Page 81 of Bleeding Hearts

“I’m good, thanks, Mom. You didn’t have to do all this.” I nod toward the cinnamon rolls I know took her all morning to make.

“Of course I did. It’s a mother’s job to stuff her only son full of baked goods when he comes to visit.” She walks over to the machine, making Demi a fresh mug of coffee. She sets out the creamer for her while it brews, then places the hot mug in front of her when it’s done.

“Thank you, Emma. These cinnamon rolls are delicious. I’ll have to steal the recipe from you,” Demi says.

“Of course, Demi. I’ll write it down for you before you both go.” She smiles.

Comfortable silence lingers between us as we eat until my mom breaks it again. “So, you two had a fun night last night?” She eyes me innocently over her coffee mug.

“Mom,” I warn.

“I just want to know if I can expect grandbabies anytime soon.” She huffs, causing Demi to nearly choke on her coffee.

“You know I’m not getting any younger, Asher,” she adds.

“Mom, you’re literally only sixty-two and in perfect health. There’s time, I promise.” I roll my eyes. “Plus, you didn’t have me until you were thirty-five. I’m only twenty-seven and Demi’s only twenty-five.”

“Well, that wasn’t for a lack of trying,” she says. “I tried to get pregnant for six years before I finally got pregnant with you. You were our miracle baby, you know that. It’s better to start trying now.” She nods, satisfied with her argument. “Elias, don’t you think it’s time for Asher to have some kids?” she yells out to my father.

“Stop tormenting him, Emma,” my dad calls back, not even bothering to turn his head away from the news, completely unfazed by my mother’s line of questioning.

“Elias, why do you always have to make things worse? Can you not take your loving wife’s side for a second?” She huffs.

“Here we go.” My dad sighs.

“Here we go, what?” my mom starts yelling.

“Okay, okay. There’s no need for all that,” I butt in, trying to de-escalate the situation before it turns into one of their usual screaming matches. “I get it, Mom. But Demi and I aren’t there yet, okay?”

“Sounds like you could’ve been last night,” she mumbles into her coffee cup angrily.

“Oh my god.” Demi laughs under her breath, her face turning beet red. I can’t tell whether she finds the whole situation more embarrassing or amusing.

I sigh, lifting up the cinnamon roll to take another bite, not even bothering to give my mom another response.

The rest of the morning goes by smoothly, well as smoothly as it can in the Gray household. My parents only get into two screaming matches which both end in them telling each other how much they love each other before we leave to finish packing up.

We end up leaving and getting on the road around the same time my mom heads into work for a one p.m. appointment.

The drive home goes by quickly, with Demi giving me my own personal concert. She also ends up texting Logan, Theo, and Gabby in their group chat, asking them to meet her at Carl’s tonight. She tells Lo to also bring Kade. All of them end up saying yes, except Gabby, who is working.

She doesn’t mention to them that I’ll be there too, although she says they’ll assume I will be there if Kade's coming. We figure that we’ll just tell everyone that we’re together right away, all at once. Just rip the Band-Aid off is how Demi refers to it.

I drop her off at her apartment, grabbing my truck that I left in her parking lot while I was there before heading home.

We’re supposed to be meeting at Carl’s at eight thirty tonight. and I told Demi I’d pick her up on the way, so I spend the rest of the afternoon at home. I relax for a little and finish working on sketches for upcoming appointments I have booked the rest of the time.

I go back to work tomorrow, and I’ve missed it, even after only a few days off.

This whole past weekend was a whirlwind for me. It’s hard to reconcile how I went from not wanting anything more than a single night with a woman a year ago to wanting a future with one now.

The only reasoning that I have is that it’s just Demi. There’s something about the way she makes me feel, the way she makes me smile. Her overall presence makes it easy to love her.

I’ve realized that even though I haven’t told her, that’s what I am, completely in love with her. I didn’t recognize it at first since I’d never felt love for a person in a romantic sense before. Never knew what to expect from it.

With Demi, it feels like she sets each and every one of my senses on fire.

I can’t help the way my eyes constantly follow her, memorizing her every move. Or the way my chest aches when she smiles, or how my hands itch to hold her when she’s close. My lips become desperate to kiss hers, taste her. Just the sound of her voice calls to me like no one else’s does.

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