"What's the big deal, anyway?" I asked seriously, trying to get to the root of the issue.
"Meeting the parents? Hello? That's a big deal."
"I asked you to meet my parents," I pointed out.
"Yeah, while I was wearing a T-shirt about my pussy. You knew I wasn't going to go inside. You're coming with me to stay over!"
"And?"
"And I've never brought a guy home before."
I laughed and apparently angered her more by pointing out the obvious. "No kidding."
"Excuse me?" Her stare was lethal. I glanced to the cab driver to see the whites of his eyes in the mirror, but they shot back to the road when I widened mine. No doubt this would be showing up in some New York Times bestselling book at some point. Cab driver turned romance novelist.
Actually, that sounded kind of interesting. I should pitch that idea to someone.
"You've never been in an actual relationship, honey. You told me that yourself. So I just assumed you'd never brought anyone home before."
"Oh."
"Oh," I mocked with a rise of my brows.
She slapped my dick.
"Fuck, Cass!" I said, pressing a hand to my crotch to stave off the burn.
Satisfaction turned her eyes downright mischievous. "Serves you right."
Thankfully, since it'd been a fairly superficial blow, it only took me a few seconds to catch my breath. "So what do I need to know about … " I started to ask.
"About?"
"Insert your parents' names here," I explained.
"Oh. Diane and Greg."
"Ah, Diane and Greg. And what do I need to know about them?"
"My mom is on the local news."
"She commits that many crimes, huh?" I teased.
Her gaze turned out the window, and the corners of her lips turned up just slightly. She was close with her mom.
"She's been with KTLJ for nineteen years. She has pretty middle-of-the-road political views, but she's a lot more traditional than I am. Really into mission work. My dad is a doctor, but he's retired now. He mostly just does volunteer work at the local shelters and kids' group homes and stuff."
"Wow, your parents sound very-"
"Philanthropic?" she offered, turning back to look right at me.
"Exactly. And like really fucking great people."
"They are. They've always supported me, and I haven't exactly been the easiest person to support." Her face was warm with genuine familial affection.
"I know exactly how that feels," I admitted honestly. I'd put my own parents through some serious bullshit in my lifetime.
Moments before I could ask what else I needed to know, Cassie's smiling eyes turned from me to the window. "We're here!" she declared, and for the first time since I'd decided to come along, I got a little nervous.
She shoved open the door and then turned back to me to put a hand on my arm. "Oh, one more thing."
"Yeah?"
"Don't curse in front of my parents at all. They fucking hate that." She turned and scooted out the door and left me sputtering in the back seat.
My immobility didn't last long, though, and I scrambled after her. "What?"
She booked it toward the door, but I chased her down in two long strides and turned her toward me. "What do you mean don't curse?"
"I mean don't curse," she repeated, scrunching up her face in a fantastic display of you're an idiot.
"Do you even know me at all?" I asked, and she laughed before patting me on the ass.
"I know you well, honey. Pull up your panties and be an adult."
The door opened, and a well-dressed woman with perfectly placed chocolate hair, creamy skin, and familiar fiery blue eyes stepped out onto the stoop. Cassie dropped her bag and rushed forward into her arms.
I turned back to the waiting cab and paid the fare before scooping her bag up off the ground and walking in their direction.
Cassie's mom took Cass's face into her hands and looked her over the way only a mother could. Studying the changes since she'd last seen her daughter and logging every single one into the memory on her heart.
It was a biological impossibility, but it existed nonetheless. Every woman I'd ever known had two sets of memories: the ones they wanted to remember and the ones their heart wouldn't let them forget. The first kind were chosen, mostly positive and personality building, but the second would live on forever, despite age and fatigue and life-stealing diseases like Dementia and Alzheimer's. Coded on the heart like a hard drive, the feelings never vanished.
"Greg, Sean!" Diane called back into the house. "Cassie's here!"
I arrived at Cassie's back just as Diane turned back around. Her next words were mumbled. "And she brought a giant of a friend." She glanced at Cassie. "No heads-up?"
"There was no heads-up to give. This strange man just followed me home." Cassie shrugged. "He seemed pretty nice, though, and I doubt he could've gotten an ax through TSA, so I'm pretty sure we should all be safe this weekend."
Diane scrutinized her daughter's neutral expression for a beat until her mouth turned up at the corners. "You're ridiculous."
Cassie grinned. "Okay, so maybe I do know him, but I didn't know he was going to make the trek to Portlandia until the last minute."
I smiled and gently pulled Cassie out of the way so I could wrap her mom in a friendly hug. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Phillips," I said into the top of her head before stepping back. "I'm Thatch."
"Thatch?"
"Short for Thatcher, Mom," Cassie explained.
"Well, it's nice to meet you too, Thatcher."
Like mother, like daughter, I thought.
"Come in, come in," she buzzed after breaking out of her stupor.
All the feelings of home surrounded me as we stepped inside. The house was exactly like my parents'. Homey and comfortable for everyone except me. The doorways were a little too small, the ceilings a little too low, and every single aspect of it made me smile.
I'd gladly hunch for a house and people who felt this genuine right off the bat.
"Cassie!" Greg greeted as we stepped into the kitchen at the end of the hall.
"Hey, Dad," she said with a smile as she jogged around the island to give him a hug.
"What's all the noise?" I heard just as the last person I ever expected rounded the corner.
"Sean, Greg, honey," Cassie's mom called, "this is Thatcher. Cassie's … "
"Boyfriend," I supplied when Cassie stayed silent.
Sean was the first to speak. "Huh. Look at that. You're dating an actual giant."
"Sean!" Diane chastised. I laughed.
"It's okay," I interjected with a shrug before speaking directly to Sean. "I saw a picture of you on her phone and thought you were an ex." Whereas Cass was silk and curves etched in creamy white, her brother was the opposite-muscular, hard lines defined by dark, black skin.
She had only recently revealed to me that Sean was her adopted brother.
"You couldn't see the family resemblance?" he deadpanned. Cassie was the first to laugh, and the sight of her at-ease face made a smile spread across mine.
As soon as the awkwardness broke, the conversation continued as though I wasn't there. I just soaked it all in. Cassie chatted about her job, and her mom and dad talked about the mission trip they were planning on attending soon. Cassie tried to talk to Sean about football, but he directed her pretty sternly to move on.
It was the reunion of a family who loved each other deeply but didn't get together nearly enough. It made me feel like I needed to visit my parents more often. The Phillips still had Sean at home, at least for now, but the only thing my parents had was me. I needed to do a better job.
"We still going out tonight, little S?" Cassie asked her brother with a pat to his face.
"Sure. Are you going to be embarrassing?"
"Most definitely," I answered for her with a smile, earning me a punch to the bicep from her and a laugh from Sean.
"I figured. We'll go to a place where I won't know anyone."
"Whoop it up," Cassie shouted over both of us as we laughed. "I'm going to get ready." I pushed off the counter, and she turned to me with a stern finger. "Don't even think about following me, Thatcher."
Her eyes weren't angry at all, so I knew she was just pushing my buttons the way I loved to push hers.
"I'll be up in just a second, honey. I'll help you with your zipper."
"I don't have a zipper," she remarked just as Sean said, "Ew. Sister."
Cassie turned toward the stairs with a smirk, and Sean just shook his head. "Make sure you're both ready in an hour. Not an hour for screwing and an hour for getting ready. An hour total."
"I-"
"I don't need to know details," he interrupted me.
I laughed and slapped a friendly hand on his shoulder. "See you in an hour."
I walked calmly until I got to the stairs, and then took them two at a time and jogged down the hall until I found the room her mom had led me to to drop our stuff halfway through the family hellos.