Page 82 of Give Me a Reason

“She did.” I wanted to meet her parents and sister. I wanted to know everything there was to know about Aria. She was different in every way.

“I met someone on the dating app. He seems nice. I’m going to meet him for coffee next week.”

“What do you know about him?” I hated when she dated guys she met online. I knew it was standard practice now, but it didn’t seem safe for women.

“He works for a law firm.”

“Is it his dad’s?”

“No. His dad’s a surgeon.”

I whistled. “You going back to our old circle?”

“I didn’t meet him through anyone. It was on an app. I promise. I have no idea if he’s into that scene or not. That’s what dating is for. To get to know the other person. Do you do that, or are you all one-night stands?”

“You know I can’t bring just anyone around Paisley.”

“You deserve to be happy.”

“I have to be careful.”

“I get that. But you’re a great dad. You wouldn’t do anything that could hurt her.” We stood side by side, cutting onions, mushrooms, and peppers for the grill.

“You know how I feel about relationships. I don’t want to end up like Mom and Dad.”

“Would you though?”

I’d thought about this a lot over the last few weeks with Aria. We weren’t dating, but she fit so seamlessly into our lives. The sex was amazing, and I knew things would only get better the more we allowed ourselves to let go.

I wanted to be the guy for Aria, but I needed to convince her first, then tell Ireland and Gia. I needed to blow up all the excuses as to why Aria couldn’t be with me. I needed to prove her wrong. I was a guy who could be serious about someone. I wasn’t my parents. “I don’t want to be them. You think it’s possible? Not some bad DNA?”

“Our grandparents are still married. Why would you think it’s genetic?”

“We were raised in a household like that. Their dysfunctional relationships are all we know. Can you honestly say you aren’t worried?”

She sighed. “No. I am too. But I’m still hopeful I’ll meet the right person, and I’ll change my mind. That he’ll be different, and I won’t have any doubts. It’s silly, isn’t it?”

I put my arm around her. “Hoping for a better outcome isn’t silly. It’s being human.”

“I want you to be happy.”

“Back at ya, sis.”

Ireland put her knife down and turned in my arms so that we were hugging. We’d always drawn strength from each other. If she was hopeful there was the right person out there for her, maybe it was the same for me.

The first weekend I didn’t have Paisley on a Sunday, I asked Aria if I could go with her to meet her parents. Ireland was on a hiking date with a guy she’d seen a few times on the dating app. When Aria hesitated, I said I wanted to meet them, to get to know the people who loved her.

I think Aria was worried I was going to judge her or her family, but I wasn’t. I had a good idea of what she was hiding, and she had no reason to feel ashamed. Her parents were good people who loved her unconditionally and took care of her the best they could.

When I picked her up, she was tense. “What are you worried about?”

“That this is the beginning of the end for us.”

“Why would you say that?” But Aria was looking out the window, not at me.

“I don’t know. It’s just a feeling I get in my gut.”

“We’ve never labeled this thing between us because it was casual. But it’s never been that way for me. I’ve always known it was more.”

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