Page 57 of Mr. Edwards
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” I say, scowling. It’s taken Grayson over a month to get me here, but after his nonstop pestering, I finally relented.
“Relax, sunshine. My family are going to love you.”
I gasp. “Your family? You said I was meeting your mom, not the entire family?”
We’re still sitting in his car, parked outside a house that I presume is his mother’s. It’s certainly not as grand as the one Grayson lives in, but it’s still like a palace compared to the shitty trailer where I grew up. He’d be horrified if he ever met Roxy and saw where I came from.
“I’m not sure if my sister, Kaitlin, is home, but my Granny Edwards is visiting.”
“Your grandma? Jesus, Grayson. I’ve changed my mind; you need to take me home.”
He chuckles but makes no move to honor my request. Instead, he opens his door and exits the vehicle. Ugh!
I watch on in horror as he walks around the front of his car. He opens my door and extends his hand to me. “Come on, beautiful.”
I fold my arms across my chest like a child. “Nope!”
He shakes his head. “I’ll carry you inside if need be, and how’s that going to look?”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Watch me.”
My eyes narrow and I growl at him. “They’re going to take one look at me, Grayson, and freak the hell out, I’m not exactly grandma meeting material.”
She’s going to be horrified by my tattoos. Most old people are, immediately getting all judgey. Having ink doesn’t make me a bad person, in my eyes it’s art and more pleasing to the eye than the ugly scars that lay underneath.
He laughs at this, and my annoyance grows. “Trust me when I say my granny is not your typical sweet little old lady. Shit, she’s probably hipper than both of us combined.”
He extends his hand again and this time I take it, sighing as he helps me from the car.
Without releasing me, he guides me along the path toward the front porch. My stomach is in knots, I don’t think I can do this. I’m not normally a nervous person; I’m just not wired that way. My life has been filled with uncertainties. I probably wouldn’t have survived any of it if I’d given into the panic. Right now though, my anxiety is through the roof. This feels like a make-or-break moment for us, and my confidence is at rock bottom.
“Why does your mother want to meet me so bad? It’s not like I’m your first ever girlfriend.” I glance at Grayson and find him beaming. “What?”
“I just love hearing you say you’re my girlfriend.” His grip on my hand tightens. “I mean, I knew you were, but the validation is nice.”
I roll my eyes, but he’s got me. I can’t exactly argue his point. “How many girls have you brought home before?”
“None.”
“None?”
He shrugs his shoulders. “I’ve never had a girlfriend I liked enough to bring here.”
“Are you serious?”
“One hundred percent.”
His answer floors me. “Wow. You must’ve had some pretty sucky relationships if I’m the best you’ve had.”
He scowls at me. “Don’t put yourself down like that, Carlee. I don’t like it.”
“I’m just stating a fact.”
Pausing, he drops my hand and slides his arm around my waist, tugging me closer. “You’re wrong. I wish you could see yourself through my eyes. Any man would be lucky to have someone like you as their girl. Can’t you see how special you are? Because I certainly can.”
He’s the only one who’s ever made me feel like I’m special. “I guess nobody else can see me the way you do.”
