Several hours later we've eaten dinner, played five hands of poker and my sides hurt from laughing so hard. My mom has told Milo every embarrassing story from my childhood possible. My father is treating him like the son he never had. And I'm about to lose it.
Cock-blocked by my own parents.
“Thank you for the advice, Harvey. I’ve been meaning to stock my liquor cabinet and I think some Bahamian rum would be a great addition.” Milo rubs his hands together. “I usually do mixed drinks for my New Year’s Eve parties and it’ll be great to bring out some new recipes. You guys should come. It’s a costume party. I bet you’d love it.”
My dad points at him and then turns to me. “I like this one, buttercup.”
Milo’s eyes light up. “Why do you call her buttercup? Is there a story behind that?”
I roll my eyes. “The same story as every other girl at my school. We all loved that movie The Princess Bride. I could recite all the lines.”
“And she did,” my mom interjects. “I was so tired of Buttercup and her nonsense. Who would leave a man like that?”
Ariana leans over, keeping her voice low so that no one will overhear. “You're trying to figure out how to get rid of them, aren't you?”
“Help me out, would ya? You're the one with all the ideas.”
Ari shrugs. “I don't think you want my help. Because I’ll tell them you’re sexually frustrated after working overtime all week and need some bam-bam time with your boo.”
“Oh my god.” My heated whisper draws Milo’s attention. He raises his eyebrows and I point to my watch.
“Trust me,” Ari whispers. “Considering how much your mom wants grandkids, she’d probably be completely on board with that plan.”
As gross as it is, she's not wrong. My mom has always been an independent woman with her own career. Both of my parents were college professors and they met at a conference. Over the years she emphasized the importance of not losing myself for a man. But something strange happened a few years ago. She lost about fifty years off her feminism when her friends started having grandkids.
I have no doubt that my mom would make herself extremely scarce if she thought it meant there’d be a baby bouncing on her knee nine months from now.
But it turns out my dad is the one who saves the day.
“Well, Martine I think we should leave these young people to it.” He stands slowly and I hop up to help him but then pause because Milo is already there.
My heart was already one big melted marshmallow after watching him be so attentive and sweet to my parents but whatever resistance I had left is gone seeing Milo offer his arm to my father. He does it so easily, like it’s second nature and not an imposition at all.
And in that moment, I’m forced to accept it. I’ve broken all the rules. Weirdness and professionalism be damned. I’m in love with Milo. And if he doesn’t feel the same way, the heartache I experienced after Will left is going to seem like child’s play.
My mom pulls me into an embrace and the hug seems a little tighter than usual. When I finally pull back her eyes are bright.
“What is it, Mom? Is everything okay with you and Daddy?”
She regards me affectionately. “Just happy to see you smiling again, baby girl. We were worried about you for a long time.” Her eyes slide over to Milo. “But you’ve found a man who doesn’t need to dim your shine to make his own seem brighter. I can see I don’t need to worry anymore. Not with the way that man looks at you. Umm, hmm.”
My face flames but she just chuckles and kisses my cheek lightly. “I swear you kids forget that we were young and frisky once, too.”
“I don’t think I need to know too much about when you were frisky, Mom.”
She just laughs as she hugs Ariana goodbye. After they’ve both hugged Milo, I walk them to the door and wait until they’re in the elevator. When I get back inside the apartment, Ari is gone and Milo is in the kitchen putting away the leftover food.
“You don’t have to do that.” I feel bad enough that he’s been stuck here for two hours entertaining my parents when I know he was looking forward to relaxing after a long week.
“No big deal. I’m almost done.” Milo sticks a plastic container into the refrigerator and then drops the dishtowel in his hand on the counter.
“You were great with them. My dad is usually surrounded by estrogen so I think he really enjoyed having you here. Although I’m sorry I couldn’t warn you. They sometimes just get the idea to pop by and start cooking. They’re convinced that Ari and I will starve to death if they don’t come check on us periodically.”
Milo wraps an arm around my waist. “You don’t need to apologize for having parents who care. I thought they were great. It’s obvious how much they love you. It’s not like I don’t understand how they feel.”
We’re dancing around saying the words. It’s right there on the tip of my tongue and my pulse speeds up as I prepare to lay it all on the line.
But what comes out is, “Will you stay with me tonight?”