“I love you,” she replies instantly. There is no mistaking the genuine emotion in her voice.
I need to get out of this car before they start sucking face. I love them to death, but there is only so much making out that I can handle.
“I'll give you two a minute,” I say before getting the f**k out of that car. Last night's chat with nightdancer comes back to me as the sun hits my eyes and an imaginary ice poker stabs me in the head as my hangover hits me with a vengeance.
He was totally flirting with me. And I totally flirted back. I was drunk, but that doesn't excuse me disappearing like that last night. No warning. I just cut him off. Oh shit! He must think I'm a total lush, or a flake, or a c**k tease. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't want to talk to me again.
I'm just about to pull out my phone to type out a quick apology to him when Daniel gets out of the car, walks around the hood and opens Mac's door like the perfect gentleman he always is. Swoon! Who would have thought my commitment-phobe best friend would find her perfect guy?
I smile at Mac and wipe around my mouth, hoping she'll get the subtle hint that her lipstick is smeared all over her face from Daniel's obviously successful calming down method. Sucking her face off to take her mind off meeting the parents. Nicely played, Superman!
I hear a door crack open behind us, and I turn around to see what I can only explain as a scene out of The Stepford Wives. A gorgeous couple in their late 50s, early 60s, walking down the wide stone stairs in unison. Daniel's mom is wearing a peach-colored twin set and tailored pants that look perfectly pressed, her rich brown hair pristine in its blown out goodness, and his dad is wearing a tailored matching shirt and slacks with spit-polished black, shiny shoes and perfectly coiffed salt and pepper hair.
All in all, it looks like Daniel comes from good quality, country club stock. Not at all what Mac and I are used to.
“Daniel, you made it,” his mom exclaims before taking the steps two at a time and running toward him with arms widespread.
“Mom, take it down a notch. You'll scare her away,” he says teasingly.
“Oh, stop.” She pulls apart and rubs his arms lovingly before looking over at Mac and I who are still planted next to the car, staring at the encounter in shock. “Mac?”
I put my hand behind Mac's back and push her forward toward Daniel. “Ah, yeah, that's me. The knocked up one,” she says nervously, gesturing her hand in the air around her stomach. I shake my head, biting my lip to stifle a laugh knowing that Mac can be a real smartass when she's nervous. This is going to be interesting if not a little bit fun to watch.
Daniel's father laughs as he steps forward to greet his son with a handshake. “Good to see you, son. Was it a nice drive out?”
“Yeah, it was. I had to calm down my girl a few times. She seems to think you're scary.” He turns around, holding his arm out to Mac who latches on to him tightly, wrapping her arm around his waist like he's her lifeline. She holds out the bouquet of flowers she bought for Daniel's mother.
“They're beautiful, Mac. Almost as pretty as you. And who might you be?” she asks, looking over at me.
“I'm Kate, Mac's best friend,” I reply cheerfully.
“Oh yes, Daniel has told me about you as well. I hope you're not too sad to be losing a roommate.”
“Ah, what?” Mac asks, looking up at Daniel questioningly.
I see him wince then rake his spare hand through his hair. He leans down and whispers something in Mac's ear. I see her whole body relax-whatever he's just told her, it has done the trick. I really need to talk to her about not stressing out so much.
“Now then, let's get inside so I can get to know my future daughter-in-law,” Daniel's mom says before turning toward the house and walking up the stairs again.
HOLY FUCKBALLS!
I look over at Daniel and Mac. Daniel's wide eyes are pointing back at me, and Mac's shoulders are tense again. Damage control round two required stat! I take a few large steps, and I'm immediately at Mac's side just as she turns to me and tries to wiggle out of Daniel's firm grip.
“Not letting you go so you can freak out again. You can thank me later with that blow job you promised. Until then, we'll try to deflect any long term commitment grenades my mother might throw our way. For the record,” he says, talking to both of us, “we've already talked about moving in together, Mac. And Kate, you know that we'd talk to you before any decisions were made. But if you can't tell, my mother is obviously trying to speed things up so that her youngest son is not living in sin and having a child out of wedlock. It's her deal, not mine. I don't have an issue with it, never will.”
Good god, that man is a miracle worker.
“Okay,” Mac says, burrowing herself deeper into his side just as Daniel's mom turns and looks down at us.
“Come now, we don't bite!”
“Much,” Daniel says under his breath, breaking the mood as he leads us up the stairs behind his dad.
“He's right, you know. She's all bark and no bite, and I should know,” Daniel's dad says with a wink. “Although, when she does bite, I don't complain either.”
Wow, Daniel and his dad are two peas in a pod. Handsome, funny, and dirty minded. Mac's giggle lets me know that she is thinking the same thing.
“After you, ladies,” Daniel says with a grin, smacking Mac's ass when we reach the door.
“Watch it Danny Boy, or all promises of previously aforementioned sexual relations will be retracted.” Mac turns to face Daniel, putting both hands on her hips.
“Low blow, Mac,” he whispers in her ear, wrapping one arm around her waist and resting his other hand on top of her baby bump. “You should be nice to the mini superhero's daddy. The baby's listening you know.”
“And our mini super heroine's daddy also knows that I never make a promise I won't keep. So daddy better help me get through today if he wants to get his daddy reward later on.”
“And that, my friends, is my cue to leave,” I say loudly, walking ahead into a large living room where Daniel's parents are waiting for us.
“You have a beautiful home, Mrs. Winters,” I remark, walking toward a wall of windows overlooking a private lake. “You have a lake?”
Mr. Winters chuckles. “We have access to the lake, but there are about six other properties that back onto it as well. And please, call us Will and Jenny. Mr. and Mrs. Winters makes us sound old.”
“Oh, okay, Will.” I feel myself blush. “But thank God it's not yours. I was starting to think I was in the presence of royalty or something. I mean who owns their own lake,” I explain, flailing my hand toward the lake as I turn back around. “Next you'll be telling me you own a country club or something too.”