Page 50 of All in December
A moment later, the door opens, and Tess is standing there.Her brown hair is pulled back into a ponytail. She’s wearing glasses, leggings, and a sweatshirt, and she’s beautiful. Nash steps behind her, and my stomach instinctively sinks at the look of the two of them together. They look… great. They look like they’re meant to be together. But I know that’s just my own insecurities playing tricks on me.
“Hey, you must be Sam,” Tess says warmly. “Come on in, the kids are playing in the living room.”
Sam gives her a polite “Hi, thanks” before kicking off his shoes and sprinting toward the sound of Emma and Benji’s voices somewhere in the back of the house.
Meanwhile, I hang back awkwardly on the porch.
“Hey, Tess,” I say, awkwardly sticking out my hand to her.
She chuckles and shakes it. “You must be Caleb. It’s nice to finally meet you and not just hear your name in stories. You’ve really got this one down bad,” she jokes, nodding her head in Nash’s direction.
“What can I say? He’s great. And so handsome, just look at him,” Nash compliments, like I’m not standing right here, and my face feels like it’s on fire.
“See what I mean? Down bad,” Tess jokes. “Want to come in? Have a drink before you guys head out?”
“Sure, that sounds good,” I answer, stepping into the house as Tess turns and walks down the hall toward what I assume is the kitchen.
“It’s all going to be okay,” Nash whispers as he pulls me in for a hug and gives me a quick kiss.
I smile, kick my shoes off, put Sam’s bag by the door, and follow Tess and Nash into the house.
“I should’ve clarified; I don’t have anything alcoholic, but I do have some sparkling water.”
“That’s perfect, thanks.”
Nash sits at the dining table, so I take his lead and do the same.
Tess moves around the kitchen, grabbing a glass and pulling a can from the fridge.
“Here you go,” she says, sliding the drink on the table.
“Thanks.” I take it, noticing how relaxed Nash looks in her kitchen.
Tess sits across from me, and for a second, it hits me how strange this all is. Yet, somehow, it feels good knowing that she really does seem to support us.
“You okay?” Nash leans toward me slightly, voice low.
“Yeah,” I say quickly.
I look around the room, taking it all in. Family photos line the wall, a mix of kid drawings and vacation snapshots. Nash is in a couple, and I try not to feel weird about it because I do trust him.
“How’s work been?” Tess asks Nash, pulling my attention back to the table.
He shrugs. “Busy, but manageable. End-of-year stuff.”
“Are you excited to meet his coworkers?” she asks me.
“Yeah, a bit nervous about that too. But probably not as nervous as I was to come here, honestly,” I say with a self-deprecating laugh.
“But you did it, and now you never have to meet me for the first time again.” She laughs, and I’m relieved I didn’t make it weird between us.
“I can’t believe you two still get along so well. When Nash told me, I was shocked,” I admit.
“Well, he was my best friend as soon as we met, but that didn’t give either of us time to figure out who we are on our own. We realized we always did act more like best friends than romantic partners, which is why it’s so good to see Nashthis happy. I’m glad he met you,” she says easily with no undertone of jealousy or spite.
“Thanks,” I say before Nash can speak. “I really appreciate that.”
Tess gives a small, understanding nod, and we talk for a bit longer before I say goodbye to Sam so we can head to the Christmas party.
