Page 31 of Falling for You
CeCe checked her phone for the time and realized she was going to be late to Evan’s if she didn’t leave now. Tossing her cheesy bites into a plastic container, she dashed to the bathroom to run a brush through her hair and swipe a little mascara on her lashes. Nothing major, but enough to show she was trying.
CeCe arrived at Evan’s on time filled with a sense of anticipation. This was a big step, and she was eager to start their journey, whatever it may be. As she got out of the car, she saw a familiar face leaving Evan’s apartment.
Before she could greet Mallory, CeCe heard her talking to Evan. “You need to come to family dinner this Sunday. I know it’s usually a nightmare, but Mom is upset you haven’t been in over a month. Please, Ev.”
“Hope I’m not interrupting anything,” CeCe greeted from the stoop. Mallory looked tired, clad in crumpled nurse’s scrubs; her eyes looked darker than her hair. Evan was dressed casually in jeans and a Bruce Lee T-shirt that did funny things to her insides. No man should look that good in cotton.
Evan beamed when he saw CeCe. A girl could get used to that reaction. “Your timing is perfect,” he said as he pushed his sister to the side.
Mallory laughed, as only an older sister could, but continued her argument. “You can literally push me down the stairs, but you still have to come this Sunday.”
Evan shook his head. “Hard pass. I’m not in the mood for Dad’s crap, okay? Mal, you of all people know that.”
Mallory chewed on her lip for a moment, taking a moment to change tactics. “It’ll probably be the last time you’ll see Em before she has the baby,” she countered. Watching Evan’s facial features shift proved she had won the battle.
Evan ran a hand down his face and sighed with every ounce of energy he had left. “Fine, what time?”
Mallory clapped in delight. “Dinner’s at five-thirty, but you know Mom will want you there early so she can pepper you with questions and feed you before dinner even starts. She misses spoiling her baby.”
Evan rolled his eyes, his head nearly falling off his shoulders with the gesture. CeCe found this sibling back and forth fascinating. As an only child, she never knew the joy, and frustration, that came from bickering with a sibling. Frankly she was a little jealous of Mallory and Evan’s relationship. It would be nice to have someone to pester, and care enough about her.
“If I’m not working, I’ll come. Okay?”
CeCe interjected, “But you’re off on Sunday. We both are, since Max is off Saturday.” Immediately, she was in trouble. Frantically, she looked around as if she could pull the words back, but it was no use.
Both siblings turned to her with opposite expressions. Evan looked betrayed, and Mallory looked thrilled. “Great! Then you can come along, CeCe. I know our sisters would love to meet you.”
CeCe arched an eyebrow. “They would?” This notion seemed ridiculous to her. As a child, she rarely bothered bringing friends or later dates to her house. She’d ping-ponged back and forth between her mom and dad’s places so much growing up, sometimes it felt like she didn’t have a permanent home.
The idea that Evan’s parents were together and his sisters talked regularly felt like something from a Norman Rockwell painting—timeless and familiar yet unattainable. CeCe didn’t know if she wanted a family of her own, but since the big three-oh was knocking on the door, she’d have to figure that out sooner rather than later. CeCe blinked and saw the siblings were still bickering. Her existential crisis would have to wait.
Evan threw his arm in front of CeCe, as if to protect her from impact. “Absolutely not. CeCe is not going to family dinner. I’d like to see her again.”
Now CeCe was intrigued. She’d never seen Evan so worked up before. “What happens if I want to come to family dinner?” she asked, looking at Mallory.
Mallory pulled CeCe into a hug that nearly crushed her ribs. “You’re coming and I can’t wait. I’ll text directions, in case Chuckles here tries to pull a fast one.” Evan tugged on CeCe’s hand, trying to pull her into his apartment, but Mallory was determined. “What’s your number?” she asked as she retrieved her phone from her handbag.
CeCe gave Mallory her number and watched Evan’s face fall. Mallory hugged them both again before sprinting to her car. He shut the door after CeCe walked in and stomped to the kitchen. His shoulders were tense, and she needed to apologize for overstepping. “Look, I’m sorry if I—” but her words were cut off when he turned around and pulled her in for a kiss.
It was a tender kiss, their lips lingering a moment before he pulled back and placed another kiss on her forehead. He cradled her face in his hands, taking his time to kiss her cheeks in slow succession. “You don’t have to apologize,” he said, not taking his eyes off hers. “Mallory has no boundaries. You can skip the whole thing. She’ll understand. I’ll definitely understand.”
While CeCe was mesmerized by his kiss, she still had questions. “You don’t want me to come?” She watched a myriad of emotions flit over Evan’s face until he finally smiled and kissed her once more.
“I want you to come. But this isn’t how I envisioned it.”
“How’d you envision it?” CeCe asked, curious how long Evan had imagined bringing her home to meet his family. She should be put off by that mindset, but since she’d been thinking about Eric so much lately, it seemed like a sweet gesture rather than a confining one.
Evan stepped back and opened the fridge, pulling out two beers and handing one to her. “I wanted to bring you home and introduce you as my girlfriend, and I know we don’t know what we are yet. I don’t want to muddy the waters this early.”
Her mind flashed back to the night before, to serenades and passionate kisses, and CeCe didn’t know what she was afraid of anymore. They’d already muddied the waters. Hell, she felt like she was wading through mud puddles when it came to their budding relationship. It wasn’t a horrible image, but rather a fun one like when she was a child playing after a storm. If she was really going to join Evan for family dinner, then it might as well be as his girlfriend.
Hearing the word girlfriend on his lips made her heart flutter. How did she feel about this? Was she ready to be a girlfriend again? Looking at Evan now, as he flitted around his kitchen getting their dinner ready, she was ready. Evan was not Eric, and it was time to stop punishing him for the mistakes of her ex.
Sensing CeCe’s mood shift, Evan walked to the stove and lifted the lid on a stock pot. “I made some of Max’s Thai chicken soup. Hope you’re hungry.”
Her stomach growled at the news. “I’m starving.” And so, she followed Evan to the table, where he served them dinner and they talked menus and ideas for the competition. It was a relaxing evening that made her realize she could really get used to this.
“Let’s do this,” she finally said when dinner was finished. “Let’s give it a shot.”
