Page 1 of Paradise & Vodka
Four Years Ago
I was nervous.
I’d never brought home a guy before. Not because I was scared my parents would hate him, but because I was afraidhewouldn’t like them. I'd only ever had two boyfriends, but I was especially nervous for Douglas Alexander to meet my folks.
Douglas had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, so to speak, whereas I grew up in a small town in Alabama where everyone knew everyone and their business. It was tiny and had a town square in the middle of town where kids would play in the grass while their mothers would gossip as they watched blossoming couples stroll to the one diner. It was also different from where I had been attending college for the past three years. My parents’ mobile home could probably fit in the living room of Douglas’s parents’vacationhome in the Hamptons. To say we grew up the complete opposite of one another would be an understatement, but we had, and that was why I was on edge about him meeting my parents and seeing where I was raised.
The entire time we were flying from New York to Mobile, including a connecting flight, my palms were sweating. I wasn’t sure why I had invited Douglas to spend Christmas at my parents’ home, but I didn’t want to spend a moment without him, and he had mentioned his parents were spending Christmas in Italy on vacation. We hadn’t been dating long, but I knew I was falling in love with him, and before I knew it, I had invited him to spend the holidays with me.
"You don’t have to go,"I’d stated, trying to backtrack on my offer.
"I’ve never been to Alabama before. I think it will be fun."Douglas had smiled, his dark brown eyes looking into my own dark brown ones, and then he kissed me softly as we sat on his couch in his Manhattan apartment. Since we'd started dating seven months ago, I’d spent most of my nights at his place because I shared a tiny walkup with four other girls from school and loved the extra space of his apartment.
"Fun,"I’d snorted."I didn’t peg you as a hunting and fishing type."
"Well, no."
"That’s really all there is to do."
"Do you hunt and fish?"he’d countered.
"I did when I was younger."It was my father trying to bond with my sister and me, even though neither one of us cared for the outdoors like he did.
"Really?"I'd nodded."And now, when you go back?"
I'd shrugged."We just hang out and play cards or something."
Douglas had smiled."Well, I know how to play cards. Plus, can’t we go hiking and stuff since it’s not snowing there?"
Douglas’s idea of fun was going to the gym and making sure he was in good health, especially since he was going to be a doctor. We both attended Columbia University; he was in undergrad for med school, and I was on track to get my bachelor’s degree in biology. We were both studying the human body, and while I tried to be in good shape, I was big-boned and the opposite of my twin sister, Everleigh. We weren’t identical. She was the beauty, and I was the brains—literally.
Growing up, Everleigh entered every beauty pageant in the entire state of Alabama, and I stayed home and did homework or science experiments that I'd seen in one of the many books I had. That was how I was able to afford to go to New York for school: I’d won a grant for tuition and room and board from a science fair project my junior year and maintained a 4.14 GPA throughout high school, while Everleigh barely had a 3.0. I wore glasses until I got contacts my senior year, while Everleigh had perfect vision. She was skinny, but no matter what I ate—or didn't eat—I wasn’t.
"I’m not sure about hiking, but we can go for walks,"I’d answered.
"Walks are good. And there’s always other forms of cardio."He’d winked.
"What do you mean?"I’d smirked.
"Let me show you."
His form of cardio wasmuchbetter than going to the gym.
The plane touched down in Mobile, and even though we had at least a forty-five-minute drive ahead of us, my stomach was still in knots. I wanted Douglas to like my family and not judge me by the lack of money my parents had. I was grateful we weren’t staying with my parents. My hometown was small, but it had a nice bed and breakfast where I'd reserved a room. It wasn’t luxurious by any means, but it was better than my parents’ doublewide or staying with myperfectsister.
"Are you still worried?" Douglas asked as we walked toward the baggage claim.
"Is it that obvious?" I chuckled nervously.
He draped his arm across my shoulders and brought me against his side. "Yes, I can tell by how quiet you are, but don't worry. Everything will be fine."
"You remember that I told you they live in a doublewide trailer, right?"
"I'm not dating your parents, Ash."
"I know," I sighed. "Your parents are so perfect—"
"My parents aren't perfect."
