Page 58 of Blindsided

CHAPTER25

Tilly

“Are you sure I can take your car?” I ask Matthew. I’m hoping he’ll change his mind. Then I can stay here with him instead of going over to my parents’ house for dinner.

“Of course. It’s not like you’re going that far. And you’ve still got the hang of things,” he reminds me. After my conversation with Ellie last week, I realized I needed to brush up on my driving skills. Matthew took me out, and it was like riding a bike. Took a couple of jolting steps and then it all came flooding back.

I sigh. “Okay, I’m going to go, then.”

Matthew grabs me by the shirt and pulls me closer. “I would love to spend my evening with you instead, but they want to take advantage of your time here.” He leans down to kiss me.

“I know. And you know I love hanging out with them. It’s just… I go back to New York next week.” I look at him with wide eyes, hoping he’ll suggest I come back here. I’m such a coward that I can’t bring myself to ask.

Matthew’s smile softens. “Then we’ll talk about that when you get home, okay?”

“Okay.” With another kiss, he sends me out to the garage. It takes a couple of deep breaths before I’m ready to drive by myself, and then I’m off. My parents still live in Sonoma, in the house I grew up in. It’s like a blast from the past when you walk inside. Family pictures line the walls, documenting my and Desmond’s lives from birth to adulthood. The couch was only recently updated because the springs started poking through the old one, but Dad’s La-Z-Boy recliner is the same one he’s had since I was a little girl.

There’s a certain level of comfort in going home. All the best memories of growing up are in this house. When I walk around, I can’t help but remember doing homework at our kitchen table night after night or making a pallet on the living room floor for movie night.

When I pull into the driveway, the lights shine from behind the closed blinds, and I smile. I park and walk inside. The staircase greets me immediately. You can go to the right or to the left around the stairs. Either way, it will lead you to the open living room, dining room, and kitchen.

“Anyone home?” I call out.

“In the kitchen!” my mom says back. I go left through the library and find my dad sitting at the counter and my mom pulling out a casserole dish.

“Is that hamburger mac?” The excitement in my voice couldn’t be faked.

“Of course. It’s your favorite,” Mom says, as if I’m being silly.

When she sets the dish down, I squeeze her in a tight hug. “Thanks, Mom.”

She pops a kiss on my cheek as Dad comes around the corner to hug me, too. Jerry and Janice Areneto are the epitome of relationship goals. The two of them understand each other on a level I’ve never seen before. Cindy and Steve Ellis might be a close second, though.

Mom and Dad were high school sweethearts and have never left Sonoma. They only started traveling in their RV a few years ago, after Desmond paid off their house. It was his one stipulation. He told them they needed to start seeing more of the world. It didn’t matter if that was just the US to start with.

“Let’s plate up, and then we can start the interrogation.”

I roll my eyes. After Des and I left home, we started calling Mom’s many questionsinterrogations. She was just trying to find out what we were up to, and we truly didn’t mind, but it did feel a little like a probe into our lives. She adopted the term after we wouldn’t let it go and uses it all the time now.

We sit around the table, and I start stuffing my face. I only eat this dish when Mom makes it. I’ve tried to replicate it, and it never tastes the same. I think it’s because she eyeballs the measurements for the seasonings. You can’t copy something that isn’t exact.

“How are things over at Matthew’s house?” Mom finally asks.

“They’re good. I started writing a book.” I grin. Over these past couple of weeks, the words have started to flow out of me. When I gave myself permission to write a shitty first draft, it removed the block I had in my mind.

“You did? That’s incredible,” Mom gushes.

“A great idea, T. You’ve always loved to read.” Dad nods his head, a smile stretching across his tan face.

“It’s been fun and something to pass the time.” I take a drink of my water.

“What are your plans after you go back to the city? I can’t believe you’re already going back.”

A knot forms in my stomach. “These two months have gone by in a flash. I’m closing on the apartment, and then I guess I’m going to get an update on the whole stalker thing. As far as I’m aware, he hasn’t tried to make contact since the last package.”

“I wish you could just stay here. Maybe we should have Desmond send your stuff here instead of a storage unit,” Mom suggests. Little does she know that’s exactly what I want, too. Only I want my stuff to go to Matthew’s house.

Is it crazy to want to move in with him already? We’ve been living together these past two months without any issues. We agree on how clean the house should be, and we have similar enough interests that we don’t have petty arguments over TV shows, not to mention how taken Sergio is with him.

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