Page 65 of Committed to You

Charlotte bites her lip then starts to laugh. It’s slow at first then so hard, tears roll down her cheeks.

I furrow my brows. “What’s so funny?’

She wipes her eyes. “I’m sorry, but go be yourself. They are down to earth. Vivian is a lot like them, so if she likes you, then they will, too.”

I hesitate.

“Chase, when was the last time you met someone’s parents?”

I think back. I started dating Jennifer when I was in my early twenties. “Twenty-two.”

Her jaw drops. “You’ve not met anyone’s parents since you were twenty-two?”

I shake my head.

“You’ve had friends with benefits since you were twenty-two?” she cries out.

“Charlotte,” Xander says and puts his arm on her shoulder.

“No, it’s okay,” I tell him. “The last girlfriend I had was when I was twenty-two, and we dated till I was twenty-seven.”

“So, you have had a long-term relationship before?”

“Yeah.”

“And you didn’t cheat on her?”

I sigh. I’m getting a bit pissed now. “Charlotte, you need to stop accusing me of cheating. I’m not a cheater.”

“He’s not,” Xander tells her again.

“Sorry.”

“What can I talk to her parents about?” I press.

“Her dad loves numbers. He and Piper can talk all day about stats and stuff way over our heads. Her mom taught us to cook, sew, and made sure we knew the important words of the Greek language. Her mom doesn’t speak English as well as her dad, but she tries hard. The person they love most is their daughter, so you can talk about Vivian all night if you need to.”

“You and Vivian know how to speak Greek?”

“Vivian is fluent. I only know the important words.”

“What are they?”

“Hello, goodbye, thank you, you’re welcome, please, l love you—those kinds of words.”

I check my watch. “I have two hours until I need to be back at the tux shop. Can you teach me?”

15

Vivian

I don’t normally splurgeon myself, but I spend most of the day at the spa, getting a manicure, pedicure, and massage. I try to relax during my massage, but I’m nervous about tonight.

All I’ve thought about all week is Chase. I’ve not communicated with him since the emails Sunday night. I still don’t know what “make it right” means, and I tell myself not to put too much into it. I don’t need to get disappointed again.

And I miss him. Worse than I’ve ever missed him. I now miss him in a different way.

I could call him, and he would answer, but I’ve held myself back from doing it. We agreed to talk on Friday, and I don’t want to get into it on the phone. One of two things is going to happen then, and whichever it is, I don’t want it to be determined over the phone.

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