“I love you enough for both of us,” he says. Then he opens the door and steps inside. He looks back at me, his eyes twinkling.
“You can’t say something like that and then expect me to just walk in and meet your mother.” I try to take a step back, but he grabs my hand and pulls me inside. We walk in and find that the house is completely full of people. They’re lounging on sofas and sitting on chairs, and people are spread into the other rooms. The sliding glass door is open and I see that a bunch of people are milling around on the back deck where a grill is being used.
People stop and greet us, and Ryan introduces me to people. I recognize a few of the guys from poker night, and some of them come to say hello. One of my security guys is right behind us. He’ll go back outside as soon as he sees that the place is secure, but he gets a few strange glances.
“He’s not blending in really well, is he?” I ask Ryan.
“Who cares?” He shrugs.
Me?
Finally, Ryan stops in front of a dark-haired woman who has her hair pulled back with shiny barrettes. She opens her arms to him and he picks her up, jostling her around, and she squeals. “Happy birthday, Mom,” he signs. She pats his cheek affectionately, and then he steps to the side and motions to me.
“Mom, this is L-A-R-K,” he says, and he waves his hand like he’s Vanna White and I’m the Q no one ever gets. “My girlfriend.”
My face heats, but I push it back. “Nice to meet you,” I tell her in sign language. I hold out the pretty box full of cookies. “My mom made some cookies for you. Happy birthday.”
She looks at me warily, then she steps toward me. I instinctively take a step back, and walk right into a wall. Of man. I look over my shoulder.
“Hey, Lark. Good to see you again,” Mick says. Then he puts his hands on my shoulders to keep me still. No fair.
Their mom stops when she’s inches from me and takes in my facial features, her eyes falling on my nose, my lips, my hair. “This is the hearing girl, right?”
“Mom…” Ryan warns.
His mom rolls her eyes, and Ryan smiles. “Lark is very pretty,” she says. She looks at Ryan and nods. In approval? Maybe. The grip around my heart starts to ease.
“Thank you,” I reply. “And thank you for inviting me.” I take the flowers from Ryan. “These are for you.”
She takes them with a smile and brings them to her nose. Then she hugs me. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Ryan and Mick look at one another and then they both fall into dead heaps on the floor at the exact same time. I take a step back, stepping over Mick’s body to get out of the way. Then I squat down next to Ryan and tap his shoulder. He looks up at me, grinning. “Why are you lying on the floor?” I ask him.
“Well, my mother said it would be a cold day in hell before she let me date a hearing girl,” Ryan tells me. “So when she hugged you and welcomed you, I fainted.” He points to Mick, who is still pretending to be out cold. “Mick did too. See? We’re just overwhelmed.”
Mick lifts his head. “Did the body snatchers take Mom?” he asks. He doesn’t get up, though, and neither does Ryan. They just lie there.
“Maybe she’s going crazy in her old age,” Ryan replies.
His mom scowls. Then she pulls the dishtowel from her back pocket and starts to slap them both with it. They howl and cover their asses, jumping to their feet so they can run around the room with her chasing them. Someone who looks a lot like Ryan grabs him and holds him in a headlock, while she proceeds to slap him with the towel. He pretends like it hurts, but you can tell it doesn’t. Finally, he lets Ryan go and Ryan introduces me to his dad.
Mrs. Shepherd looks at me and smiles. “Would you like to help me in the kitchen?” she asks.
Relief washes over me. “I’d love to.”
“Send her back to me one piece,” Ryan jokes.
“You are not funny,” she says, and she shakes her finger at him.