“Firefly—”
There was a knock at the door. I moved toward it, but Liam snagged my wrist, stopping me. “If it’s too much, you tell me. You don’t need to do anything you aren’t comfortable with.”
“Okay.”
He held my gaze a beat longer, making sure I knew he was serious, not that I doubted it. He didn’t care how far my parents had traveled to be here; he’d kick them out if they upset me. We both also knew I’d never tell him to do that. He wouldn’t need me to tell him, though.
“Thank you, but I’m fine. Let’s let them in.” I tugged him toward the door, and he followed, but he pulled me behind him while he looked through the peephole, disarmed the alarm, and opened the door.
It was Liam’s parents, and their arms were filled with grocery bags. Patty immediately handed Liam the bags and wrapped me in her arms. Her hug was warm and giving like her, and I gratefully hugged her back. Mike gave Liam a half hug, half back-pat. He handed his bags to Liam and turned to me. “Can I give you a hug, Jenna?”
I tensed, but only a little. “Yes, I’d like that,” I said, and I meant it.
He slowly wrapped his arms around me and held me in a gentle embrace. “It’s good to see you again, sweetheart.”
“You too.” Not only was it good to see him, it felt good—safe—to be hugged by him.
Patty hugged Liam around his overloaded armful of groceries, then she and Mike both leaned down to greet Thor, who was prancing around us, his tail wagging.
“Let’s get breakfast started before Jenna’s parents arrive,” Mike said, pulling Patty away from Thor. “We planned on making baked French toast and a breakfast casserole with eggs, sausage, onions, spinach, and cheese. Do you think your parents will like that?”
“That sounds amazing. How can anyone not like it?” My parents might not. I couldn’t remember a time we ever sat around the table long enough to eat breakfast as a full family meal.
They beamed at me and headed for the kitchen. “It all cooks in the oven, so we just need a few minutes to prep, then we can sit and get to know your parents,” Patty said, all cheery smiles.
Just as Liam deposited the groceries in the kitchen, another knock sounded, and my stomach dropped. I followed Liam to the door, and again, he pulled me behind him while he checked the peephole. He dropped a kiss on my forehead and squeezed my hand before he let them in.
“Jenna, love, how could this have happened?” my mom exclaimed as she swooped in and grabbed me in a hug. “I’m sorry it took us so long to get here. We came as soon as we could!”
“It’s okay.” I let her hug me for an appropriate length of time before pulling away. Thor whined and tried to push between us, giving me the excuse I needed. I dropped down and whispered my appreciation in his ear, kissing his neck. Out loud, I said, “Easy, baby. You remember them, don’t you?”
He obviously didn’t, though, because he stood between my parents and me, every muscle tense, hackles raised. Or maybe hesensed I didn’t want anyone to hold me like that now, not even my parents.
“Hello, Thor.” My dad said, putting a hand out for him to sniff. “Think I can say hi to my daughter?”
Thor growled quietly. My parents exchanged worried looks, and I hated that they were thinking bad things about him.
Liam held Thor’s collar and pet his neck. “It’s okay, buddy. She’s okay.”
My dad gave me a quick hug, one eye on Thor. Did my appreciation of his overzealous protection reflect worse on my selfishness as a daughter or as a dog owner?
“Your face…” my mom started, but I interrupted.
“Mom, Dad, this is Liam. Liam, these are my parents, Kathryn and Roger.”
They just nodded at one another since Liam was crouched down with Thor.
“You can let go. He should be fine now that we’re done hugging.” That was rude and obvious, but I didn’t care. Their hugs made my skin crawl. Besides all the usual, I’d tried to excuse their apathy, but now that they were here, I couldn’t deny I was hurt. Mad, even. Yesterday had been really hard, and they hadn’t cared enough to be here.
Liam carefully released Thor’s collar and straightened to his full height, much taller than my parents. He wrapped his arm around me and held me against his side as he shook their hands. “Pleasure to meet you.”
My mom's eyes narrowed on Liam’s possessive hold, but before she could say anything, Liam’s parents came out of the kitchen with such perfect timing, I had a feeling they’d been waiting for the right moment.
“Hi, you must be Jenna’s parents. It’s so nice to meet you. Jenna is an absolute delight,” Patty said.
“Oh, thank you. I’m Roger, and this is my wife, Kathryn.”
“Mike and Patty,” Mike said.