Page 5 of The Host

“Yes! Tonight’s conversation has been extremely stressful and I want something sweet.”

“That’s called stress eating,” Keith said calmly. “And I really don’t think you should begin that habit. Obesity runs in your family!”

Evie’s eyes opened wide with shock. “Are you calling my mom fat?” It took every ounce of willpower not to yell.

“Of course not,” Keith laughed. “That’s one of the things I admire about your mom. She has been able to maintain a nice figure. And yeah, you look a lot like your mom, but your sister is another issue.”

“Are you talking about Renee?” Evie hissed.

“Yeah,” Keith nodded, oblivious to Evie’s irritation.

“She just gave birth!”

“A month ago,” Keith clarified.

“To twins!” Evie said loudly.

“Saylor’s only had one physical birth and she rebounded nicely. Shayla isn’t your biological sister, so we can’t refer to her as to what you might look like after you give birth. So that leaves Renee.”

Evie could not believe she was having this conversation. She was rarely shocked into silence, but in this case, all words had evaporated from the forefront of her mind. When the server brought the cannoli, Evie abruptly stood up and said she wanted a to-go box… and the bill… immediately.

She then grabbed her purse and headed to the bathroom with a quick pace in her step.

She was afraid she’d say something that she would regret and it was better for everyone that she be alone until she calmed down.

The moment she entered the bathroom, she headed straight for the faucet and splashed water on her face. The cold water helped to bring down her ire, but she was still fuming. The conversation she had just had with Keith was the last thing she thought would ever happen. He had come across as non-judgmental and carefree, yet she had just conversed with a completely different person. Evie prided herself on having a clear head, being grounded, and avoiding any kind of drama in her life, yet here she was trying to stabilize her emotions so she didn’t cause a scene.

Keith’s true colors were now revealed and she could hardly believe she was engaged to a male chauvinistic pig.

One thing was for sure.

She would soon no longer be engaged.

The sooner that band-aid was ripped off, the better.

She checked her reflection in the mirror, making sure her mascara hadn’t run when she splashed water on her face, and then turned around to exit the bathroom.

When she reached the table, she breathed a sigh of relief as she noticed the bill was paid for and her cannoli were placed in the to-go box. She grabbed the box of cannoli and the ridiculous list Keith wrote… and waited for Keith to stand up. Then she walked towards the door.

She didn’t say a word to Keith as he opened the car door for her. She didn’t respond to a question he asked after he got in the car and began heading down the freeway toward Evie’s apartment.

“My dad did say to me the other night that there would be times when you would disagree with me and choose to be silent instead of talking. I can sense that I said something to upset you, and I am sorry I did so. But my dad did say that eventually, a good woman will realize what her husband said was right and she will agree with him… so I’ll just wait until that time.”

“So… you’ll wait for me until I agree with what you said?” Evie questioned, barely keeping the tone of her voice neutral.

Keith looked at her and nodded his head. “Yes, Evie. I will always wait for you. I know you’ll come around and see what I said was right.”

Evie shook her head in disbelief and took in multiple deep breaths as she mumbled to herself, “I’m done listening to this psychobabble.”

“I’ve seen my mom do it. If she didn’t agree with something my dad said, after a couple of hours, she would apologize to my dad for not seeing it his way, and then they continued living their lives.”

Suddenly, Evie realized that Keith truly didn’t understand that his parents’ relationship wasn’t healthy and since his mother never stood her ground, he would have no idea what a healthy relationship looked like. The frustration and anger subsided and, in its place, came compassion.

“And that’s the kind of wife you want?” Evie asked with sincerity.

“Yeah. It works for my parents, so I know it’ll work for us.”

Keith pulled the car into the apartment parking lot and turned off the ignition. He started to open his car door, but Evie reached over and pulled his arm back. Keith smiled and turned to face Evie.

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