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“It’s not just me,” I said, putting my arm around Bash’s waist.
She scoffed and pushed past me. “I was talking to Sebastian. You’re a catch, honey. And so is your hockey player.”
My cheeks burned, and I stood there in silence with my two guys as she ambled to the kitchen.
“One family member down,” Mac said, breaking the stunned silence. “That wasn’t too bad.”
“Is she saying I’m not a catch?” Bash’s arms were hanging by his side as he stared down the hallway.
“You’re a catch.” I patted his chest. “Maybe you didn’t hear her right.”
Mac snorted, covering it quickly with a cough, when Bash glared at him.
I braced myself and grabbed their hands. “Let’s get this over with.”
The chatter in the family room stopped the second we walked in. Like not even a fade away to cover up their ridiculousness. Just full conversation to dead silence.
Bash took the lead and introduced Mac to our families. I held my breath the entire time, a woozy nausea passing over me when the room fell silent again. It was one of those pressurized silences that made me feel like I was going to explode.
Bash’s dad stepped forward first, shaking Mac’s hand. “Sorry about the loss—”
Mac shook his hand and laughed. “Me too. Thanks, man.”
“It’s so nice to meet you, Mac.” Ava reached out her hand, her voice as soft as I remembered.
She was a nanny and completely unflappable. Exactly the person we needed in our corner.
They exchanged a few words, and I let go of the breath I’d been holding onto for dear life.
“Thank you,” I whispered, hugging her tightly.
“Of course,” she whispered. “I’m truly excited to meet him. And to see you and Bash again. Engaged?!”
She and I quietly screamed, but no one else moved closer to us. Slowly, the conversation around the room ramped back up. Not exactly a warm greeting for Mac, but nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be.
I had kind of hoped my parents would be warmer, but it was a pipe dream. They weren’t warm with me anymore, so why would they be with him? I needed to lower my expectations, but it was hard to not want more from them, no matter how many times I’d been disappointed.
I grabbed Mac’s arm—something my mom noticed. “Now that introductions are over, want to see the rest of the lake?”
“Absolutely.” And then, throwing on his press conference smile that the cameras ate up, Mac waved to everyone in the room. “It was nice meeting all of you.”
His cordiality was met with some grunts and head nods. Grandma Agnes was beaming at him and letting her eyes rake over him a little longer than appropriate. My cheeks burned, and I yanked him out of the house. Bash was right behind us, practically slamming into me as I shut the door.
“That was weird.”
Bash took my other hand and kissed my palm. “It was so much better than I thought it would be, but yeah. I kind of hated that.”
“Kind of?”
Mac shrugged and stared toward the lake. “Still better than my parents. Your parents just ignored your engagement texts—”
“Didn’t yours?” Bash asked.
Mac’s face fell and my stomach dropped. “Mac?”
He glanced at the house and paused. “Can we walk down by the lake where no one can hear?”
We ambled down the dirt path along the water’s edge in silence, no one speaking until we were certain we were out of earshot.
