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9
Edward's standing with that crooked smile on his face that does things to my heart that should be illegal. He looks good in dark wash jeans and a light blue button down, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. There's something about that I find attractive that I can't pinpoint; however, it could just be the man himself that makes it attractive.
"Hi." My smile matches his and I blush. The nerves I felt a moment ago have all but vanished and I feel silly for over thinking this. I could do this. I could talk to him like I did this afternoon at the store.
"Hi." He takes me in. "You look beautiful."
I bite my lip to contain some of my cheek splitting grin. "Thank you. You look pretty good yourself."
His smile widens. "Are you ready?"
"Yes." I step out, pulling the door behind me, but not before my mom pokes her head around the corner, giving me a thumbs up.
"How do you feel about Baron's?" Edward asks as we make our way to the stairs. Baron's was a popular restaurant that had elevated bar food and was on the casual side, without being a typical bar.
"I love Baron's. It's one of my favorite restaurants." My mom and I ordered in from them on Doordash a lot, more than I would like to admit. They had the best she-crab soup I'd ever tasted.
"Mine, too." He smiles. "See, we already found something we have in common." He reached out and takes my hand as we got down the stairs and I feel like I'm dying, but in a good way.
When we make it to his car, a silver Volvo, he opens the door for me before getting in himself. He's pulling away from the curb when the automated voice of the Bluetooth announces he has a new text message. He presses the button to dismiss it, but despite his best efforts, it goes on to read the message over the car speakers.
"From mom: Have fun on your date. Based on what you've told me, she sounds like a lovely girl. Don't forget to call me later. Love you."
He scratches the back of his neck, his cheeks scarlet. "Sorry, it's been doing that lately." He comes to a stop at a red light. "I've been meaning to get it checked."
I bit my lip to keep from laughing, because the message from his mom was so wholesome. "I'm kind of happy you didn't. How else would I know that you've told your mom about me?"
"Of course I told her about you." He takes me hand again and my heart sings. He obviously handles embarrassment way better than me.
"I take it you're close to your parents?" I ask, getting distracted by the circles his thumb is doing on the back of my hand.
"Yeah, I am. They moved to Seattle last year from Forks to be closer to my sister and me. We see each other a lot for the occasional family dinner and call each other all the time. Having them so close is a blessing and curse, though. They like to drop by unannounced." He looks over at me briefly before putting his eyes back on the road. "What about you? Are you close to your parents?"
"My mom and I are really close. She has chronic pain and mobility issues, so she actually lives with me. I'm pretty proud to say she's become my best friend." Growing up, my mom always made sure that we had open communication and that I knew that I was allowed to express my thoughts and opinions as long as I was respectful. Through this, we've been able to transition from parent and child to friends. She was still my mom, and offered her advice and opinion when I asked, but she also respected me as an adult.
"What about your dad?" His question is innocent, but it makes my stomach fill with lead. The topic of my dad was a complicated one.
"He and my mom divorced when I was ten. Before that, we'd never been close. He wasn't the love-y-dove-y, touchy feel-y type like my mom is. So, after they divorced, the only time I ever really heard from him was on my birthday or a holiday. Last I checked, he's living in Jacksonville with my step-mom and her two kids." I hadn't been on Facebook in a long time but had seen that he was remarried to a woman named Sue Clearwater, who had two kids from a previous marriage. They looked happy.
Edward's quiet for a long moment and I think that I've said too much, but his next words make me pause. "He doesn't know what he's missing."
"How can you be so sure?" I say it like I'm teasing, but there's an undercurrent of insecurity to my response. Secretly, I've always thought that it was something I'd done that made him not want a relationship with me. "You don't even know me."
He squeezes my hand, his voice earnest when he replies, "I know enough." We're at another red light, so he turns to look at me directly. "I know you're kind and passionate about what you do. You obviously care about people considering you're taking care of your mom, which is difficult. I watched my mom do it when I was in high school after my grandmother got sick. What you're doing is admirable. Him not wanting a relationship with you is clearly on him, because the woman I've seen so far is incredible."
His response isn't what I was expecting at all, so I'm at a loss for words. "We've spent maybe two hours together."
"I know and it only makes me want more."
See you next time!