I hold my breath and stare wide-eyed at Ozzie before bracing myself for impact.
The collective jaw-drop and stunned silence are about what I expected.
And, the ax is gonna fall…when, exactly? Emmeline is for sure going to start with something like, “How dare you come here and take away my son? How dare you keep your relationship a secret?”
Or something like that. Anything. Parents always respond angrily when a child surprises them like this, don’t they?
But neither Carl nor Emmeline say any of that.
What happens next is not anger but unrestrained glee.
The noise Emmeline makes is so high pitched I think only dogs in space can hear it.
And now she’s hugging me again, squeezing Ozzie again, while Carl asks if he can hug me.
“She’s excited,” he says.
For a moment, I lose myself and nod mutely.
I let them embrace me. I accept their congratulations.
I feel like an engaged person. They immediately suck me into the family, right there in the foyer, like their daughter.
For a moment, I forget that it’s not real.
None of this is real, but it feels lovely.
Imagine being wanted for nothing more than who you are? For nothing more than existing?
Imagine no questions asked.
What kind of world do these people live in?
Down the hall, I hear people laughing raucously. Family members in the same accent as Ozzie and his parents talking over each other amid the sounds of a fridge opening and closing and bottles clinking. Whatever or whoever is in that kitchen, I know I’m not ready for it.
If a similar vibe is waiting for me in there as out here in the foyer, I don’t think my body can handle it. I can feel my feet itching to flee.
That’s when I hear a voice telling me it’s all going to be okay.
“You’re safe. Focus on that. You’re not hurting anyone.”
Khaz. Khaz would want me to stay put and go along to get along.
So, for now, that’s what I’ll do.
And when Ozzie’s hand grabs mine as we make our way down the hall to meet his siblings, I can’t help but notice my emotions blurring that line. I like the way my hand feels in his, and fake relationship or not, I don’t want him to let go.