Never giving up on you - Completed.

8.

Ever since Hailey's birthday two weeks ago, Austin and I had been texting non-stop, and we had called eachother almost every night. We had talked things through, we finally understood completely why both of us had given up on us and why we never contacted eachother again; me because I was hurt and angry, and didn't feel like seeing him again, and he because he felt bad and ashamed, and thought I had given up on him. We had fully forgiven eachother and my heart felt light and young again. Lillian noticed, and she only smiled at me. Me and my parents were back on a good note again and my mother surprised me by saying she wanted to meet Austin.

'Ask him if he'd like to come over for brunch this sunday,' she said. I shrugged and hesitated to ask him; I didn't want to sound pushy or overenthusiastic.

'I don't know mom, I think he's busy.'

'Just ask him. I want to meet him.'

'It's not like we're dating, or something.'

'Caity, he is the father of my grandchild, I want to get to know him.'

'Fine.' And so I called Austin. I sat on a lounge chair in the back yard of my parents, my foot nervously tapping the grass while I waited for him to pick up. He was laughing when he did.

'Phil, just - No! Shut up! Hello?'

'Hey Austin, it's me.'

'Oh hey, Cait. Are you okay?' His voice changed from merry to serious.

'Yeah, I'm fine! I'm just eh... I was wondering if you wanted to come over for brunch at my parents house this sunday? My parents would like to properly meet you.' I frowned my face at my own words and wanted to slap myself.

'Eh... Sure, I guess?'

'You don't have to if you don't feel like it. I know you're busy and it's a long drive, and we aren't dating and my parents -' He cut me off.

'Caity, I'd love to come over.'

'Oh.'

'It doesn't matter what I have to do to be with you, as long as I get to spend time with you and Hailey.' I grinned like an idiot at his words, glad he wasn't able to see me now.

'Okay. Do you think you can make it around eleven?'

'Sure. I'll just come over saturday night and book a motel or something.' I almost wanted to blurt out he could stay with me, but that wasn't even possible because my tiny apartment had already been crowded with me, Hailey and Lillian.

'Okay. Well, I won't hold you up any longer. Have a good night. I'll see you this weekend.'

'You too. I'll text you when I get to Stanford on saturday.'

'Fine.'

'Oh, and Caity?'

'Yeah?'

'You'd better be wearing that white dress you wore at Hailey's birthday when I see you.'

'What?' I laughed in disbelief and he chuckled, then he hung up.

'You're such a weirdo, Austin Carlile...,' I muttered and I stood up to get back in to the house to notify my parents about next sunday.

&

The week dragged on slowly; it couldn't be sunday fast enough for me. At work Emma en Rob bugged me about Austin, wanting to hear details, which I knew just as few as they did.

'Are you going on a date when he gets here?'

'No. We're having brunch at my parents house on a sunday. We're not going on a date.'