Plastic Hearts (17 page)

When we were done, Dane insisted that he pay for our lunch. Gwen’s face registered surprise before she thanked him over and over.

Dane had to leave for work so Gwen and I headed back toward my dorm. “So what did you think?” I asked, taking in the city lights as we walked through the hustle and bustle of downtown.

“He’s really cute and nice,” she said, but I could tell she was holding something back.

“But?” I inquired.

“Our parents would hate him,” she finally blurted out.

I let out the air I had been holding in my lungs. “I know, but I’m doing this for me. It may not last forever, but I want to experience this. I need this.”

“Are you bringing him to my wedding next month?”

“No. I mean, I don’t think so.” I hadn’t given it much thought, but my gut reaction was that it would not be a good idea. Just the thought of asking my mom for permission to bring him made me sick to my stomach. I didn’t want to think about what would happen if I actually brought him. “I mean, you know Mom. It’s not a good idea, right?”

“I agree, but that doesn’t mean you can’t continue to see him.” She gave me a sympathetic smile. “Oh, Honey, I hope this works out for you. You guys are really cute together.”

“I hope so, too.”

After Gwen left, I settled into my pajamas and grabbed my kindle to read my latest contemporary romance find. I missed Dane and wished he didn’t have to work every weekend night. I would love to be cuddled in bed with him, watching a movie or just talking. I couldn’t help myself when I picked up my phone to text him.

Alex:
I miss you

It didn’t take more than one minute to get a reply.

Dane:
I miss you too. I can’t wait for tomorrow night.

My skin tingled when I thought about watching his lips as he said those words to me. I missed his lips.

Alex:
What time tomorrow?

Dane:
How about 6?

Alex:
Sounds great.

I fell asleep that night thinking and dreaming about Dane.

When I woke up Sunday, I threw on some comfortable sweats and walked down to the coffee shop to grab my morning latte. Sunday was the one-day I didn’t expect to see Dane because he slept until at least noon. I didn’t blame him; I would be tired, too, if I worked until the early morning hours two days in a row.

When I returned to my dorm, I laid in my bed with my iPod for some much needed thinking time. Today’s playlist consisted of Pink and the Kings of Leon. I let the words work into my head as I thought about how well the weekend went and how much I was looking forward to seeing Dane. I was about to drift to sleep when my phone buzzed.

Dane:
Dinner’s at Mom’s tonight. Want to go?

Was he asking me if I wanted to meet his mother?

Alex:
You’re not cooking?

Dane:
I can, but I forgot it’s Sunday dinner.

It was only one night and as much as it scared me, I wanted to meet his family to help me understand him better.

Alex:
Dinner with your mom sounds great.

Dane:
Can’t wait to see you.

I decided I had better get moving and make myself look nice if I was meeting his mom. My stomach was in knots as I went through my closet, picking out a cashmere winter white turtleneck and a pair of dark blue skinny jeans. I wanted to look good, but not too overdone. I carefully curled my hair, making sure that every piece was perfectly in place, and pulled on my brown knee high riding boots. I eyed myself in the mirror before throwing on a coat and heading out the door.

I was nervous as I drove to Dane’s apartment to pick him up for dinner. It was just another thing that was going to take me out of my comfort zone. I spent so much of my life only knowing one way to live and now I was becoming accustomed to learning new things. Change used to scare the hell out of me, but now I welcomed it because the more things that changed, the better I felt about myself.

Dane had a very unusually serious look on his face when he got into my car. Maybe I wasn’t the only one nervous about tonight. I wondered if me meeting his mom was as frightening for him as him meeting mine was to me. He seemed nervous and fidgety as we made our way to his mom’s apartment.

“Will Nolan be there tonight?” I asked, trying to ease the tension in the car.

“Who knows. I guess we’ll find out when we get there,” he said, biting his thumbnail.

“Hey, are you okay?”

He dropped his hands back into his lap. “Yeah, just a little nervous, I guess. You’re the first girl I’ve ever brought home.” My stomach fluttered; I liked hearing those words. There were some firsts I could still have with Dane.

“It’ll be fine. I’m sure I’ll love your mom.” I glanced over at him and watched for a second as he worked his bottom lip between his teeth. I wished I wasn’t driving so I could lean over and kiss him. He looked good, even when he was nervous.

“It’s not you I’m worried about.” He turned his attention to the window as we drove the rest of the way in silence. I wondered what he was talking about, but I didn’t ask. His body language told me he didn’t want to talk about it.

His mother lived in a rough part of the city. Dane had mentioned that she struggled with minimum wage jobs and didn’t have a lot of money. She lived in an old brick building with a torn canopy and barred windows. A few of the railings around the fire escape were covered with clothes and blankets left out to dry. There were two kids playing on the front step and I pictured a young Dane sitting there. “Is this where you grew up?”

“After my dad left, yeah. I know it’s not much, but-”

“Dane, stop. It doesn’t matter what the building looks like. We’re here so I can meet your family.” I placed my hand on top of his. He was worrying too much and I had to calm him down.

He closed his eyes and took a cleansing breath. “Let’s do this.” I cupped his face in my hands and pressed light kisses on his forehead, cheeks and finally along his jaw line in an attempt to wipe away his worries.

He grasped my hand tightly in his as we made our way into the building. The walls were yellow and the tan carpet had seen better days, but it was clean. I noticed an overwhelming mixture of smells, like each renter was cooking a different item for dinner and their scents had married in the hallway. It reminded me of a mall food court.

His mom’s apartment was on the second floor, all the way down the hall to the right. He turned to me with fire in his eyes; something was still bothering him. “Look, if my brother is here don’t let him get to you, please.” I wanted to ask for more information, but he knocked on the door instead, halting my question. My hand was sweating as I waited for the door to open. I didn’t know what to expect, but the woman standing on the other side of the door was short, maybe five foot two, with a thin figure and long blond hair. It was easy to see she had once been beautiful, but stress and alcohol must have done a number on her.

She held her hand out to me. “Nice to meet you,” she said. I recognized her eyes; they were the same exact green color as Dane’s. There was no denying they were related.

“Nice to meet you, too,” I said as I shook her hand.

“Call me Janet. And you are?”

“Alex,” I said, pulling my hand back.

Dane gave his mom a quick kiss on the cheek, never letting go of my hand. “Hi, Mom.”

“How have you been?” she asked, her eyebrows squeezing together.

“Same as last week. Everything is going well at school and in life,” he said, looking down at me as he finished the last part. I could feel my face heating up.

“Good. Come in. Make yourselves comfortable.” She stared at us, rubbing her hand over her collarbone, as we made our way into the living area. She seemed nervous or distant; I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

“Your brother will be here shortly.” I heard Dane scoff before sitting down on the sofa, pulling me with him. “I’m going to get supper ready,” she said, disappearing into the kitchen.

I glanced around the apartment, noting it had the same worn carpet as the hallways, but with white walls. The furniture was older, but well maintained. There were several photos of small children on the wall, but no recent photos of Dane or his brother. “Is that you?” I asked, pointing to a picture of three little kids. The boys were almost identical, but the little girl had short curly blond hair and big blue eyes.

“Yeah, I was eight, Nolan was five, and my sister was four. That is actually the last picture of us together before the accident. After my sister died and my dad left no one took pictures anymore.” His voice was full of sadness, especially when he mentioned his sister. My heart clenched as I reached up to squeeze his shoulder.

“She was adorable,” I whispered.

“Dinner’s ready!” his mom yelled from the kitchen. I looked up at Dane who had unshed tears in his eyes. He simply nodded before he stood, pulling me up with him. I wished we had more time to talk. He seemed to hold so much inside and I wanted to break in and take it all out to ease his pain.

His mood shifted as we sat down at the small round table in the kitchen. Dane was just as good of an actor as I was; I had to give him that. His mom sat at one end of the table while Dane and I took seats across from each other. He winked at me, leaning in to help his mom cut the pot roast. My mouth watered as I eyed all the delicious foods that I didn’t usually eat. There was roast, potatoes, carrots, corn, rolls and a layered chocolate cake. Maybe I shouldn’t have worn jeans.

“Well, dig in. I can’t eat all this myself,” his mom said as she spooned potatoes on her plate. I took just a little bit of everything in an attempt to save room for cake. Dane had mentioned his mom took up baking after she went through recovery. It was something to keep her busy when she got a craving.

I was about to take my first bite when the door slammed in the other room, startling all of us. I noticed Dane and his mom both seemed tense while staring at the doorway. I assumed that Nolan was about to join us and their reaction was making me nervous. What was it about him that made them react this way? A few seconds later, a man who looked just like Dane came into the kitchen. He was a little taller and his light brown hair was longer, but they had identical eyes and lips. He didn’t say anything as he sat down and filled his plate until there wasn’t room for anything else. I looked around the table and noticed I wasn’t the only one staring.

“What are you fuckers looking at?” he asked, looking up from his plate. “And who is this sexy bitch?” he added, staring at me with his mouth turned up on one side.

Dane shot out of his chair, grabbing Nolan by the shirt until their faces were inches apart. “Don’t you ever call her that again. Do you hear me?” I could see the veins in Danes neck and every bit of exposed skin had turned beet red.

Nolan didn’t seem the least bit intimidated. “Chill, dude. I’m just trying to have a friendly conversation.” I looked over at Dane’s mom who wasn’t looking at her boys, but instead running her fork through her potatoes over and over while using her other hand to rub her collarbone.

“I mean it, Nolan, don’t fucking talk about her like that,” Dane said, letting go of his shirt.

Nolan didn’t waste any time before returning his attention back to me. “Does he treat you like that?”

“No one gets treated like you Nolan because no one acts like you,” Dane answered for me.

Nolan laughed. “Yeah, I bet you are nice to her as long as she’s warming your dick every night.”

“Nolan, stop!” Dane yelled, slamming his fist on the table. It was quiet for a couple minutes while everyone picked through their food. I didn’t have much of an appetite anymore, but I managed a few bites of vegetables, never taking my eyes off my plate. This whole dinner had left me feeling uncomfortable. It was easy to see why Dane was so nervous on the ride over.