Page 95 of My So-Called Perfect Life

Once Luke leaves, I bring my bottle up to the bar. Ryan has an iPad in his hand and is checking the inventory behind the bar. “Hey,” I shout to get his attention.

When he turns around to see me, he smiles in a way that makes me feel as though the arctic chill from earlier seems to have melted. “Everyone gone?”

“Yup. Just me.”

He sets the iPad down. “Good, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

“Uh oh! Am I in trouble?” I give him a coy smile then nibble my lip. “Do I need to go to the principal’s office?”

He releases a playful groan. “There’s nothing more I’d rather do, but I’m being serious right now.”

I continue to pick the label of my cider. “Okay, what’s up?”

“What do you have going on this Saturday?” he asks.

I tap my finger on the bottle as I try to remember my schedule. “Nothing much, I don’t think.”

He lights up. “Great. Will you come with me to this thing at my parents’ house?”

I gulp. “Your parents? You want me to meet your parents?”

Whoa.Ryan is not the meet-the-parents kind of guy. He likes to keep things casual. From what he’s told me, I doubt he’s brought any girl home. Ever.

The gravity of the moment hits me like a piano falling from the sky in a cartoon. Is Ryan ready to take our relationship to a new level? Am I?

My mind immediately goes to Scott’s family. I haven’t spoken to them since before the wedding. His mom called me a few times, but I never called her back. What would I say? Over the years, I had grown close to them. I was excited to become part of their family. For them to become the grandparents to my children. But Scott ruined that. I care about them and would like to still have a relationship with them, but I’m not sure how. It’s so damn messy.

Am I ready to open a new can of worms with Ryan? What if I love them and we break up? Then I lose him and them. What if I hate them? What if they hate me? I’ve gotten along well with every boyfriend’s parents going back to high school. That streak is bound to end eventually. His parents could hate me. Would that come between me and Ryan? Can I deal with that?

I take a long pull from the now warm cider, trying to calm the thought spirals going on inside my brain. I know this is a minor thing. Panicking about it is ridiculous, but it’s happening.

I don’t know if I’m ready for another step forward. What Ryan and I have right now is going so great. We’re really comfortable together. It’s easy. Why complicate it?

Ryan pulls another cider from behind the bar then pops the top. “From the way the color has just drained from your face, I’m going to take that as a no.”

Shit!Now, because I’ve been staring at him for an eternity, gaping at him like a goldfish, he thinks that I don’t want to meet his parents. I’ve made him feel bad. I may not be ready, but I’m also not ready for that disappointed look on his face.Get it together, Danielle!

“Of course, I want to meet your parents,” I lie like a dog on a rug in front of a fire. “I was just thinking about what I’d wear. You know, meeting the parents is a big deal.”

He laughs. “This isn’t a big deal. Don’t stress. Wear whatever you want. It’s just this little thing for my grandparents.”

Grandparents! There will be grandparents there too! Fabulous.

I’m wracking my brain for something,anythingto say that isn’t going to dig this hole deeper for myself when my phone rings. It’s my sister. When I answer, all I can hear is screeching.

“Ams, slow down,” I tell her. “Are you okay? What’s happened?”

“Where are you?” She asks, sounding like she drank an entire case of Red Bull.

“Cohen’s. Why?”

We’ll be there in ten minutes,” she shouts. “Don’t leave.”

“I hadn’t planned on it but, okay,” I say before realizing she’s already hung up.

I drop the phone down onto the bar. “That was weird. I hope everything is okay.”

Roxy calls to Ryan from across the bar. “Can you change the Bud Lite Keg?”