I glanced back down at Henry before lifting it to my ear. If my parents were calling so early, something had to be up.
“Hey, John,” I whispered, smoothing down the top of Henry’s sleep-mussed blond hair.
“So your mother and I just got back from breakfast at The Sunrise,” he informed me.
The Sunrise had been a weekend ritual for them for as long as I could remember. Sometimes, they went on Saturday. Sometimes on Sunday. But, regardless of the day, it happened every weekend. And, up until that moment, I’d never thought too much about their predictable routine. However, now, my mind drifted with a sense of excitement as I considered the kind of rituals Henry and I would create together over the next…oh, lifetime.
A huge smile split my lips.
“How was the southwest omelet this morning?” I asked before kissing the top Henry’s head.
“I wouldn’t know. Didn’t get to eat. Your mother dragged me out of there before I could even finish my first cup of joe. See, Sally Walters brought it to our attention that you seem to have forgotten to tell us something.”
I tensed as guilt pooled in my stomach. “Um…like what?”
“Um…” he mocked. “Like the fact that you’re dating Henry Alexander.”
My head fell back against the pillows. “Shit. John, I—”
“Yeah, shit is right. Someone else is eating my omelet right now. Meanwhile, your mom is swirling around this house, snapping at me, and polishing the silver with a toothbrush because, obviously, if you’re serious enough about this guy to be swallowing his face in public, you’re serious enough to be bringing him home for dinner. Evan, I swear on my life the woman is acting like The Pope himself will be blessing us with his presence.”
I chuckled because I knew he wasn’t exaggerating. My mom was a little, well, enthusiastic when it came to entertaining. And, considering John had mentioned Sally Walters, the biggest gossip in San Francisco—or, at least, in my parents’ circle—I’d guessed that Mom had heard Henry was famous.
“I see the pictures from last night leaked to the press,” I said.
“Leaked? From the way everyone at The Sunrise was talking…there was a fucking flood. I thought your mother was going to need CPR when Sally produced a photo of you and Henry going into a hotel two months ago. Son, if you need me to paint a picture for you here, she was so upset she didn’t even touch her Diet Coke.”
That was really bad. My mom did not mess around when it came to her morning Diet Coke.
“She’s really flipping out, huh?”
“Evan, you have a boyfriend who is famous enough for Sally Walters to know he’s your boyfriend before your own mother, I’d say she’s more than flipping out. She’s hurt.”
I flinched. I hated that she’d found out that way, but there hadn’t exactly been a good time for me to sit her down and tell her about Henry. Things had been so tumultuous with us from the start—mentioning him to the parents had felt a tad premature. Hell, I’d spent most of those two months trying to find reasons why we couldn’t be together.
“It’s not like that, John. Shit. This thing… It just kinda happened.”
“I’m calling horseshit. I’ve met Henry Alexander. Nothing just happens with him. Did he mention that he was on that AirUSA flight of mine? He begged me to be his personal pilot for months after the accident. I swear to you I was retired and had no interest in a new job, but he was so convincing I nearly agreed.”
I smiled. Yep. That was my Henry.
“You know how I feel, then. Tell Mom that I fell victim to his persistent charm and didn’t have a chance to call and tell her.”
He barked a laugh in my ear just as I felt Henry’s head tip back.
“Victim to my persistent charm?” he accused softly, the skin between his eyes pinching together in pain.
Last night, I would have apologized profusely that he’d gotten the wrong idea about my conversation. Today, after the promises we’d made to each other both verbally and physically last night, I was almost frustrated that there could be any doubt in his mind.
I twisted my lips and glowered.
Lifting my phone in the air, I pressed the speaker button and John’s voice came through midsentence.
“…you serious about this one, or do I need to stop your mom from redecorating the living room?”
Henry began worrying his lip as he waited anxiously for my answer.
I couldn’t fight the grin as I replied, “He’s the one, John. And I’d honestly say that even if he weren’t sitting here, staring at me like I was about to kick his puppy.” I held Henry’s gaze as I lifted my hand in a Vulcan V.
He smiled, and the breath he was holding rushed from his mouth.
“Oh, hell! Didn’t mean to put you on the spot.”
“No problem. You’re on speakerphone too.” I motioned for Henry to say something.
His eyes flashed between me and the phone as though I’d asked him to sacrifice himself to the parental gods. Finally, he timidly said, “Hi, John.”
Forget the grin. I outright laughed.