TANGLED PLANS

65

I'm wearing the black dress my boyfriend had wanted me to wear again as I get ready to meet his father. I had met his dad before, but now that it was just going to be the three of us having a private conversation together, I was stressed. I didn't know how it would go, but Max had told me that it was going to be okay.

I believed him, so once I'm done with my hair and have put on all of my jewelry, I head down with my purse and less nerves in my system. Once I make it to the last stairs, my brother looks up at me. "Hey, finally. I've been hearing the sounds of you pacing around up there for the past hour."

"Oh, sorry, Bray," I say as I pull down the hem of my dress to make sure it looks good.

"Same dress?" Brayden asks, to which I nod. "Max wanted me to wear it again."

"I told you before," Brayden says with a little knowing look. I remembered when my older brother said that I had looked the opposite of bad, and I hadn't known why he was appalled by the idea. But now I knew it was because it would cause Max to think of me differently, which he apparently had. That makes me want to giggle inside.

Brayden rolls his eyes and says, "I don't know why I mentioned it."

"My boyfriend thinking I look good in a dress shouldn't be a bad thing!" I shout at Max with a slight laugh.

"I didn't say it was."

"Then why are you acting like it? Don't you sometimes like it when Vanessa wears certain items of clothing?" I ask him with a little curiosity.

"Of course," Brayden says, and then the corner of his lip pulls up in a smirk. "Or not wearing certain items of clothing."

I shrieked at the fact that my brother was saying such a thing. "You're disgusting."

"Hey, I've been dating Vanessa for almost four years; we're very close now," Beayden defends, and I only narrow my eyes at him. He laughs as I walk toward the door as soon as the bell rings. I'm making a gagged noise when I pull the door open to find my boyfriend standing outside with agrin.

The grin turns into a frown as he tilts his head to look at the expression on my face. I laugh, shaking away the expression, and say, "Hi, baby."

"Was that expression for me?" Max asks as he pulls me closer to him for a hug. I shake my head and break out into a huge grin. "No, Max, this is for you."

"I've got to say I appreciate the smile more than the disgusted face," Max says to me with a little laugh as I lean forward to wrap my hands around his neck. Max's hand goes on the small of my back as he holds me closer to him. I liked to hug Max this way; it was very comforting. I pull away with a smile and say, "I'm ready to meet your dad."

"At least you are; I'm scared," Max says with a little wince. My eyebrows pull together as I slap a hand on his chest, which he only grabs. "Hey, if you are scared, then I'll be scared."

Max grins. "Then I'm not scared."

Tentatively, I still let Max say goodbye to my brother, and the both of us headed to his car. Once I am inside the car and Max heads inside as well, I think about some conversation starters I had started thinking about earlier this week. I needed this meeting with Max's father to go well; like Max, I had wanted to make a good impression.

Max gives me a smile when he pulls into his driveway not too long later. He turns off the car and turns toward me as his hands grab for my own. I let him take my hand and squeeze it whole. I said, "You're sure your dad wants to meet me, baby?"

"I'm sure, sweetheart," Max answers with a nod. His eyes tell me that he isn't lying, so I lean forward and place my hand on his arm. He leans forward as well, and I say, "I'm still kind of nervous."