Page 150 of Prickly Pair
I shook my head at them as we got out of the car. Nick picked up the pecan pie like it was a shield, but soon he’d realize he wouldn’t need it at all.
The thing was, my parents had been bugging meto bring home someone I was dating. They’d been wanting a son-in-law or daughter-in-law foryears.
Well, now they were going to have three of them.
“They’ll love this,” I said.
Austin narrowed his eyes on me. “You did . . . you did tell them you have three boyfriends. Right?”
“Here’s the thing about my parents,” I said lightly. “I love them so much. I see them pretty often. But I’ve been busy the last three months, and they go on cruises a lot, so . . . surprise.”
All three of them paled.
“It’ll be great,” I said. “Come on. Be brave.”
“I’m going to throw up,” Nick croaked.
I snorted as I led them up the path to my parents’ front door, and of course, it swung open the second my boot hit the step. My dad was already there, grinning from ear to ear.
“Hi, honey,” he said, pulling me into a giant bear hug. “It’s been too long. Have you been avoiding us?”
“Never, Dad,” I laughed.
My mom’s face appeared right behind him, her eyes darting from me to the three anxious bodies behind me. Her brows lifted.
I cleared my throat. “These are my boyfriends,” I announced. “Nick, Matthew, and Austin.”
My mom’s mouth fell open, and my dad’s eyes went wide.
“Boyfriends?” she asked.
“Yep,” I said, cracking a broad grin. “All three of them. And they’re boyfriends too.”
My dad couldn’t even muster up a pretend stern face. Instead, he just grinned, then turned to my mom. “Itoldyou. Some rumors aren’t just rumors.”
“Brett,” she hissed, then waved all of us inside. “Come in, come in. I’m so happy you’re here.”
And of course, they gave Austin, Matthew, and Nick hugs as they walked inside. I smiled to myself as I kept a watchful eye on my pie in Nick’s hands. My dad slung his arm around him and led him off to the kitchen, already asking about his tattoos. My dad had been talking about getting a tattoo for at least twenty years.
Once Nick saw they owned three cats, he’d be totally fine.
Warmth spread through me as my mom chatted with Matthew and Austin for a few moments. Matthew’s gaze lifted to mine, and he winked, already relaxing.
This was going to be perfect.
“Alright, you two. How about you go help Nick and Brett?”
“Will do,” Austin said. I fought a giggle when I spotted the beads of sweat on his forehead. He wrinkled his nose at me as he headed towards the kitchen, Matthew trailing after him.
“Well, well,” Mom teased, fanning her face as she looked at me. “You always did like to surprise us.”
I laughed and shrugged my shoulders. “Gotta keep you on your toes somehow.”
“I always thought you and Austin would end up together,” she sighed happily. “But the sexy doctor? And that gorgeous man? He haspiercings!”
“He sure does.” I smirked to myself.
Laughter floated in from the kitchen, and I knew they’d passed the Dad Test.
