She nodded like she knew exactly what I was saying. “She’s good for you, I can already see that.” She let her hand slide off my cheek and patted my chest, right over my heart. “Let her in, sweetie. Never be afraid to show her all of you.”
“I won’t,” I murmured, not able to hold back from wrapping my arms around my mom. She was always the one person in this world I could talk to. “Do you want to meet her?”
She pulled back, slapped me on the shoulder, and rolled her eyes. “What kind of question is that? Of course, I want to meet her.”
“Okay, okay, no need to get violent.”
She shoved me aside with her hip and stood between me and Elodie, taking matters into her own hands. “Hi,” she announced. “I’m Lola, Asher’s mom.”
Elodie turned around, her gaze snapping from my mom to me and back again. This may have been the last person she was going to meet, but it was also the most important person. I wouldn’t be where I was today if it wasn’t for my mom. “Hi.” She held her hand out. “I’m Elodie.”
Mom waved her away and wrapped her arms around her, pulling her in for a hug. “I don’t do handshakes.” She pulled back and smiled at her. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too,” Elodie whispered, and her throat bobbed as she swallowed. Maybe I’d pushed too much on her. Should I have waited? Should I have—
“Could I use your bathroom?”
“Of course, Asher can show you where it is.”
“Thank you.” She turned to face me, and I placed my hand on the bottom of her back, a heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I’d taken things too far, brought her here too soon. I—
“I don’t need to use the bathroom,” Elodie announced as we got into the living room. “I just needed to—”
“I’m sorry. If it’s too much we can leave.”
“No.” She lunged forward and placed her hands on my chest. “No, no. It’s nothing like that I…” She pulled in a breath and I glanced down at her, completely captivated by her navy-blue eyes. “I just needed to say thank you for bringing me here. I never had a family like this and…well, thank you.”
I couldn’t stop myself even if I wanted to. I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulled her to me, and dipped down to touch my lips to hers. “You’re welcome, sweetheart.” I pulled back a couple of centimeters. “Want to see my childhood bedroom? I still have my pirate bed in there.”
She burst out laughing. “You had a pirate bed?”
“Yep.” I lifted her off her feet, not waiting for her to pull back, then turned around and headed toward the stairs. “It’s the best bed in the world.” I walked up the stairs. “My bedroom is also at the front of the house, so…”
Elodie shook her head but her grin was undeterred. “You’re so bad at innuendos.”
I shrugged. “Fine. Come to my bedroom with me so I can touch you some more.”
She grasped my face in her palms as I made it to my old bedroom door. “That sounds more like my Marine.”
My Marine. Fuck, she was gonna be the death of me.
Chapter Sixteen
ELODIE
I’d only ever felt truly comfortable in certain places: the dance studio, and my new apartment. And now I could add Asher’s mom and dad’s house to that mix too. I wasn’t sure what time the cookouts usually ended but I found myself not wanting to leave. His dad had spoken to me about his secret sauce and everything he’d gotten up to now that he was retired from the DEA, and I’d told him all about my dancing competitions. It had been easy to talk to everyone, but I should have known it would have been because it was the same with both Asher and Leo.
So, as the darkness covered us and everyone started to leave, I felt a little sad. I’d have to go home to my apartment and not be surrounded by people who made me feel at ease. Belle, Leo, and Ford were the last to leave, which meant there was now only me, Asher, Lola, and Brody.
“You driving all the way home this late?” Lola asked.
“Darlin’, he lives thirty minutes away, not five hours.”
“I know, but still. He could always stay the night and—”
“We’ll be fine, Mom.” Asher squeezed my thigh, where he’d placed his hand an hour ago under the table. “I’ll drive slow.”
She pointed at him, her brows lowering in warning. “You better, mister.” She sighed. “I miss having the kids at home. It’s too damn quiet for my liking.”