Page 52 of Hello Trouble

HAYES

Della and her parents were coming to my place to watch their cooking show and eat dinner. I’d met them before, done work on their vehicles, but it was the first time I was meeting them as Della’s boyfriend.

I’d never been a nervous hurler, but that might change today.

My house had never looked cleaner. Even Chopper’s dog bed in the corner of the living room was clear of any stray hairs. He curled up in the bed, resting without a care in the world. Lucky bastard.

Unlike the spoiled dog, I had things to worry about, like the lemon herb chicken breasts cooking in the oven. Della said it was her parents’ favorite meal, and I wasn’t above scoring brownie points in any way possible.

Literally, considering I was currently mixing brownie batter. This was from a box because I knew I couldn’t screw that up.

A knock sounded on my door, and I called, “Come in!”

The knocking came again.

With a sigh, I set down my mixing spoon and walked over to the door to open it. Della stood holding a glass pan with two hot pink oven mitts. “Sorry,” she said. “Hands were full.”

I chuckled, standing back to let her in. “Was the sourdough a success?”

With glee in her eyes, she said, “You have to try this focaccia. I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted.”

She set the pan on my counter and peeled back the foil.

Sure enough, there was a corner of the cheesy, crusty bread missing.

Della got a butterknife from my drawer and handed it to me.

I cut myself a piece and put it in my mouth, ready to tell her it was the best damn thing I’d ever tasted, regardless of whether or not it was true.

But then a burst of garlic butter flavor mixed with mozzarella and tangy bread took over my taste buds, and I accidentally moaned. “You made this?”

She nodded, making her red curls bounce.

“And it didn’t come out of a box?” Dang, my brownies may not be as impressive as I thought.

This time she shook her head.

“Pretty and talented too?” I went to her, taking her in my arms and dipping her for a kiss. She giggled as she stood up. “How did I get so lucky?” I asked.

She reached up to kiss my cheek. “I’m the lucky one. Thank you for braving dinner with my parents.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” I cautioned. “I might just fuck it all up.” Real fear hid behind my joking tone, and I went back to stirring brownies to hide my anxious expression. I didn’t need her worrying about my feelings.

“Even if it goes badly, we have time to change their minds,” she reminded me, hugging me from behind.

Just that little gesture eased some of the tension in my shoulders, and not for the first time, I wondered why the fuck I was so against relationships before. Sure, I was stressing about her parents liking me, but I also got Della. She made all the worry more than worth it.

I turned away from the brownies, looping my arms around her. “You’re distracting me.” I brushed my nose over hers.

She pressed a soft kiss to my lips. “And?”

I smiled against her kiss. “Just thought you should know.” Our kiss deepened, and the brownies were completely forgotten. Winding my hand around the swell of her ass, I pulled her closer to me.

She tangled her fingers in my hair and nipped at my bottom lip. I shuddered at how sexy it was and trailed kisses down her throat. “Do we have time for a quickie before your parents get here?” I asked. “Please?”

She giggled. “No, they’re always?—”

The doorbell rang.

“Early,” she finished with a sigh.

She stepped back, straightening her dress, and I cursed my semihard cock. Nothing could soften it like her parents standing at the door, though. Adjusting myself in my jeans, I followed her to the front door, pasting a smile on my face.

My dad had given me tips on making a good impression on her parents, and I followed every one.

Keep eye contact and smile.

Unfortunately, I hadn’t planned on Chopper. He burst up from his bed, darting toward the front door and jumping on Della’s dad. He stared in horror at the little thing.

“What’s this?” he asked.

Della scooped up the dog and said, “Our puppy.”

Her parents shared a worried look.

“Welcome to my home,” I said quickly, stepping back to let them inside. Then I shook her dad’s hand, nice and firm. And I told her mom she looked lovely.

But then Chuck said, “Are you coming on to my wife?”

The blood drained from my face.

Della said, “Dad, you’re going to give him a heart attack.”

Chuck laughed, but it didn’t quite meet his eyes. He was testing me. So I forced out a laugh and said, “Is it working, Nora? The flowers on the table are for you.”

Nora pressed a hand to her chest. “Why, that’s sweet of you. Isn’t it sweet, Chuck?”

He grunted his acknowledgement.

Della cut in and said, “I have to show you my focaccia.”

I breathed a sigh of relief because that gave me a second to gather myself while I got all the food ready to bring to the table. I’d made rotini pasta in a cream sauce, chicken, and green beans to go with Della’s pride and joy.

And soon we were all sitting around my glass table, Chopper lying in his bed once more while we ate off black and red plates. Della said, “Hayes, this chicken is so good. You made it just perfect.”

I smiled at her compliment. It seemed a little forced, but I knew tonight mattered a lot to her. “Thanks, babe,” I replied, squeezing her hand under the glass table.

Her dad stared at our hands like he wished his eyes could produce laser beams.

I was glad he couldn’t.

Nora said, “It’s delicious.”

After a quiet moment, she broke the silence, asking, “So, how did you two start dating?”

Della and I exchanged a glance. That was a good question. Especially since Della used to annoy me with her sunny personality.

Like she could read my mind, she said, “Actually, I used to annoy him.” I barely held back a snort.

Her dad shot me a thinly veiled glare as he wiped his mouth on a napkin.

Della continued. “And it was really fun to annoy him, so I kept doing it.”

Now I really did snort, and even her dad’s lips twitched.

Her mom said, “Sounds like happily ever after.”

I chuckled. I was starting to like Della’s mom—she was clearly where Della got her warmth from. “I had a crush on Della,” I admitted, and all eyes swung to me.

“You did?” Della asked.

I nodded, setting my silverware down and wiping my fingers on the napkin in my lap.

“Actually, I was hanging out with my brothers and telling them I liked you but thought you would never be interested in me. So they practically shoved me away and forced me to man up and talk to you. Tell you how I felt. It was the best thing they ever did for me.”

Della gave me a grateful smile. “For both of us.”

Her mom made a small, “Aw.”

But her dad wasn’t as convinced. “The whole town knows of your history with women, Hayes. Even knowing that, knowing how good she is, your family pushed you toward my little girl?”