Beth isn't entirely surprised that she gets a shy invitation to meet the two women Eugene considers his sisters. It's not like her own mama isn't dropping hints. Grandma Jean is ignoring the concept of hint entirely and outright putting out an invitation for Thanksgiving for Eugene's entire little family.
The fact that they haven't been dating a full month doesn't seem to matter, not with them having the tutoring sessions as well. Those seem to be considered bonus geeky dates, to use Tara's laughing term for it. Beth isn't sharing with anyone except Tara just how glacier slow they're progressing.
It took a couple of weeks to coordinate the lunch. Beth swears it is like fate is conspiring to delay everything. Benjy gets sick the first Monday night, and she works a Saturday double shift that same week. The next Monday, though, Eugene and Beth take advantage of the federal holiday giving them both the day off to take Benjy to the zoo in Atlanta.
It was a success, at least as far as taking a two year old to a major city zoo is successful. Benjy wore himself out as he always does, and Eugene is his best friend for life because he rode the train twice with the toddler. Then again, the man's willingness to spend half the time they looked at animals patiently explaining each animal in the reptile area to her snake and lizard obsessed son might also be part of that.
Beth glances to Eugene, who is concentrating on the freeway traffic as they navigate their way to his house. She strapped Benjy's seat into Eugene's car, figuring it made more sense with the plans at his home later. The boy is sleeping so soundly right now that he's actually snoring here and there, small arms clenched around the book on snakes Eugene helped him pick out. It's intended for school age children, but that's why he has a mama to read to him.
"If he is overtired, we can reschedule this rendezvous for another time more amenable to Benjy's energy levels."
It was an exciting day for Benjy, timed so that he catnapped on the way up to Atlanta and crashed before they walked back to the car. "He's just recharging his batteries right now. If he can rest for an extra half hour when we arrive, he'll be in top form."
"It won't wake him to get him out of his car seat contraption?"
Beth laughs, shaking her head. "No, he's used to sleeping through being moved around."
It's not her imagination that Eugene relaxes a little when they pass the exit that would take them to her home. He doesn't live that far away, not by freeway especially, just halfway between her hometown and Macon. It makes her a little sad that he expected her to take the chance to cancel their later plans.
The closer they get to his house, the tenser Eugene gets again. She's not sure what is winding him up, because his sisters sound lovely. Benjy will be overjoyed to meet new people. They pull into his driveway next to an eighties model Ford Mustang hatchback that she thinks Daryl would adore.
Deciding to settle things down a little before they go inside, Beth reaches out to capture his hand when he fumbles for his keys. It takes a minute for him to calm and smile as she rubs her thumb over his knuckles. When Eugene smiles at last, she decides what the hell and leans in to kiss him.
Having their first real kiss in the driveway before meeting his family wasn't what she planned, but the opportunity hasn't come up properly since she resolved to take the lead. Eugene freezes at the first brush of her lips, but then she reaches for the nape of his neck with her free hand. The barely there pressure to encourage him works, and hesitantly, he deepens the kiss.
God, it was worth the wait. He tastes sweet like the cotton candy they bought on the way out of the zoo. The easy way he lets her lead brings her growing idea that he's relatively inexperienced in this to full bloom. That, combined with the potential for a sisterly audience, leads her to pull away at last. Beth doesn't move her hand from his neck, though, stroking her fingers gently against his skin.
Eugene blinks at her for a moment, before flushing slightly. "Not that I want to vocalize any objections to that delightful and entirely unexpected experience, but why now?"
"You were worrying yourself into a state about this supper." She smiles sweetly. "You spent most of the day making sure my little boy had a lovely day, and even now you're probably worrying more for me, and him, and the ladies waiting on us than yourself, right?"
He nods and manages a faint smile, so she leans in for another kiss. Might as well show him the first one wasn't just about soothing his nerves. There's less holding back from him this time, and it leaves them both smiling.
Movement on the porch alerts her they do have an audience, but she doesn't tattle on the teenager sneaking back inside. Beth remembers being that curious once, with Maggie and Shawn always ahead of her in everything. "I say we head inside before they come fetch us, if they're anything like my family."
Eugene actually laughs. "They would, especially to get a faster peek at Benjy."
Moving away from each other, Beth can't help the soppy expression she knows she has as Eugene lifts Benjy from his seat once she navigates the boy out of his car seat straps. Following him inside with the diaper bag, she glimpses the ladies of the house but Eugene doesn't stop for introductions. They just get a wave from him that Beth copies.
The room he leads her to seems so perfectly fitting for him. She looks around curiously before he calls her name. "Will he be okay on the bed?"
"Yes. Just put him near the headboard and split the pillows to either side in case he does roll over. He's actually pretty limber on getting off beds now." Plus Eugene's bed isn't anything raised crazy high by a specialty frame or mattress. "And he'll more than likely just yell when he wakes up."
With the toddler sprawled comfortably on the bed, Beth steps in for a quick hug. "Something smells amazing."
He hesitates for a second, but then she feels a quick press of lips to her temple as he returns the hug. "Empanadillas, if Connie didn't change her plans."
Beth links her fingers with his as he leads them back to the big open room that combines the living room and kitchen. Both ladies are looking curious and anxious, much like Beth herself is feeling. Eugene, too, because his fingers flex in hers before he lets go to introduce them properly.
The nerves get eased away as conversation quickly becomes about the meal Connie is finishing up. She's concerned about Benjy, with everything being new foods for him. Eugene translates with ease of habit, although Beth notices Connie is lip reading to an extent.
"I think he'll like everything, once he wakes up." Beth's a little more concerned about herself, since she's never eaten anything with plantains, much less seen them prepared similar to mashed potatoes.
Connie smiles, pausing in stirring the dish of rice and pigeon peas that smells delicious. So he is not a picky eater like Kelly and Eugene.
The way her smile shifts to a grin tells Beth she's exaggerating to tease them.
"Liking chicken tenders and pizza is not picky," Kelly protests, speaking even as she signs. "All smart people should hate brussel sprouts and cabbage. They stink!"
"And what is your food Kryptonite?" Beth asks Eugene, curious.
He squirms a bit, looking down, making Connie's expression soften from teasing to concerned. She reaches out to tap Eugene on the forearm gently, making him look up. When she gestures toward Beth and makes a sign Eugene doesn't translate, he sighs.
"I have trouble coping with the temperature contrast on cold foods. The smell of tuna makes me feel violently ill, as does most odoriferous fish and meats like liver. There are other issues, but those are the most obvious and worst ones."
It explains why every time she's seen Eugene drink anything, he selects bottled soda that can be given to him at room temperature, or he opts for a hot drink. He looks so uncertain that she can't resist slipping an arm around his waist and leaning against him.
"Tuna is disgusting, so we'll get along just fine on that one." When he smiles shyly, she winks at him. "And you'll find I am perfectly happy not sharing my ice cream."
Kelly grins, giving her a double thumbs up. "That's what I tell him. He gets the banana pudding, and I get the rocky road ice cream."
Benjy calls out, and Eugene steps away to go get him.
I didn't mean to embarrass him, Connie explains quickly as Kelly translates. I thought he would say tuna. Many people don't like tuna.
"It's good to know." Beth suspects there will be more such moments of Eugene revealing something he expects will be confusing or off-putting to her.
Benjy's greetings and introductions reset the mood, and they're soon gathered around the homey little table with her son perched on a couple of textbooks fetched from Eugene's room. As Beth predicted, he plows through the new food like he's been eating it all his life.
The coconut pudding for dessert has Beth about deciding she might trade siblings if Connie can make this wonderful confection from scratch. She says as much, making the sisters giggle and Eugene smile.
"Tembleque is just coconut milk, sugar, and corn starch, with cinnamon, citrus, and vanilla to flavor it as you prefer," Kelly explains. "I can send you the recipe."
Beth pops her phone out to let the teenager add her contact information, and she doesn't miss that it has Connie's, too, when it's returned. She hopes it's as much a sign that they like her as a way to be a little nosy without Eugene in the middle. Even Denise, as reserved as she is, did something similar, when Beth started dating Dennis.
Post supper conversation is light and easy, but comfortable. Beth notes that Benjy is winding down again, so she reluctantly suggests it's time to leave. "On Saturday, you should all come to my place for lunch. We can barbeque if the weather is decent."
The sisters exchange a look and nod in unison, so Eugene just smiles. "How many of your conglomerate of family members will be present for inspection?"
He sounds amused, so she shrugs with a sly smile. "I'll try to keep it to a half dozen."
Merle will be home by then, and she knows the gruff man will almost be worse than Beth's own daddy and Shawn about wanting a close look at Eugene. At least with the sisters present, it's a larger buffer, and a smaller crowd than a Sunday dinner, or worse, Thanksgiving.
"Noon on Saturday, then."
Once that's agreed to, they hustle sleepy eyed Benjy to the car and head toward Beth's home. Eugene is pensive on the drive, although he responds to Beth's occasion chatter with his usual aplomb. Beth jots off a thank you text to both Kelly and Connie along the way. At the house, he surprises her by accepting her invitation inside, something he declined after previous dates.
The joys of motherhood mean it involves bathtime and storytime, but none of that phases Eugene. As Beth shuts Benjy's light off and joins Eugene in the living room, she pauses to enjoy the sight of him gently petting Domino. The pit bull has his head propped in Eugene's lap, barely twitching when Beth appears.
"I see Domino found a new person to spoil him endlessly."
"He is a considerably well behaved dog for a terrier breed. Very docile, which I confess I did not expect."
"Oh, give him something to chase and bark at, and he's hyperactive enough. But indoors, he turns into a giant stuffed animal."
"I will endeavour to keep that in mind if we are outdoors."
Beth shoos the dog off the couch to steal his spot. She sits sideways, facing Eugene, and leans in for a kiss. It brings the inticing promise of earlier back to mind, as they aren't confined by vehicle seats. She's still careful not to push too far or too fast, remembering his hesitation earlier.
He's got her face cupped between his hands by the time they come up for air. Beth knows now she definitely wants to see where this goes, but Eugene looks as much worried as intrigued.
"Is this okay?" she asks, mind skimming across the volumes of autism and sensory input information she may have peeked into once they began dating. "Or is it too much?"
Eugene gives her a sheepish smile, letting his hands drop softly to her shoulders. "It's quite wonderful, I assure you. But I am uncertain of where it should lead and how quickly is appropriate."
It reminds her of what she suspected earlier. If kissing is unique for him, the rest likely is, too. "I would like it to lead to you staying the night, but that doesn't have to be tonight unless you're ready for that step."
Beth may have felt a little sex deprived when she decided to date again, but rushing into things tends to be what got her in trouble before. It wasn't just sex she missed, but someone in all the other parts of her life.
"I do not believe I am quite to the stage of spending the night," Eugene says at last. "It would be a significant step for me, one I would dearly love to be more certain we are both enamored of taking."
Beth shifts so that she's more cuddling him than enticing him. "I am more than happy with that."
He spent the day patiently entertaining her active and demanding toddler without ever once behaving as if it was just to butter Beth up. If Eugene needs more time to feel comfortable in their relationship before he shares her bed, she certainly can give him that.
He relaxes, arm over her shoulders, and presses a gentle kiss to her temple like he did earlier. "You told me about your ex-husband. I suppose we have reached the point where there is a significant part of my life experience that needs to be explained for a full understanding of my hesitation."
When Eugene takes a deep breath and haltingly explains the sordid and heartbreaking tale of Sarah's time in his life, Beth thinks she understands the concept of why women sometimes want to commit bodily harm on their romantic predecessors. She pushes away that sense of righteous anger for now, figuring she may have found a guaranteed bonding point between herself and his sisters. There is no way Connie and Kelly have forgiven this woman the way he seems to be trying to do.
When it seems Eugene expects to be deemed foolish, Beth just slides herself into his lap and keeps her kisses light and sweet as she reasures him. This isn't deserving of pity, that a good man trusted the wrong person. Tucked close to him and keeping it platonic as possible, she draws him into one last, lingering kiss.
"As much as I hate that she hurt you, I'm selfishly glad she was so stupid," she tells him. He's braved touching her beyond shoulders or face finally, one hand sliding under her shirt to rest warm against her back.
"I confess to a similar relief that your former spouse could not find it in him to remain an integral part of your daily life."
Beth laughs a little at that and eases back to sit beside him on the couch. She reaches for the remote. "What is your opinion on cooking competitions with weird ingredients?"
Eugene's scientific additions to her particular television addiction keeps them both entertained through three episodes and leisurely kisses between them. Eventually, he reluctantly admits he needs to head home because he has a substitute job in the morning. Walking him to the door, Beth watches his car until it's out of sight.
He may need a little more time to be certain of the longevity of their relationship, but Beth doesn't think she does. She knew things were shaky before she and Dennis married, and enthralled as she was with having a college aged boyfriend in Rick, she can honestly say the end of summer breakup was expected. What she is starting to feel now? That makes all of that seem like what it was, a girl playing at womanhood.
He is going to absolutely be worth the wait.
A/N: Timeline note... This backpedals a little from No Evil Dooms Us, taking place before the Merle homecoming chapter and Beth's matchmaker plot.
Slow and steady for these two. I suspect this will wrap in about 2-3 more chapters.
Not that Beth will disappear, since she's embarking on a career as matchmaker for King County.