Interesting. “Well, Mr. Baxter, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were taking me on a date.”
The soft huff of his laughter comes through my phone’s speaker. “I am. If we’re going to do this, Cal, I want to do it right. Not just have you come to my place so I can get you naked.”
Oddly enough, that’s one of the sweetest things he’s ever said to me. It shows that he really does want this relationship to work. He really does want to be with me. “Well, I’m up for anything as long as it involves being with you. But on a side note, the getting naked with you is one of my favorite parts.”
“Mine, too,” he says, low and gravelly. “I have to ask, though, what do your parents think about you staying the night with me? Have you even told them where you were Saturday night? Hell, do they even know about me?”
“Umm . . .”
“Callie.”
I’ve never had a boyfriend—oh, wow, is he really my boyfriend?—that worried about my parents’ approval before. Once I went to college, they trusted me enough to make my own decisions, and they gave me the respect of not grilling me about it either. “They haven’t asked, so I haven’t said anything. They don’t worry too much about what I do. I’m a big girl.”
“So what you’re saying is, when I come over to pick you up later, they won’t have a damn clue who I am?”
He sounds a little irritated about it. Hell, I haven’t even told Makenna we’re together yet because I don’t want her to freak. “Not really, no. Before you even say it, no, I’m not ashamed of you or anything. They just both work a lot, and I don’t see them all that much. It just hasn’t come up.”
He lets out a long sigh. “Will they be there around six?”
“I doubt it, but maybe. It’s hard to know for sure.”
“Call them. Find out. See if you can get them home by then. Otherwise, I’ll skip the hospital tonight and wait until they get home. I don’t feel good about them not knowing.”
“Yeah, uh, okay.” What the hell is this all about? “But why? I don’t understand.”
“Cal,” he begins, his voice softening, “I want to make a serious effort at this. I know it’s too early to tell what our future holds, but I’m going to give it everything I have. I love you. I want to be with you. And if, down the road, we become something more, I want to have your parents’ blessing . . . their respect. That starts right now. I don’t want them thinking this is just casual sex.”
“Seriously, Wes, they won’t think anything about it.”
“Call them, Callie. I won’t budge on this.” And the sharp determination in his voice tells me he won’t.
“Okay. See you at six.”
I hang up the phone, more than a little confused. I don’t really understand the urgency behind him needing to meet my parents today, but I also know him well enough to realize that he’ll get his way, one way or another, no matter what I think about it. Knowing that he’ll be meeting my parents makes me incredibly nervous. What if they don’t like each other? I know my mom will immediately spaz because I’ve never really brought guys home to meet them. Maybe I’ll get lucky, and neither of them will be home until really late. Then we can just postpone it.
“Hey, sweetie. Something wrong?” Mom’s phone voice is overly chipper. Something that always makes me insane.
“No, why?”
“You never call me while I’m at work. Did you need something?”
“Yeah,” I draw out longer than necessary. “When will you be home tonight?”
“Well, I just saw my last patient, so I’m about to head out the door.” Her keys jingle when she picks them up. “Want me to pick up something for dinner?”
Shit. Shit. Shit. “Uh, well, maybe. Have you talked to dad to see if he’ll be home for dinner?”
“I suspect he’ll be there in time. What’s going on with you? You’re being weird.”
I rest my head in my hand, squeezing my eyes closed. “I, uh . . . yes, bring dinner home. Enough for four.”
“Well, jeez, Callie. If you’re having Makenna over, just say so. You know we don’t care. I’ll call something in and be home soon.”
She hangs up the phone before I can tell her she’s wrong. At least, this way, she won’t be questioning me until Wes gets here. I’ll just let it be a surprise. I open my eyes again, taking notice of my grey yoga pants. Probably not the best thing to wear when a guy comes over to meet your parents.