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“How was the flight?” Robert asked, his face nearly expressionless. “Hit any turbulence?”
“The flight was amazing,” Liam said as he kissed his mother hello. He shifted to his father and gave him a stern handshake. “Mom, Dad, I want to introduce you to Brooke Jones.”
I put on my best smile. “Mr. and Mrs. Grey, it’s lovely to meet you. Liam has told me so much about you.”
Lillian practically pushed Liam aside and scooped me into a big hug. “Brooke, we have heard so much about you, too. You are absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much for coming to our special occasion.”
“When our son said he was bringing someone home, we were thrilled,” Robert added.
I breathed a sigh of relief. So far, so good. My stomach stopped cartwheeling for a minute as his parents smiled at me. A person shouldn’t be this nervous about meeting the parents, but Liam was the first person I had dated since Alex, and the relationship was going very well. I didn’t want anything to throw it off.
Lillian draped one arm over my shoulder. “Why don’t we go inside so you can meet Leah in person? She’s been so excited to meet you, and, of course, she’s eager to introduce you to her fiancé.”
“I’m excited to see them both,” I said, letting Lillian lead me towards the house.
I had only ever seen Leah on conference calls—during big Town Hall meetings where every employee from every office could be seen on video, from their home bases—but this was much more exciting. Plus, I’d heard good things about Leah’s fiancé, and although I was nervous, I wasn’t half bad when it came to meeting new people. At least I wasn’t as shy as back in college.
We made our way inside with Liam in tow and his father bringing up the rear. The stone exterior opened to a cozy, but expansive, interior with gleaming tile floors that diverged into thin wood planks, suitable for a house built in the early 1900s. High ceilings and large windows filled the foyer with natural light, and the smell of cooking trailed from what I guessed was the kitchen down the hall.
“Leah?” Lillian called out. “Guess who’s finally here?”
We entered the kitchen—a kitchen bigger than my entire apartment—and then went out the back door into the yard. A small stairway led to a deck with a large dining table and rattan chairs under a pergola. Another small set of stairs led to an inground pool, complete with loungers and umbrellas. Surrounding the pool was a lush green lawn lined with the tallest oak trees, creating some privacy in the outdoor oasis.
The guests of honor were seated facing the pool, and Leah was the first to stand and turn.
With a deep breath, I extended my hand while closing the gap between us.
“Leah, it’s so nice to finally meet you in person. I’m—”
“Brooke.”
I froze at the sound of my name—so familiar, but coated in surprise.
It can’t be.
Still clutching Leah’s hand, I cautiously—and I mean, so slowly I half-expected time to stop—shifted my gaze to Leah’s fiancé. The man I was supposed to be meeting for the first time.
The stranger.
Only, he wasn’t a stranger at all.
It. Can’t. Be.
Liam cleared his throat, but the sound wasn’t enough to make me look at him until he stepped forward, stopping beside me and extending his hand to the last person I expected to see.
“Alex,” Liam said. “I’m Liam. I take it you know Brooke?”
My gaze shot back to my ex-boyfriend, who may as well have been a mythical creature standing before me. The same piercing dark eyes, hair a little shorter and a lot more corporate than it used to be, with a tailored suit that fit him to perfection—he was my Alex, but different.
Older.
And still, the most beautiful man I’d ever seen.
He peeled his eyes away from mine and extended his hand to Liam… my current boyfriend.
“Nice to meet you, Liam. And, yes, Brooke and I—”
“Went to the same college,” I blurted out.Jesus.On thesmoothscale of one to ten, that was a negative twenty.
