Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 25833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
The Uber driver drops me off in front of the house, and I realize I’m feeling a lot less happy than I should be feeling to be home. I should be thrilled to be back. I mean, my trip was amazing, and I should be all ready to tell my parents every detail over dinner. But I just can’t get Jason off my mind. Or the fact that I need to hide this rapidly developing baby bump from both of them.
The front door opens, and my heart skips a beat. I see my mom and dad standing there like I expected, but between them is something I did not expect to see.
Zack, wearing his favorite button-up, smiling like we haven’t seen each other in years.
“Hey, Lucy-Boo.” He waves. It’s the silly little nickname he gave me a few weeks after we first started hanging out together. He used to joke that he was going to call me his boo, and when I told him there was no way, he started calling me just Lucy-Boo. That I was able to tolerate.
I wave back and drag my bags up the steps to the door. Once I reach the door, Zack takes my suitcase from me and pulls it inside. “Oh, here. Let me get that for you.”
I smile at him as he gives me a kiss on the cheek, but I can’t help thinking that if it were Jason, he would have come down from the house and grabbed both of them for me.
“Welcome home, darling,” my dad says, pulling me in for a hug. My mom does the same, and I step inside. It’s still an adjustment to the luxury of even my own house after living in the Philippines for the last four months.
Mom’s made a roast for dinner, along with vegetables and a cheesecake for dessert. It’s all delicious, of course. Whenever my mom decides to go all out, boy does she go all out. I tell everyone about my trip, teaching, the sights, the flight there and back, but I leave out everything about Jason. As far as Zack and my parents are concerned, I slept uncomfortably at the airport until my flight was ready, and I am definitely not pregnant.
Once we’re all finished, normally it would be time to get up and do the dishes. But for some reason, that’s not happening. For some reason, everyone’s still seated. Seated and looking at me. Especially Zack.
He glances over at my father, who gives him a subtle nod. Then he rises from his seat and comes over in front of me. Instantly, I understand what’s going on.
Oh, please no.
He drops to one knee in front of me. “Lucy Anderson.” Please, no…please. “It’s so good to see you again. I know you and I are both still young – some people might say too young – but I don’t agree with that. I know that you and I are in love, and love doesn’t care what age we are. And I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Lucy. So…”
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a jewelry box and opens it, revealing what is no doubt a very expensive engagement ring that is so not my taste. “Will you make me the happiest man on earth and marry me?”
My mom reacts more than I do. I can hear her squeal like a sow from her chair to my right as she clasps her hands over her mouth. My father makes some kind of grunting sound of approval, and I realize how strange this all is.
A proposal with an audience. And not a big audience either – like at a concert or something. No, Zack figured he would propose to me in front of just my mom and dad.
Talk about awkward!
My throat seizes up as I open my mouth, searching for words. I don’t even know what to say. Several months ago, I was pretty sure that marrying Zack was the right idea. He made sense on paper. But when I explained it all to Jason, Jason made me realize that marrying Zack because it was a good plan was actually a terrible idea.
So now, sitting here in front of him and faced with this terrible decision I have to make is absolutely terrifying.
“Lucy?” my mom whispers. “Zack’s asked you a question, dear.”
“Yes, I–” I stammer. I can see the confidence in Zack’s face slowly fading. Couldn’t he have at least waited until I’d had some time to settle in? A day or two? I lean in close, so only he can hear me. “Can I talk to you outside, please?”
Zack’s smile vanishes, and he nods. “Um, sure.”
The jewelry box snaps shut, and we both stand and walk from the dining room to the front door. I can hear my mom calling after us but ignore her as I step outside and Zack follows, closing the door behind him. My heart is going pitter-patter like a snare as I turn to face him.