Page 37 of Crossing the Lines for Love

My mother gasped, and my father looked confused.

“Niko, what are you—is this your house?” She gasped. “Wait a minute! Are you two seeing each other? Why didn’t you tell me?” my mother grilled.

“Marissa, calm down. Are you the server from the restaurant?” my father asked.

“Yessir.”

“I thought you looked familiar.”

Niko approached my father, and they shook hands. “It’s good to see you again, sir.”

“I knew you two would hit it off. How long have you been a thing? Why all the secrecy? Have you?—”

“Marissa, baby. I’m sure they invited us here to answer those questions, if you give them a chance.”

“Mr. Sampson is correct. We’re just waiting for?—”

The doorbell rang, and I almost jumped out of my skin. Niko noticed and mouthedbreathebefore heading toward the door to let his parents in. He returned with them and was holding a miniature version of himself.

Deuce and I made eye contact, and my heart melted. When he smiled and waved his little hand, I accepted that he could do no wrong in my eyes.

“Baby, c’mere.” Niko summoned me, and it felt like I floated toward him. “This is my girlfriend, Aranda. Baby, these are my parents, Anthony and Nikolette.”

“It’s nice to meet you both,” I said.

“It’s nice to meet you, too, but I have questions,” Nikolette said.

“I’m sure you’ll get them all answered before we leave. It’s nice to meet you, Aranda.”

“And this little one is my son, Deuce. Son, this is daddy’s girlfriend, Ms. Aranda.”

“Hi, Ms. Randa.”

With Niko still holding him, he leaned toward me, wrapped his little arms around my neck, and then released me with a giggle.

“Hi, Deuce. You give great hugs. I’m glad to meet you,” I replied.

“Daddy, she sounds like the lady on the phone,” Deuce said.

Niko and I laughed before he responded with, “That’s because she is.”

“You pretty,” Deuce complimented.

“Thank you, and you’re very handsome. Oh, I’m sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Kemper. These are my parents, Randall and Marissa.”

I moved to the side, giving them the space to exchange greetings. There were a few awkward moments of us just standing there before Niko suggested we head to the dining room before the food got cold. About five minutes later, the small dining room felt even smaller with seven bodies filling it.

Niko stopped by his apartment to pick up the booster seat for his son, who sat between us. The table was round, and my father sat beside me while Mr. Kemper sat on the other side of Niko, and their wives were between them.

My father offered to bless the food and kept the prayer short and sweet. Once everyone had what they wanted on their plate, the interrogation began. Of course, my mother broke the ice.

“Anthony and Nikolette, I assure you I have manners, and very shortly, I want to know all about you. However, I’m dying to know the details of how these two became a thing,” she began.

“Oh no, honey. We’re on the same page because we had no clue our son was dating anyone seriously enough to introduce her to his family,” Mrs. Kemper said.

“Especially not serious enough to live together,” her husband added.

“Start with why you’ve been so secretive,” my father chimed in.

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