Page 80 of The Meeting
“You dog,” Derek said as soon as he saw Chase.
Chase only smirked. His brother could read him better than anyone. And he knew the only way Chase wouldn’t be out there quickly was if some form of sex was involved.
“Sorry not sorry.”
Derek laughed. “I don’t blame you one bit. Help me with this tent over here.”
Chase nodded a hello to a few of the ranch hands who were helping with the tents. Between the four of them, they were able to get the last few tents up quickly before guests arrived. Chase ran back into the house as soon as a car pulled up. His parents weren’t set to arrive for a bit since it was supposed to be a surprise party.
Kailynn stood at the mirror in the bathroom, putting on makeup when he came in. He closed the door to the bathroom and stripped off his clothes and pressed a kiss to her cheek before stepping into the shower.
“Are you excited to see your parents?” she asked.
“I’m outrageously excited. I’ve missed them so much,” he admitted. He scrubbed himself clean and stepped out of the shower just as Kailynn finished her makeup.
“I’m happy I’m here.”
He squeezed her hand. “I’m happy you are, too.”
They waitedin the dining room, peering out the window toward the party. The guests had all arrived and his parents’ car had just pulled up. They ducked away from the window, and as his parents walked by, they heard his mom ask what was going on while they made their way down to the large tents. The guests all hid behind various buildings, but the tents weren’t a norm for the ranch, so she knew something was going on immediately, especially with various cars parked outside of the house.
When his parents were further away from the house, Chase and Kailynn watched out the window again, waiting for Derek to give his speech.
Kailynn slinked her arms around Chase’s waist and leaned her head against his shoulder. Finally, Derek started his speech.
Chase wrapped an arm around her shoulder and looked at her. “Are you ready?”
* * *
Kailynn looked up at Chase,who had just asked her if she was ready and she swore she was about to puke. The nerves in her stomach were out of control. She had never been so nervous about meeting a boyfriend’s family before, but somehow meeting Chase’s was daunting.
It wasn’t just the fact that they were in a completely different state and she knew no one there; it was that it was Chase’s family. Chase. The man whom she realized she was falling desperately in love with. The man whom she wanted to be with for the rest of her life. And she was about to meet the people dearest to him.
Her hands felt slick, and she wiped them on her pants.
What if they didn’t like her? She didn’t want to mess this up. The need for them to like her was strong. She couldn’t lose him.
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak, and they made their way out the back door and down the path to the tents. The guests’ backs were to them, so they approached unnoticed while Derek spoke.
“Thank you all for attending my Mama’s sixtieth birthday party. We are so happy you could join us today.”
Everyone clapped in response. The party was larger than she expected. It seemed as if the entire town had attended, but she wouldn’t be surprised if they had. She knew the town wasn’t that large and that everyone there was like family. Of course they would all be invited. She shouldn’t have expected anything less.
Derek continued, “I actually have a birthday gift I want to give her right now. Well, honestly, the gift is from both Chase and me.”
Kailynn and Chase stepped into the crowd and made their way toward the front. As the crowd moved for them, some people whispered, but Chase held a finger up to his lips to keep anyone from spoiling the surprise. Everyone did as they were told. Kailynn smiled at everyone she passed, despite not knowing anyone.
They stopped just behind his parents. Kailynn wondered if she should step away. This was a reunion between family, and they didn’t even know her. But Chase kept his hand locked on hers. She couldn’t get away even if she wanted to. Sweaty palms and all.
Chase’s mom called out, “Is Chase on video? Tell me he’s on video so he can be here too.”
“Sorry, Mama. I’m not on video,” Chase said from behind her.
His mom screamed and turned around, throwing her arms around Chase. Kailynn let go of his hand to give them their reunion.
His dad joined in on their hug as his mom continued to jump up and down, screaming. Everyone around them cheered like they were in a movie and witnessing some grand finale.
Kailynn watched as the family was reunited and suddenly felt like she didn’t belong. She was happy she came, but almost wondered if it would have been better if she hadn’t shown up right away.
