you are like…brothers. Why am I just now knowing this?” she questioned.
He chuckled. “I guess we never really think about it. We were raised together after our parents started dating. In a sense, it makes us brothers,” Paetyn responded.
“How long have your parents been together?”
“Since we were nine and ten,” Cruz answered.
