Page 65 of Decoded
You’ll have a lot more fun with that than where I’m going.
Jasmine
Where are you going?
Penny
Is everything okay?
Anna
Today is the day Keaton gets to meet my parents.
My parents were expecting me today since my dad demanded I return, but they probably expected me to bring luggage and not the handsome man I married. Keaton turns into the paved driveway, and when he turns off his truck, he looks over at me.
“You ready for this?”
Nope.
But I nod anyway, and we exit the vehicle. I smile at all the decorations on the front porch. My mom is an avid lover of Christmas and firmly believes that the first Christmas tree goes up as soon as curfew ends on Halloween. I’ve always shared the love of the holiday, but something tells me today’s visit isn’t going to be so holly jolly.
Before I can turn the knob, Keaton’s hand grasps mine and I wonder if he is as nervous about this as I am.
He’s a stranger to my family.
He’s a stranger who married me while we were both drunk in Vegas.
He’s a stranger who stayed married to me in secret.
He’s a stranger who beat the shit out of my father’s best friend.
But as I look at him, he seems calm.
“This isn’t going to go well,” I say to him.
He nods. “As long as we go through it together.”
Taking a deep breath, I open the door, and we step inside, ready for whatever awaits us behind it.
“Mom? Dad?” I shout out to the empty foyer. Keaton and I walk further into the house as we hear my mom’s voice.
“Oh, honey! You’re here.” Footsteps are headed our way from the kitchen, and I wonder if she’s already started her holiday baking. No matter how badly this day goes, one of my mom’s chocolate chip cookies will make any day better.
When she comes around the corner, her kind eyes meet mine, then immediately take in the man holding my hand. She fixates on where our hands are joined, then looks up at me again. “And you brought a friend.”
“No, Mom.” I straighten my posture. “I brought my husband.”
“Like hell you did,” I hear from behind us and turn to see my father. His expression is pure fire, and I can’t help but squirm under it. Keaton’s grip on my hand grows tighter and I remember that no matter what, he’s with me in this.
“Mom. Dad. This is Keaton Fisher. My husband.”
“It’s nice to meet you both. You’ve raised an incredible daughter,” Keaton says politely, but it just fuels the fire already radiating within my dad.
“Is it? Is it nice to meet us after you married my daughter without permission? Or is it nice to meet us after you assaulted my best friend?” My dad spits his words in our direction as he steps closer.
The two most important men in my life are sizing one another up. The man who loves me so much that he pushes me to be the best version of me he thinks I can be. And the man who loves me so much that he accepts me as I am. They’re about the same height, but Keaton has maybe an inch on my dad, but also a solid fifty pounds. Whereas my dad is lanky, Keaton’s fit frame is muscular. “Tell me, Mr. Fisher, you think attacking another man makes you strong?”
I look at my husband, who is somehow still calm. “No, sir. But I do believe standing up for my wife makes me strong and worthy of being here.”
