Dex pulls into the driveway of a generous two-story home with white siding and black shutters. The large lawn is still mostly green, but the leaves that have already started to fall are scattered around, creating small brown speckles. Just looking at the yard I can imagine Dex and Luke as small boys, chasing each other around.
"Here we are," he says turning to me with a smile. He brings his hands up to my cheeks, looking directly into my eyes. "Stop worrying. We're just going to have some delicious food and a little visit, no pressure," he says leaning forward and placing a soft kiss on my lips.
The butterflies that I had tried to suppress now feel like something much larger, doing flips in my stomach. I'm not sure I'll be able to eat anything if this feeling doesn't subside at least a little. I manage to nod, giving him a small smile in return before opening my door and stepping out of the Rover. Dex takes large strides around the car and clasps my hand as we walk together towards the door. The amount of confidence exuding from him helps alleviate some of my nervousness.
We step inside and I can hear Kristin's laughter echoing through the house. She is obviously comfortable here; despite the initial impression she must have made. Her and Luke do have two years together, where Dex and I don't even have two months.
"Dexter, is that you?" I hear a woman's melodic voice coming towards the door.
"It's me, Mom," his deep voice echoes off the walls as he leads me down the hallway and into a large open concept kitchen. Kristin and Luke are seated at a large breakfast bar, each holding a steaming mug of what I assume is coffee. Kristin smiles at me and I give her a small wave. She looks much more put together this morning than I feel. A tall woman is standing on the opposite side of the kitchen island. She's facing them, with her back to me and Dex. She has the same chocolate brown hair that Dex has and it sits just above her shoulders. She turns and gives her son a wide, enthusiastic smile.
"Dexter!" she exclaims walking forward and embracing him tightly.
"Morning, Mom," he says as if she's squeezing all the breath out of him. She lets go and looks in my direction. He gestures towards me, "Mom, this is my girlfriend, Mia." She smiles and I smile back, but my mouth has gone so dry that I can't speak. He squeezes my hand, "Mia, this is my mom, Maggie."
"It's so nice to meet you," we say at the exact same time which causes us both to let out a small laugh.
"Would either of you like some coffee or juice?" Maggie asks.
"I would love some coffee," I answer. Dex walks over to the cabinet and grabs two mugs, pouring us each a cup. He opens the refrigerator and holds up two bottles of creamer, "Vanilla or caramel?" he asks.
"Caramel," I say walking towards him and grabbing the bottle from his hand. As I pour my creamer into the mug, I notice a delightful cinnamon smell filling the room. "Something smells absolutely delicious," I say realizing how hungry I actually am.
"That's Mom's blueberry crumb coffee cake," Luke says from the breakfast bar.
"Where's Dad?" Dex asks.
Maggie turns to Dex, "Do you really need to ask? He's in his usual spot out in the sun room with his coffee and newspaper." Dex's hand finds mine again and he pulls lightly until I begin to follow him into the next room. It seems to be a living room area with a large sofa and TV, and it opens on the opposite end into a large room filled with sunshine. It's made almost entirely of glass and has a door that appears to lead into the backyard. One side of the glassed-in room holds a rectangular dining table with six chairs, while the other side has a small sectional sofa and two large chairs which seem to be set up for more informal seating. I see a man sitting in one of the chairs, holding a newspaper that's blocking my view of his face.
"Hey, Dad," Dex calls out.
The paper moves to the side and when I look at him, I can easily see both Dex and Luke. Even sitting, I can tell he has a similar build and body type to both his boys. His eyes are pools of deep brown, matching Dex's almost identically and when he smiles at his son, I see a mirror image of Dex's smile. His hair is a slightly lighter shade of brown, the same as Luke's but speckled with a touch of gray.
"Dex. Glad you finally joined us. I see you brought a new friend with you today," his smile grows larger.
"Dad, this is Mia. Mia, this is my dad, Tom," Dex says giving us each a simple introduction.
Tom smiles as he sets down his paper and picks up his coffee mug from the side table next to his chair.
"Nice to meet you, Mia," he says. He stands, asking, "Does your mother have the food ready yet? I'm starving."
"I think she's just letting the coffee cake cool," Dex answers just as we hear Maggie's voice call out, "Food is ready!" We make our way back through the house and into the kitchen where Maggie has plates set out for us to serve ourselves. Kristin and Luke already have their plates filled with food as they pass us, making their way out to the sun room. Dex hands me a plate and I take an assortment of what Maggie has prepared, including a piece of the blueberry coffee cake and a couple scoops of fresh fruit. I wait for Dex as he piles on the protein, adding mounds of scrambled eggs and bacon to his plate along with his extra-large piece of coffee cake. We turn and leave the kitchen, easily finding our seats at the table along with Luke and Kristin.
"So, what were you two up to last night? We missed you at the party," Luke laughs and winks in his brother's direction. I feel heat in my face and I hope I don't look at red as I feel.
"Shut the fuck up," Dex growls at his brother, obviously not wanting his parents to hear what Luke is insinuating.
"Testy...testy. I just thought maybe you two had a late night, since you were so delayed in getting here this morning," Luke smirks as Kristin tries to hide her laughter under her napkin. Dex opens his mouth to say something back to Luke, but Tom and Maggie join the table, so he stops himself by taking a bite of bacon instead.
The conversation flows easily between the six of us. I tell Dex's parents a little about growing up in California and they ask what I'm studying at BU. Soon our plates are empty and the boys turn the conversation to hockey. Maggie stands and begins clearing dishes from the table. Kristin catches my eye and we both stand to help her, carrying dishes into the kitchen. Between the three of us the mess is cleaned up in no time.
"Thanks girls. I usually have to do the clean-up myself," Maggie says.
"Our pleasure. Thank you for cooking, it was all delicious," I say to her with a smile.
Kristin nods in agreement, "Delicious as always. Thank you, Maggie." Kristin locks her arm around mine as we walk back towards the sun room to find our boys.
"Well, you look freshly fucked," she whispers as her lips curl into a huge grin.
"Kristin! Not here," I say yanking her arm, not wanting Dex's parents to hear. She covers her mouth to contain her laughter at my reaction. Kristin's laughter is always contagious and I can't help but let a small giggle escape.
"Oh c'mon, Mia. I don't want all the dirty details, but you have to give me something," she says.
"I will give you one word," I say holding up my pointer finger to indicate that I mean it when I say just one. I think back to last night with Dex and my whole body warms as the thoughts flood my mind. I look at Kristin and whisper, "Unbelievable." We continue walking into the sun room after our quick pause in the living room. Dex, Luke and their dad all stand from the table as we approach.
"We were just heading into the kitchen. You all probably have better things to do than spend the whole day here, hanging out with Mom and Dad," Tom says with a laugh and a smile.
Dex moves towards me and leans in placing a small kiss on my cheek. "Are you ready to go?" he asks.
"I'm ready whenever you are," I reply. He takes my hand, leading me back into the kitchen. We say "Thank you" to his parents for hosting brunch. Both Tom and Maggie express how happy they were to meet me, and Maggie even says she hopes to see me again soon as we exchange goodbyes. Kristin, Luke, Dex and I walk out the door towards the vehicles sitting in the driveway. As soon as the door closes Dex lifts his fist, punching Luke square in the shoulder.
"That's for all your funny comments inside, you asshole," Dex laughs deeply.
Luke rubs his upper arm and begins to laugh too, "That fuckin' hurt."
I tell Kristin that I'll text her later, as I climb into Dex's car and she slides into her car. The guys continue their brotherly exchange for another minute, but I can't really hear everything they're saying. As Dex opens the door to join me, he's laughing and I clearly hear him say, "Don't be jealous just because you can't go all night, bro." I cover my face in embarrassment as he sits down and closes the door, still laughing when he starts the car. He looks at me and smiles saying, "Sorry, I just had to put Luke in his place." As we leave the driveway, he reaches over setting his hand on my knee. I place my hand on top of his.
"Did you have a nice time?" he asks.
"I did. Your parents are great," I say as I rest my head back and enjoy the ride back to Dex's.