AM I SURPRISED MY GIRLFRIEND—YES, I’m allowed to call her that now—is the most annoying person to travel with, ever? No.
She’s so fucking awake right now that it’s knocking me a little sick. We’re getting the first flight to Washington, meaning it’s not even light, yet she’s bouncing around the place.
On the one hand, it’s so good to see her happy after the post-Aaron slump she’s been in. On the other hand, we wake up together every day, and I’ve never seen her act like this before lunchtime, so I’m freaking confused. I’m currently sipping my second coffee, and I still have the nauseous feeling you get when you wake up too early.
It isn’t flying to Seattle she’s happy about, we could be going anywhere. She likes getting organized to travel, it turns out. Bossy Anastasia is my favorite; she’s determined and sassy, fucking hilarious when I don’t listen, and she starts scowling. In bed when she takes control, Jesus, I’m a lucky man. I would happily deal with bossy Anastasia every day.
Travel Anastasia is the worst. Lists. So many fucking lists. Nothing I do is trusted; all the bags had to be rechecked by her because my checks aren’t as good as her checks.
Travel Anastasia forced me to use packing cubes, meaning I spent an hour playing freaking Tetris with my case. When I was on my third go of making it all fit, failing once again, I launched the pointless cubes across the room. Sensing I was feeling a little frustrated, she sank to her knees in front of me, reached for my belt, and showed me how much she loves traveling. It was the only thing that stopped me from canceling the flights.
Downing the last of my coffee, I lean back in the rickety airport seat, immediately feeling eyes on me. “You’re a grumpy gills this morning,” she chirps, tucking into the fruit salad she paid about fifteen bucks for in the airport shop.
“Early. Tired,” I grunt.
“Poor baby,” she says sarcastically, giggling and pinching at my cheek. “Want to sleep on my boobs on the plane?”
“I obviously wanna sleep on your boobs,” I mumble, leaning to steal the piece of pineapple on her fork. “How are you so awake? And happy?”
“I love airports. People watching, organizing, shopping and stuff, it’s great. Plus, I’m about to spend nearly two weeks with your undivided attention, how can I not be happy?”
Oh man. It’s like she knows what to say to make me want to propose. She holds out her fork to me, letting me steal another piece of pineapple. Sighing, I tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re annoying, but you’re cute.”
“Oh, I think our gate is up!” she squeaks. “Let’s go!”
Springing to her feet, she frantically tries to collect her bags with one hand and balance her fruit pot with the other. It’s a disaster waiting to happen.
“Stand still,” I tell her, taking the bags from her hand and slinging them over my shoulder. She watches me round up our things, grinning ear to ear. “Okay, let’s go.”
“Aye, aye, Captain.”
The second the plane took off I fell asleep in the middle of Stassie’s chest. After three peaceful hours, we land in Washington to much cooler temperatures than LA. Hopping into a cab, Stassie gives her address, and we head off.
We’re only staying here two nights before heading to Colorado, where we’re spending Christmas and New Year. It’s an understatement to say I’m fucking terrified to meet her parents. She speaks so highly of them and I only get to make a first impression once.
She turns her phone back on and all their excited messages start coming through. Threading her fingers through mine, she brings the back of my hand to her mouth and covers it in kisses. “You okay, bub?”
“What if they don’t like me?”
“They already like you, Nathan. And if somehow you make a terrible first impression, I see them once a year, so it doesn’t matter anyway. I like you enough for everyone.”
“Remember a month ago when you said sleeping in my bed every night would be distracting?”
“I do.”
“I’m glad you let me distract you. Thank you for not letting me spend the holidays alone.”
She gives me the smile I love. It’s a soft one, one that makes her eyes shine, and it’s one I think she saves for me. “I think you’ve probably improved me more than you’ve distracted me.”
We sit in comfortable silence for the rest of the journey, and I feel calm until the cab turns into a cul-de-sac and stops in front of the house. Stassie gives my hand one final squeeze, then starts to climb out. No turning back now.
AFTER FEELING like I’m going to pass out with nerves for the first fifteen minutes of being here, I can honestly say Julia and Colin Allen are the most welcoming people I’ve ever met.
It’s been overwhelming but in a nice way. I already know a bit about them from Anastasia, but it’s been nice to hear from them about their family. One thing they would never need to tell me is how much they love Anastasia, because it’s clear from the way they looked at her when they opened the door to watch us climb the porch. Julia wouldn’t let her go for five minutes.
They quickly gave me a tour, before letting us put our bags away, and the whole place is covered in pictures of Stas. Birthdays, camping, Christmas, all with the same mischievous face on them.
God, our kids will be adorable.
Julia hands me my third gingerbread cookie, then turns to Stassie and clears her throat. “You didn’t get back to me about booking time at the rink, honey. I didn’t know what to do…”
The atmosphere in the room instantly changes, it gets cooler, or maybe it’s my imagination because I know skating is both the sunshine and the black cloud over this family.
I slip my cookie-free hand into Anastasia’s, giving it an encouraging squeeze. She clings tightly. “I’m not planning to skate, and, uh, if it’s okay, I’d like it if we don’t talk about skating while I’m here. I had some sessions with Dr. Andrews last month; he thinks it would be good for me to find other things to talk about.”
Colin leans forward, looking genuinely shocked. “Really?”
She nods, looking between both her parents. Julia is trying hard not to show her shock, but she’s not quite managing it.
“It helps with the pressure. He thinks it’s good to rest physically and mentally. So you not asking about it helps me. I can let you guys know if anything new or interesting happens in future.”
“Of course, Annie. We only ask because we know how important it is to you. We only care about your happiness, honey. We won’t bring it up, will we, Col? Not unless you want us to.”
I feel the tension in Anastasia’s body ease, her grip loosens, and she relaxes. I change the subject to move on from this one, questioning a nickname I’ve never heard. “Annie?”
Stas looks at me, her expression serious. “Yeah, they call me Annie because I was an orphan.”
Colin bursts out laughing as Julia gasps, crossing her arms over her chest. “Anastasia Rebecca Allen!” she squeaks. “We call you Annie because you couldn’t spell Anastasia until you were eight!” Looking at me, she shakes her head. “Please don’t listen to my daughter.”
I can’t help but laugh. “I have to, ma’am. She’s pretty scary when she wants to be, she even has my whole hockey team terrified of her.”
“She’s always been like that,” Colin says proudly. “When she was thirteen, a boy in her class was being bullied by a few older boys. We got called in to see the principal because Anastasia made them all cry.”
“Mhmm.” Julia hums. “What you seem to be missing is she ended up in detention for two whole weeks because she told the principal if he needed a teenage girl to do his job for him, he wasn’t fit to be head of the school.”
Stassie’s cheeks flush a little, but she brushes it off. “Was I wrong, though? And they never bullied him again.”
“Brady has been bullying me for weeks and you haven’t stood up for me once,” I tease.
She nudges me playfully, laughing. “I’m brave, but I’m not that brave.”
A couple of hours after we arrived, Julia produced two Christmas onesies—a reindeer for me and a snowman for Stas—and it’s the comfiest thing I’ve ever worn. I feel like I know Anastasia so much better now that I’ve heard every embarrassing story in her parents’ repertoire.
Since today has been so low-key, Anastasia suggested we go out for dinner this evening, so nobody had to cook. She’s been getting ready since forever, so I’ve made myself comfortable on her bed with a massive bag of chips Julia gave me. My stomach rumbled once earlier, and she’s made it her personal mission to feed me everything in the house.
I love watching Stassie get ready; she’s curling her hair strand by strand, concentrating on every single piece. Her teeth are piercing her bottom lip as she focuses, studying every curl. Every now and then, she leans toward the mirror and the light catches her tanned skin; I can’t help but let my eyes travel across the slope of her waist, the curve of her hips…
“You’re so hot.”
She looks at me through the mirror, smirking. “Are you talking to me or your chips?”
“You. Chips are good, but you’re obviously better. Can you help me off the bed?”
Her eyes narrow, rightfully suspicious. “Why? So you can pull me onto the bed as soon as I give you my hand?”
“No.” I lie. Turning off the hot stick thing, she slowly walks to the side of the bed. “Why are you so far away? Come closer.”
Her lips tug up at the side as she takes a small step toward me, but it’s enough for me to lunge toward her and pull her onto the bed. She squeals as my fingers dig into her sides, tickling her until she can hardly breathe.
She leans against my chest, her perfect curls decorating my skin. “You need to get ready.”
I know I do, but she looks so content I don’t want to miss a minute of it. “Can we spend the next week like this? Naked though.” I add. “Well, you naked. I like this onesie, my balls are super toasty.”
“As long as your balls are toasty, obviously.”
“Can we fool about for ten minutes? Then I’ll get ready,” I ask, wrapping one of her curls around my finger.
“No.”
“Five minutes?”
Huffing, she rolls her eyes. “Second base for three minutes, but then you have to get ready.”
“Deal.”
I MADE a mistake negotiating for fooling around time earlier. What I should have been negotiating was wearing my reindeer outfit to the restaurant. After an afternoon of comfort, this shirt feels suffocating.
Its only redeeming quality is the fact Anastasia is looking at me like she’s picturing more than second base in her head.
“Stop looking at me like you want me to fuck you,” I mutter as her parents walk ahead of us, following the host to our table.
“But I want you to. I think it’s the rolled-up sleeves. You look so hot.”
A laugh rumbles in my throat, but I don’t say anything. Rolled-up sleeves are a JJ classic. He insists it’s the sluttiest thing a guy can do, and it has a 100 percent success rate. I fucking hate it when he’s right.
Anastasia and I don’t eat out a lot when we’re at home because we’re working so hard with her new plan, it seems a little counterproductive when learning new recipes makes her happy.
Tonight is obviously a special occasion since it’s Stas’s first time home in a year, so it’s nice to see what type of restaurant makes it on her favorites list.
It’s too fancy for my onesie, I’ll say that much. Quiet atmosphere, low lighting, intimate. Taking a peek at the menu, I pretend to look at it for the first time, not revealing to Julia and Colin that Stassie made me study it in detail fifteen minutes before we left the house.
All that prep work and she still won’t know what she wants. I lean in, looking at her menu with her. “What are you getting?”
“I don’t know,” she says, confirming my suspicions, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she flips the menu to study the other side.
“What are the choices?”
She flips it back over. “Crab ravioli or the chicken pizza. I sort of want the ravioli on the pizza, is that weird?”
Her parents overhear her, both looking at us over the top of their menus, nodding in unison. “Yeah.”
“Why don’t I order the pizza and you order the ravioli. We can switch if the food comes, and you get buyer’s regret.”
Placing the menu on the table, she looks at me, eyes swimming with something. “Have I told you you’re my favorite human today?”
“Good, even—oh, hey guys.”
Turning away from Stassie, I look at the waiter who just approached our table. He looks oddly familiar, despite the fact I’ve never been here before.
Looking to Stas for guidance, it’s clear she definitely knows him by how awkward she looks. Julia stands from the table, leaning in to kiss the guy on the cheek. “James!” she says cheerfully. “How nice to see you, honey. I didn’t know you were working here.”
It’s funny to see Julia force a smile, because it’s exactly the same as Stassie’s forced smile—terrible. As soon as she says James I realize who he is. I’ve been looking at pictures of him all afternoon, younger but still the same face and sandy blond hair.
James was Stassie’s skating partner before she started college. He was also her first boyfriend, first love, first everything.
Great. So glad he’s here.
Colin shakes James’s hand, and they both look as awkward as I feel. “Here for a few weeks while I’m home for the holidays.” His eyes travel past me and land on the woman beside me who hasn’t said a word. “It’s good to see you, Stassie.”
Hearing her name seems to knock her out of whatever weird moment she’s having. “You, too, James. This is Nathan, my boyfriend. Nate, this is James. He was my skating partner until I moved to Maple Hills.”
Boyfriend.
It’s the first time I’ve heard her say it, and she said it so confidently. I definitely didn’t imagine it.
This isn’t the time to have an internal meltdown, Hawkins.
I hold out my hand to shake his, weirdly formal, but it’s what Colin did, so I’m doing it too. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” he says, doing an awful job of not looking awkward. “What can I get you guys to eat?”
After taking our orders, my new buddy James disappears, and when our drinks come, it’s a totally different person.
The food is delicious, the conversation is easy, and I can’t believe how different this would be if it were Stas meeting my dad. Which makes me so fucking glad we’re flying back to LA before he gets home from vacation.
Wiping my mouth with my napkin, I summon the courage I’ve been looking for for the past five minutes. “I’d like it if you’d let me pay for dinner, as a thank you for you welcoming me into your home.” Colin’s mouth opens, but I carry on before he can say anything. “And I know you’re going to say no, but just know, I’m not above pretending to go to the bathroom and paying sneakily. I’ve had a great day with you guys, I’d like to say thank you by paying the bill.”
“Oh, Dad, let him.” Anastasia groans. “Honestly, he’s so stubborn he’ll argue with you about it for hours.”
We all look at her, our heads moving in slow motion, the same identical baffled look on our faces. “Wait, I’m the stubborn one?”
Her fingers thread through my hand resting on the table and her laugh is soft and musical. Her eyes are shining as she tries to hide her smile. She’s mesmerizing. “Uh, obviously.”
Fuck. I am so in love with this woman.
