Page 98 of The Pinkie Pact

We were meeting Kieran there because he was playing basketball with his dad first, their usual weekend game. Honestly, it was kind of sweet. Maybe Mr. Emerson wasn't so bad after all.

Tonight, I'd give him another shot. He was Kieran and Kara's dad after all, someone they both adored and spoke highly of. And if I wanted a future with Kieran—which I was startled to realize I did—well, I'd have to learn to deal with his dad.

"Girl, stop staring at your hot self in the mirror and come on," Kara shouted at me.

"Coming," I said, taking a deep breath, giving myself one last glance as I hoped for the absolute best tonight.

Dinner Time

Kieran

While I dressed after a quick shower at my parents' place, I checked my phone to see that Sky and Kara were on their way. I texted Sky back and told her that everything was going to be great and that my parents would love her even more after tonight.

But truthfully, I was feeling some nerves too. I knew they already liked her just because of how great she'd been for Kara, and my mom loved that Sky was into math. Still, Sky was right because itwasdifferent to tell them about us.

I'd been with Christina for so long, it felt really strange to introduce someone as my new girlfriend. But it was also exciting. I was a huge bag of mixed emotions right now.

But topping them all? My heart-stopping feelings for Sky. I was absolutely crazy about this girl and had been almost since the beginning. But these past weeks, these past days, really getting to know her, getting to know her body, mind, and soul just cemented how in love I was with her.

Every day, I lived for the moment I would see her after classes. Our dinners together were a dream come true. We never ran out of things to talk about, and I loved hearing her opinion on everything. And shealwayshad an opinion. There was never a dull moment with Sky.

And then after we ate, God, that's when the nightreallystarted. We had already made a big dent in the condoms. Sky was the definition of insatiable and adventurous, and I was thrilled to try anything and everything she wanted. I couldn't even believe how fortunate I was to have her for my girlfriend. With any luck, she'd be by my side forever.

I heard the doorbell ring and took a slow breath, reminding myself not to touch her, not to stare at her, to act like she was simply my little sister's friend.

It was Sky's idea to wait until later in the night, during dessert, to tell them about us. She'd said something about not wanting to eat dinner under the scrutiny of being my girlfriend, something I totally understood.

But I knew the wait would be agony. It would be hard to sit across from her and act like she was just Kara's roommate and not the girl I was madly in love with.

Words from the other room carried to me, and I could hear the excitement in Kara's voice. I had to roll my eyes at her already. She was the wildcard here. Would she be able to keep our secret till dessert? I supposed it wasn't that big of a deal if it came out earlier. I just wanted whatever Sky wanted.

Walking down the long hallway and barely rounding the corner of the living room, I paused and smiled as I took in the sight of Sky, looking elegant and beautiful as ever as she talked to my mom. It took everything in me not to walk over and put my arm around her. It was going to be agony to keep my hands off her and stop myself from comforting her because she was so obviously nervous.

I watched as my mom led her to the couch where she had wine and appetizers laid out on the coffee table. My dad must have still been showering as well after our crazy intense basketball game. The three of them—the most important women in my life—sat down and started to chat, honestly, so effortlessly, it was kind of strange.

Yes, I was totally lurking, so I ducked back into the hallway, wanting to leave them alone. There was something about seeing them all together that gave me a warm feeling in my chest. My mom was one of the kindest people in the world and had the ability to put anyone at ease, and I wanted to give her time to work her magic on Sky without me adding to my girl's nerves.

So I snuck back the way I had come and went into my mom's huge office. Well, I wasn't sure office was the right word. It was a beautiful room with artwork on the walls, a large, ornate desk, several fancy couches and chairs that were more for show than function, plus a baby grand piano in the corner.

This was where my mom brought anyone "official" to do business with, and I sat on one of the couches, trying to get comfortable. I wondered what they were talking about in the living room. I couldn't even imagine, but I was excited for Sky and hoped it was all going well for her.

I'd wait to join them when my dad showed up. Attempting not to think about it all too much, I played a game of Tetris on my phone, smiling to myself as I thought about Sky beating my high score. She was super competitive, but so was I, and I kept trying to capture that top spot again.

As I played, I heard a loud burst of laughter and paused my game, wondering what on earth they were talking about that was so funny. And then more laughter, this time even louder. Wow, I couldn't help smiling that they were getting along so well. But I also wasn't really surprised.

Returning to my game, that smile grew as I kept playing and the voices became even more animated. Exactly how much wine were they drinking?

A little while later, I heard a deeper voice join in the conversation, and I knew it was my dad. Trying to conquer the sudden burst of nerves, I walked back down the hallway and joined them.

"There you are, Kier," my mom said, standing up to take away some of the dishes.

Yep, the wine bottle was empty. That was quick. I tried not to grin too much... and also tried not to look at Sky too much. But Christ, she was like a magnet. As usual.

But whenever I did glance at her, she was studiously avoiding my eyes, making me smile even more inside. She reallywasnervous about meeting my parents, which made me think she cared, like really cared about me. Could she possibly return my feelings? The thought was almost too much that Sky could ever love me like I loved her.

We sat down for dinner in the dining room, another room that was kind of showy for when my parents were entertaining guests. Sitting across from her, I saw Sky's eyes widen as she took in the art on the walls, the same look she'd had at that Georgetown fundraiser so many weeks ago now, and I wondered what she thought about it all. I could hardly wait to get her alone tonight and talk about everything.

My mom, Kara, and Sky seemed to continue their conversation from earlier and easily started chatting again. My dad joined in occasionally, adding his two cents. But I didn't really pay all that much attention to the topic at hand as I cut into my chicken, smiling to myself that my mom was trying to pass off a home-cooked meal that she'd probably had catered. Not probably. Definitely.

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