Rm w/a Vu(86)

Mom perches herself on one of the stools. “How’ve you been, sweetheart?”

I smile wide, focusing on the cucumber I’m cutting so I don’t slice my finger. “Good…really good, actually.”

“You and Greyston seem to be getting closer.” My cheeks warm, filling with a deep blush, and this only invites her to dig a little deeper. “Oh, my. Just how close have you gotten, Juliette?” she prods playfully.

“What?” I ask, surprised, even though I really shouldn’t be; we’d had a very similar conversation when Ben and I were dating.

“Oh, don’t play innocent with me, Juliette. I’m your mother. We talk about these things.” She pauses, gauging my reaction, and when she deems it safe to continue, she smirks. “So, have the two of you had sex?”

“Oh my god!” I hiss. “Could you at least try to keep your voice down? As if Dad needs to know we’re having this discussion!” Mom only rolls her eyes and waves her hand in front of her, silently urging me to continue.

I sigh. “Okay, fine. But before I tell you anything else, let me preface this by saying that if the words ‘your father and I’ leave your mouth at any point, this conversation—or any future ones regarding this matter—will not happen. We clear?” She contemplates my terms for a moment before acquiescing with a nod. “Good.”

“So…?”

“No, actually we haven’t taken that step yet,” I confess, sounding mostly proud about it. The sexually frustrated lower half of my body isn’t super happy about it.

It’s Mom’s turn to be surprised—only hers is genuine. “Really?”

I press my index finger to my lips, reminding her to be quiet. “We’ve decided to wait, and Greyston has proven to be quite the gentleman; we’re moving forward at a good pace.”

Just then, Dad and Greyston come back into the kitchen, laughing. However, when Greyston’s eyes find mine, his laughter dies immediately. He looks from me to my mom, and then back to me, his concern growing by the second.

I force a smile, grab the dishtowel, and wipe my hands. “Hey. How was the tour?”

“Fine,” Greyston replies, crossing the room and standing next to me. “You okay?”

Mom heads back to her seat, and I nod. “Yeah. I’m good.”

The doorbell rings, but instead of acknowledging it, Greyston’s gaze is still trained only on me. I offer him another smile and place my hand on his chest before excusing myself to answer the door.

“You know what?” Mom speaks up. “Why don’t Cam and I get it? You two work on that salad.”

“You sure you’re all right?” he inquires, his eyes searching mine for some kind of indication.

Heat flares beneath my skin, and I try to laugh his concern off. “Yeah. We were talking about some things I didn’t think my dad should hear when you showed up.” He arches an eyebrow knowingly, and I shove him lightly. “You have a salad to prep,” I instruct playfully.

With a nod, Greyston turns back to the counter when he hears our parents approaching. We stand in wait, watching the entrance as our guests all come into view. His mother is a petite thing, slender and not much taller than me, with ivory skin and caramel-colored hair, while his dad is about as tall as mine, only fairer skinned and dark blond hair. In her hands, I see that Greyston’s mom is carrying what looks like a freshly-baked apple pie. This makes me smile and blush, remembering dinner at my parents’ and how Greyston and I had shared similar feelings about whipped cream. Even if we didn’t know it at the time.

“Mom,” Greyston greets, abandoning his salad again and taking the dessert from his mother and placing it on the counter before he pulls her into a firm embrace. “I trust you’ve been well?” She nods, and then her eyes find mine, Greyston’s gaze following. “Juliette, I’d like to introduce you to my mother, Jocelyn, and my father, Daniel. Mom, Dad, this is Juliette. She lives here now.”

Jocelyn’s smile widens and she moves past Greyston, taking my hands in hers. “Oh, Juliette. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too,” I tell her. “Greyston’s told me so much about you both.”

Daniel laughs warmly, eyeing Greyston. “And yet, we’ve heard very little of you.”

“I’ve been busy with work,” Greyston reminds them. “Actually, since I’ve got you both here, now might be a good time to tell you that Juliette and I are…involved.”

I suck in a deep breath and hold it, suddenly terrified for some kind of backlash. While they both seem great, their perception of me could vastly change now that they know their son is seeing his much younger, college-attending tenant. What if they start to see me as some kind of gold-digger, using their son for a free place to live while I get my degree?