Gabe didn’t understand the point of having an engagement party. Not when it would be a small, intimate gathering of close family, like the dinner they were having now. The only people missing were his grandparents and Amelia’s maid of honor.
His mom claimed she wanted to do something special to commemorate the upcoming union. Gabe didn’t mind the idea of a party, but he knew it was only a matter of time before the expectations set for him would be amplified.
Just because Nick and Amelia were getting married shouldn’t mean he needed to go ring shopping.
Passing the garden salad from one end of the table to the other, Gabe put another helping of it on his plate. His parents sat at either end of the table. Nick and Amelia were sandwiched on one side, with Gabe directly across from them.
Nick and Amelia journeyed to the city outskirts each Friday to join them for dinner. Rather than using the dining room reserved for bigger family events, the five squished together at the kitchen table in the breakfast nook.
“Have you started thinking about a guest list?” his mom asked.
“We’re starting to put one together. We want to keep it small,” Amelia replied.
Nick clasped her hand above the table for a moment. It still surprised Gabe how affectionate the couple was despite having been together for over a year. In most relationships he’d witnessed, Gabe noticed the passion dissipated within a few months.
“Maybe a hundred people,” Nick supplied before using his fork to spear a leaf of lettuce along with a crouton.
“What about Joan and Barry?” His mom was venturing into dangerous territory with that question.
After leaving the house at sixteen, Nick hadn’t seen or talked to either one of his biological parents. Amelia studied Nick’s face, leaving Gabe to wonder if maybe she hadn’t approached the topic yet.
Swallowing, Nick picked up his glass. “As far as I’m concerned, the people who raised me are already planning to attend.”
Nick took a sip of water, replaced the glass, and returned his attention to his plate of lasagna. Gabe knew that was all Nick would be willing to say on the matter, and Gabe didn’t blame him one bit.
His father didn’t allow for any uncomfortable silence. He asked, “And the wedding party? It’ll be small as well?”
“Yep,” Amelia answered for the pair. “Just the two.”
Gabe would serve as Nick’s best man, and Amelia had selected her close friend Amy as her maid of honor.
Amelia and their mother went on to talk about wedding colors and decorations.
Gabe quickly tuned them out and, based on the look Nick sent him, the conversation wasn’t something Nick was keen on either. With matching facial expressions, they almost started laughing.
At one point, his mom tried to suck Nick back in, asking him where he preferred to get his suit. He quickly replied, indicating that it made no difference to him. Luckily, Gabe’s dad saved him by asking if he’d changed the tires on the SUV. Nick snatched the lifeline, and the three of them left the mother and daughter to their discussion.
Twenty minutes later, after Gabe had just helped himself to another serving of lasagna, his mom asked the question he had been dreading since the first moment Nick showed him the ring.
“So, Gabe,” she started innocently, “who are you going to bring to the engagement party?”
He pretended indifference. “What do you mean?”
“Aren’t you going to bring a date?”
There it was—the noose around his neck. A familiar feeling which he avidly tried to avoid.
Panic.
“I thought it was a small, family event.”
“It would still be nice if you brought a date. Everyone else will be paired up. Your grandparents are coming down, and Amy’s bringing her fiancé, Brent.”
He'd never understand why his mom insisted that he needed to be part of a couple. When the time was right, he’d settle down, but being pushed wasn’t helpful.
When he didn’t respond, she pressed further. “It’s been a long time since you had a steady girlfriend. The last one was—”
“Paige,” Amelia supplied when their mom failed.
“Right,” Mom said. “The preacher’s daughter. That was over a year ago.”
“So?”
“So, you’re telling me there hasn’t been anyone special between then and now?”
Gabe flinched. He’d been focused on starting his career. It took dedication to accomplish what he had by his age. He glared at Nick, who mouthed a quick sorry.
“Anyone special? A girl?” His mom hesitated, then mumbled, “A guy?”
Shocked, Gabe dropped his fork. Across from him, Nick tried to cover his laugh with a cough.
Not that there was anything wrong with being gay, but Gabe was about as hetero as they could come. Tits, tits, and more tits. Hell, he filled a motel room with them on the regular.
“Seriously, Mom! I’ve been busy. You’ve seen me with girls before.”
She scraped her fork along her empty plate, cleaning it of pasta sauce. “It’s been a long time. I just don’t understand.”
Amelia cupped her hand over her mouth to hide her words from their mother and jokingly whispered, “She’s worse than Grandma.”
Gabe smiled at his sister for her show of support. Their grandmother was indeed a world-class meddler, but if it hadn’t been for her, Nick and Amelia might never have gotten together.
“I’ll bring a date to the party.”
“Don’t do it just to appease me. That solves nothing.”
Christ, there was no middle ground with her. “It’s not just some random date. I’ve been seeing this girl for a while now, but I wasn’t sure how you would react.”
“Who is it?”
Gabe wondered that himself. Immediately, he conjured an image of Brooke, but knowing it wouldn’t go over well, he shoved the thought aside. “It’s next weekend, right? Saturday?”
“Yep,” Amelia confirmed.
“Let me talk to her this weekend. It’s kind of short notice, but if she’s available, I’ll let you know.”
That seemed to please his mom. Together, they all cleared the table. Amelia set out the store-bought pie and ice cream she and Nick had brought with them while their mom put on a pot of coffee and set out mugs.
Gabe was glad he’d left himself an escape route in case none of the girls could help him. He was running out of options for women to bring home with him.
Paige and Sam were no longer available to him, and Shannon had already done girlfriend duty, as they called it. That left Jacey and Taylor because no way could he bring Brooke home.
That would be a trainwreck.
His family wouldn’t understand, not with the past they shared. Hell, it might even prove dangerous.
What if she got attached to him again?