Page 19 of The Pretender

“Of course it is,” Mom says. “The more, the merrier.”

“Thanks, Mom. Is the guest suite available?”

She scrunches her nose, glancing at my dad.

“No,” Dad says. “We stopped using it for that about a year ago. It’s just storage now.”

“Oh. Um, where can we stay then?”

“I can get a hotel room if that’s easier,” Balt offers.

“Not necessary,” Dad says. “We still have the space. You can stay in your house.”

My chest tightens. “You…you still have it?”

“Of course we do,” Mom says. “It’s gonna need a bit of cleaning, but my boys will always have a home here. Brogan is here too. Moved in officially after finishing their degree in May.”

“That’s awesome.”

“We have the golf cart,” Dad says. “We can drive you over there. You must be tired from traveling.”

“We had a rough time. Our flight was canceled last night, but we got on an early one today.”

“I saw the weather,” Mom says. “Glad you made it out.”

“Me too.” I turn to look at Balt, who smiles sweetly at me. “I had great company though.”

Mom squeezes my shoulder. “You’ll have to tell us everything at dinner.”

I nod, aware that they’ll want to know every detail about my relationship, especially considering I’ve never brought anyone to meet them before.

“Where’s Nonna?”

“Out shopping with Brogan,” Mom says. “She’s got her weekly hair appointment today and she decided to go find some new shoes too. She should be back around two. Go get settled in. We can go grocery shopping tomorrow to stock up.”

“Thanks, Mom.” I lean in and kiss her cheek. “I’m glad to be here.”

“I am too.”

My dad looks at our luggage, then at Balt. “It’ll be too tight for the cart. I’ll pull the truck around.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

He nods, heading to the back door through the kitchen. I’m so curious about what Balt might be thinking right now, but we’ll be alone soon enough.

My mom’s eyes are trained on the handsome man, her face barely hiding the numerous questions no doubt floating aroundher head. I get my inquisitive streak from her. My dad won’t ask anything since he knows Mom will cover it all.

“Are you hungry?” Mom asks.

“Not yet. We had a pretty good breakfast on the plane.”

“Breakfast?”

“We were put in first class,” Balt says. “The only seats available.”

“Ooh, how fancy. Well, let me pack a few snacks for you in case you need them before we shop tomorrow.”

“Thanks.”