Page 95 of First Impressions of You

Cam has his arm wrapped around Julia’s middle as they chat with Cece and Kat.

But my eyes are immediately drawn to the people chatting with Olivia.

My parents and our oldest sister Maria arrived earlier today, and even though I wasn’t there to witness the surprise, Julia sent me a video so I could watch the shock on Olivia’s face when she opened the door and found them on the other side.

I don’t remember the last time Mom and Dad took a vacation, so the fact that they did just so they could be here for this, for Olivia, gives me hope that they truly understood everything I told them in that phone call months ago.

Arranging for them to be at the ceremony was a challenge. Olivia didn’t want to give those three tickets away, so we had to resort to Winter telling her they were for Alice Soo, when in reality it was for our parents and Maria.

“I think she won’t be that sad that her favorite actress isn’t coming tonight, right?” I ask Winter as we watch her embrace our parents after they tell her something that make her eyes water.

“She is, though.”

“What? How?”

“If Alice Soo wants to go somewhere, invitations abound,” he jokes.

As if conjured by the mention of her stage name, Ali Hoang appears right next to us. She hugs me before hugging Winter.

“Already lost the best friend post,” he complains.

“Not yet, but if you don’t step up your game, this one right here will sweep it right off of you.” She wraps an arm around my shoulder, squeezing me to her side.

“Come on, let me introduce you to Olivia.”

My youngest sister notices us before we get to her, her jaw dropping to the floor at the sight of the woman next to me. Ali laughs and promptly gives Olivia a hug, skipping any formal introductions. They start talking as if they’ve been friends forever.

I turn to my parents next, an unexpected surge of warmth blanketing my chest.

“Mãe,” I say as I hug her. “Que bom que vocês vieram.”

When I try to leave her embrace to also tell my father that I’m glad they made it, she holds me tighter, not letting me go.

“Obrigada, filha.”

She doesn’t have to say more. Her strong embrace enough for me to understand what she’s thanking me for.

My father hugs me after playfully pushing my mom aside, saying he too missed me a lot.

Then, after I’m sure I won’t turn into a puddle of tears because of the overwhelming sense of happiness and love that I’m feeling, I finally turn to Winter to introduce him to my parents.

“Mãe, pai, esse é o Winter.” I point to the man by my side, then I say the words that still make butterflies take flight in my stomach, “Meu namorado.”

Winter Brian Davis, my boyfriend.

“É um prazer conhecer vocês,” Winter says in Portuguese, but it takes me a second to realize that.

“What the fuck?” I blurt out, but he just laughs. He offers his hand for my mom to shake, but she pulls him into a hug, and my dad does the same.

Only when the ceremony starts and we’re sitting at the table do I have the chance to ask, “Since when do you speak Portuguese?”

“I don’t.” He shrugs. “But I’m learning.”

“Why?”

He gives me that look that I always get when I ask him a dumb question. The ‘you really don’t know?’ look.

“You told me your parents didn’t speak English.”

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