Page 15 of Five Midnight Moment
“Hey, baby girl,” her father said when he picked up.
Valencia smiled. “Hi, Dad. Are you guys busy tonight?”
“Of course not. I hope this means you’re coming by for a visit.”
“That’s the plan.”
“Wonderful. We’ll see you when you get here.”
“I’m, um, bringing someone with me.”
“Oh? A young man?”
She glanced Dwayne’s way and he mouthed, “I’m not that young.”
She playfully punched him. “Yes, Dad. We’ll see you soon.” Valencia ended the call and didn’t know why she suddenly had a case of nerves. She told herself that this was the next natural step in their relationship and there was nothing to be nervous about. She was a thirty-three year-old woman, not a teenager. She gave Dwayne directions and when they arrived twenty minutes later, the butterflies continued to dance in her belly. She’d only introduced two guys to her parents and her father hadn’t liked either of them. Dwayne kissed her temple, drawing her out of her musings.
“You’d think you’re the one meeting my parents with the way you’ve been fidgeting,” he teased. “If you’re this nervous now, how are you going to be when I take you to meet my family tomorrow?”
Valencia eyed him. “Tomorrow?”
“They have a get-together every year on New Year’s Day and it’ll be the perfect time for you to meet everyone.” Dwayne got out of the car and came around to help her out. He slung an arm around her shoulder and they started up the walkway. “Relax, sweetheart.”
Evidently, her father had told her mother to expect them because the door opened before they got there. “Hey, Mom.”
“Hi, honey,” she said, barely sparing her a glance. “And who’s this handsome young man?”
“This is Dwayne Albright. Dwayne, my mom, Norma Townsend.”
Dwayne turned his megawatt smile on her mother. “Mrs. Townsend, it’s an absolute pleasure to meet you.”
“Please, come in.” As they entered, her mother whispered to Valencia, “He’s a cutie.”
Valencia rolled her eyes at her mother giggling like a teenager. She had never seen her mother behave like this with the other guys she brought home, but then again, neither of them had been anywhere near as charming as Dwayne. Her father stood when they rounded the corner to the family room. “Hey, Dad.” He engulfed her in a hug. “Dad, I’d like you to meet Dwayne Albright. Dwayne, this is my father, Raymond Townsend.”
“It’s good to meet you, Dwayne,” her father said, shaking Dwayne’s outstretched hand.
“The pleasure is mine, sir.”
“You two have a seat.”
They took seats on the sofa, while her parents reclaimed their favorite recliners.
“So, how long have you been dating and where did you meet?” her mother asked.
“We’ve been dating for four months and…we work at the same firm.” Valencia hoped they wouldn’t question further, but her mother’s expression—the mama interrogation one—said otherwise.
“That’s nice. How long have you worked there, Dwayne?”
“Eighteen years. I started right out of high school working summers and came on full-time after graduating college,” Dwayne answered, seemingly unbothered by the scrutiny.
Her father peered over his glasses. “Are you in computer security, too, or finance?”
“Finance. Actually, I took over as CEO at the start of the year when my father retired.”
Her mother gasped. “You’re her boss.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
