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“Better?” she asked.

“Much,” Melinda said. “So, do I have the sister’s stamp of approval? We didn’t spend that much time together, but I hope she likes me.”

“She does.” Kyle kissed the top of Melinda’s head.

“Would your mom like me?”

Kyle shifted a little unintentionally.

“Oh. Either she’d hate me, or you don’t want to talk about that because it’s only a second date.” Melinda added, chuckling. “We don’t–”

“It’s not the question or the second date thing; it’s just my mom. Sometimes, she makes me feel like I’m a bratty kid. Other times, she makes me feel like I’m more of an adult than she’ll ever be. And the rest of the time, she’s just mad at me because she got pregnant to begin with. So, bringing her into this perfect night made me cringe a little.”

“Can I yell at her if I ever meet her one day?” Melinda asked, shifting herself so that she could look at Kyle now. “She’s your mother. She’s not supposed to blame you for her issues. You’re not supposed to take care of her until she’s old and can’t take care of herself. That’s how this whole thing works.”

“I know. But it’s okay. I’m used to it.”

“I hate that you are,” Melinda said, cupping her cheek. “You don’t deserve that, babe.”

“Maybe not, but I can’t erase it, either. I don’t know if she’d like you. I’m not sure shelikesanyone until the moment she needs something from them, and then, suddenly, she has a new best friend until you give her what she’s after.”

“Well, if we get to the point where we’re meeting the parents, you can meet mine, and they’ll spoil you and like you better than me, so you’ll at least get a dose of what it’s supposed to be like.”

“If?”

“I didn’t want to saywhen. I feel like we’re talking about a lot of serious stuff, and I like it. I prefer it, actually, learning as much as we can about each other to discover what could be. If, for example, you don’t want to get married or have kids, we should talk about that before we’re at the point where those things are possibilities. And if you don’t want me to ever meet your mom, I should know that sooner rather than later, but I don’t want to put pressure on this, either.”

Kyle smiled up at her and said, “I feel no pressure withyou. It’s the first time in my life I can say that and mean it. Lying here with you, talking about this house or our parents, makes me feel strangely safe and like it’s what I want.”

Melinda smiled and leaned down to capture Kyle’s lips in a kiss.

“And I’ve never really cared about getting married. I can do it or not. I just want to be with one person. I don’t know that I’d want a huge wedding, though, if I get married. Maybe something small.”

“You could do it in this garden,” Melinda suggested, looking around. “It would give you an excuse to only invite the people who would fit.” She looked back down at Kyle. “And it’s beautiful back here.”

“I guess I could,” Kyle said, cupping her cheek. “And I want kids one day, but…”

“You don’t want to be your mom,” Melinda finished for her and kissed the tip of Kyle’s nose.

Kyle shook her head and asked, “How did you know?”

“I just did,” Melinda replied. “And there’s no way you’d be her, Kyle. You’ve learned from that experience what not to do. I think you’d be a great mom one day.”

“You’ve never even seen me with a kid,” Kyle said, chuckling.

“Yes, I did.” Melinda pulled back as if in shock at an accusation. “On the ghost tour.”

Kyle looked up at her, confused.

“The kids on the tour,” Melinda clarified.

“Oh. You spent more time with them than I did.”

“But you knelt down with one of them and pointed when they couldn’t see what I was talking about, and you made them laugh.”

“That is a far cry from being a good parent.”

“Kyle Schafer, you basically raised your sister. Sounds like you might have raised your mom a bit, too.”