Page 45 of Who's Loving You

“Youaregoing somewhere with me because I have some people you need to meet–”

“Yo. Big bro.” A shout echoes from the end of the corridor and every muscle in my body immediately goes rigid.

A young woman followed by an older couple rush towards us. All three have wide and joyous smiles and I know exactly who they are.

“No no no no. No. Nic. Let me go.” I feel sick as he continues to pull me along.

What is about to happen is probably my worst fear –aside from being swallowed whole by an anaconda.Meeting the parents.

I have only ever met the parents of one of my boyfriend’s and it was the most miserable experience. I had barely said hello when his mother began planning our wedding and taking my measurements to see if I could fit into his grandmother’s gown.

My head was spinning and it only took me twenty-four hours to break up with him. Marriage has never been my little girl dream. I didn’t pick out my wedding dress and flowers with my besties when I was little. When they were playing wedding, I was sharpening my skills as divorce attorney. One of us had to be logical.

My hand is dropped and Nic holds his arms wide when all three people clamor to hug him. They’re all smiles and happiness and everything a perfect familyshould be. They seem to be the type that are supportive of their kids’ decisions and ambitions, not judgmental.

“You were fantastic, son.” His dad, who I recognize from the pictures, says with tears in his eyes.

“I always knew you’d be a star.” His mom doesn’t just have tears in her eyes, they’re full on gushing down her cheeks.

“He gets it from me.” His sister winks and pretends to brush off her shoulder.

She giggles when Nic tickles her sides and puts her in a gentle headlock. She fires back with a punch to his gut which has him hardly batting an eyelash.

A head peeks out from around Nic’s back and I see a beautiful woman drying away her tears. She places her hands on his biceps and pushes him aside.

“Hello. I’m afraid we haven’t met. I’m Elena. Nic’s mom.” She holds out a hand and I take it, trepidatiously.

“H-hi. Yes. I recognize you from the pictures Nic has shown me. I’m..” I swallow down what feels like a hairball and clear my throat. “I’m Valentina. Nic’s–”

“Girlfriend.” He finishes for me, afraid of what I may say instead.

Elena is quickly shoved out of the way –lovingly– and in steps his sister.

“Girlfriend? Well this is a first. Hi. I’m Greer. The prettiest, most talented, most intelligent Loving of the bunch.” She reaches out and hugs me and with my arms plastered to my sides, and I smack my hands against her back.

“Will you guys let her breathe? She’s going to think we’re nuts.” Mark pulls his daughter off of me and guides his wife further back, giving me some extra room and calming my impending panic attack. “HelloValentina. I’m Mark. The unfortunate leader of this crazy tribe.”

I ease, my shoulders pulling away from my ears, and smile genuinely, thankful to Mark for saving me.

“It’s so wonderful to meet you all.” Nic steps up and slides his arm around my waist and I flinch.

All of this touchy-feely stuff is not settling well with me. All the men I’ve dated have known my strict rule of no PDA. It’s unprofessional and I must maintain my decorum because at the end of the day, my career is the most important thing to me. I don’t need a reputation as a woman who flits around kissing every Tom, Dick and Harry.

“Nico,” his mother coos, her eyes bouncing between him and I. “Why is this the first time we are hearing of a girlfriend? And one so beautiful, at that.”

“It’s kind of…new,” he explains.

“We were taking some time to get to know one another before deciding whether or not we were compatible enough to build a relationship on. So many individuals jump head first into something, not really knowing if they are suited for one another. They’re so excited at the prospect of love that they forget about compatibility.”

Four sets of eyes stare at me, their faces painted with confusion. I feel blood drain from my face all the way down to my toes. Lucy has always told me that I have a tendency to rationalize and analyze every aspect of my life instead of just living. It’s the control freak in me and honestly, it’s probably why every relationship I find myself in ends in destruction.

I can’t handle needy men, or guys who want to cuddle and give each other nicknames. It’s simply not me. And if that is how I’m going to have to play this part, I’m going to fail miserably.

Crickets begin to chirp before someone speaks up. “Well we are so excited to meet you. How about we head out to dinner and all get to know one another better?”

Mark grabs his wife’s hand and places his other one on Greer’s shoulder. Nic’s hand slips from my waist to my hand and once again, I work to contain my desire to pull away and run straight to my home where I can lock the doors.

“My car or yours, mi Reina?” Nic speaks and it makes my eyes twitch with irritation.