Page 67 of The Last Person
“Send them up. I’ll meet them at the door.”
“Will do. Have a good day.”
“Thanks. You too.” I hang up, then yell. “Babe, my mom and Keaten are on their way up.”
“I’m coming,” Ryan calls back, his footsteps coming from our bedroom. Ours. Because one morning I woke to find all his clothes in the closet and all his stuff in the bathroom, and the contentment within me grew.
In some ways, we’ve moved fast. But in others, we’ve been building this for years. There’s no getting to know Ryan better when I already know the beauty of his soul.
He walks through the living room, and I bite my lip, fighting back a groan.
When he gets to me, I grab his shirt and pull him to my lips.
“You have the audacity to look this sexy when I don’t have time to fuck you?” I whine. “And I won’t be able to do what I want to you for days because we’ll have people staying with us…”
“Some of them already are.” From behind us, Christy clears her throat.
“Sorry, babe.” Ryan kisses me on the cheek. Then he looks at Christy. “And I’m almost sorry you had to hear that.”
She slugs him in the shoulder, then the elevator dings and we all hurry down the hall.
I throw the door open right as my mom and Keaten step off the elevator.
“Hi, sweetheart!”
“Hey, Mama.”
I wrap her in a hug, extending my fist out for Keaten to bump as I do. She’s not much of a hugger—she’s one of the few people who Ryan doesn’t try to hug because he doesn’t want to push her boundaries.
When my mom lets me go, she goes right to Ryan. “Do I get to call you Mama Junie now?”
Mom laughs as she hugs him. “I love the sound of that. And I love how happy you make my boy. Thank you for taking care of him.”
“I’m glad I’m the one who gets to do it.”
I turn toward Keaten, only to see Christy reaching out to hug her. I almost tell her to stop, but then Keaten reaches for her and they share a warm hug.
“Hey, Keats.”
“Hey, Christy.”
I glance over at Ryan, who shrugs.
When Keaten sees me watching them, she steps back and says, “We got closer over Christmas break.”
“Mhm,” I say. Whether it’s friendship or there’s a vibe there, I can’t tell, but either way, I’m happy for Keaten because she deserves to have great people in her life, and Christy, like her cousin, is one of the best.
Ryan wraps his arm around my mom and leads her inside. “My parents should be here soon. It’s only been a few weeks, but my mom is thrilled to see you and fill you in on her life.”
“Ah, I’m excited to see her too.”
I rub my hand over my chest as I follow them inside. All the little pieces of my world have collided and intertwined in the best ways. All that’s missing now is the chaos of the Baker girls.
I’ve never beena people person.
I can form friendships, but I’ve often struggled to maintain them because I was the one who was different. My need for solitude and boundaries, and my desire to stay in rather than go to a party drove a wedge between me and my friends of the moment in both high school and college.
For a long time, I thought I was the problem. Until I metmypeople.
