We get re-dressed to leave. I grab Ser Pounce and kiss his furry head.
“You have four bowls of water and three bowls of food. Don’t eat them all at once, Fatty.”
“I thought you said you didn’t like that cat,” Ben says and picks up my bag.
“I said I wanted a dog and got him instead. He’s grown on me though, like a fungus. I do love this grump. He’ll be fine though. He’s so lazy and I don’t think he’ll even notice I’m gone.” I set Ser Pounce down and put on my shoes. “Who’s taking care Harumi for you?”
“My mom,” he says. “She spoils that dog. She’ll be ten pounds heavier when we get back. It’s her subtle way of trying to make me feel guilty I haven’t given her any grandkids yet. I told her it’s her fault she didn’t have more kids. That’s a lot of pressure to put on me.”
“Yeah, very true. I have a brother and he’s getting married first, so the pressure is on him, thankfully.” I fish my keys out of my purse.
“I can drive,” Ben says and gets his own keys.
“I can’t make you do that. It’s my family’s party we’re going to.”
“I don’t mind,” he insists. “And you can keep your car in the garage then.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yeah. I kind of like driving.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You’re such a guy. And I kind of like that. Because I hate driving long distances.”
“Perfect.”
We load my stuff, I lock up the house, and then we’re off.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Since we left several hours earlier than planned, there is plenty of daylight left when we pull into my parents’ driveway. It’s filled with cars already, even though the official party doesn’t start until tomorrow.
“My brother is here,” I say. “Be prepared to meet Bridezilla.”
“She’s going to talk nonstop about the wedding, isn’t she?”
“I’m sure. It’s a week away. Like I get it’s stressful, but why freak out?” I shake my head. “Whatever. I’m all about getting drunk, getting tan, and having fun this weekend.”
Ben smiles. “I think we can manage that.”
“You can just park here,” I tell him and point to the spot behind Jake’s car. “We’ll drive to our cottage later after dinner.”
“We have our own cottage?” he asks.
“Yeah. I fake rented it out to make sure it would be reserved. Trust me, you don’t want to be inside that house when my mom and my aunt start drinking. Or maybe you do. It’s pretty entertaining. But my aunt stays in my old room, and my mom was going to set up the sleeper sofa in the basement for us.” My eyes widen and I shake my head. “I’m not doing that. Besides … the privacy is nice.”
Ben leans in and kisses me. “It is nice.” He puts the Audi in park. I grab my purse, jam my feet back into my shoes, and get out, leaving my bag in the car. “So do these cottages have electricity?”
“Yes. They’re pretty much like a little house with everything you could need. Even Wi-Fi, though the connection sucks so bad.” I can hear the waves crashing on the shore behind the house. We’re a ways away from the water, but I’m able to pick up on the rush of water. My gaze goes to the lake, and I feel a piece of my heart warm. I might be a little fond of my childhood home and growing up on the lakefront.
“You can kind of see them over there,” I say and motion to the side of my parents’ house. “There’s a boardwalk in the sand that connects everything: the house, the docks, and the cabins. But since we have bags, we can drive there and then walk in the morning.”
“Sounds good to me.”
We get out and walk up the house. “I should warn you, my mom can be a little, uh, overbearing sometimes.”
“She can’t be any worse than mine,” he says, almost under his breath.
“If she starts talking about what our children will look like, run. Well, not really. Just ignore her. She doesn’t mean to come off that way. She’s just totally oblivious to it.”
“My mom says the same,” he tells me with a smile. “She really thinks I should be married by now.” He rolls his eyes. “She wanted that five years ago too.”
Thinking about the wedding doesn’t bring on the same wave of pathetic sadness like it did before. I’m not going to start a Pinterest board for our future wedding—not yet at least—but having him here with me helps more than I thought it would.
I ascend the porch steps and get hit with nervousness. I told my mom I’m bringing a boyfriend, because explaining that Ben and I are casually dating and seriously fucking isn’t something I can do. But Ben hasn’t said he’s my boyfriend, and the potential embarrassment and disappointment scare me.