Spiral (Off the Ice, #2) (93)

Sweat dampens my skin, and exhaustion drapes over me like a heavy cloak as I head to Elias, who’s already waiting for me by the car.

When we’re driving home, I lower my seat to lie back. But I can’t relax because my sore muscles contract with every movement. My feet are in more pain than they’ve ever been, and my neck is as stiff as a board.

“My parents asked us to visit next week. Do you want to come?” Elias asks.

I turn, despite my stiff bones. “For what?”

“To meet them.”

The weight of a bowling ball settles in my stomach. I’m sure this is a big deal, and I should say yes immediately, but I can’t. Not when I’m reminded of just how unimpressive I am. I had to use their son in order to get somewhere in life, for Christ’s sake.

“You can say no. Don’t just agree because you think that’s what I want,” he adds.

“I want to,” I blurt out, surprising myself. He looks at me, his eyes searching. “Because knowing them is going to bring me even closer to knowing you, and I’d never miss that.”

There’s a long pause before he chuckles. “A yes would have sufficed.”

“Right, ‘cause I’m sure you didn’t like me blowing your ego.”

“I loved it. A lot. But now that we’re talking about blowing ...”

“Oh God, where did my sweet Elias go?”

“He has this girlfriend who can’t speak a sentence without throwing in a dirty joke. She’s bound to rub off on him.”

I snort. “And rub off I do.”





FORTY-ONE


ELIAS




FAMILY DINNERS HAVE always been an important part of my life. Whether it was with my parents or at our off-campus house in college, I’ve made it a point to eat with the people I love.

“So, what’s off the table?” Sage asks.

She dozed off the minute we boarded the plane to Connecticut. Now, as we’re driving to my parents’ house in Greenwich, she’s awake and stressing herself out.

“Just be yourself. They already love you,” I reassure her.

“They love the Sage they’ve seen online and spoken to over the phone. This is Sage in the flesh.”

“Arguably the best version.” I glance over at her. “You won’t say anything wrong.”

“So sex talk is a go? I’ll tell them about the time we almost broke the showerhead.”

I clear my throat. “Okay, maybe some things are off the table. We can make a list.”

She sighs with relief. “Thank you. I’m not good with parents, Elias. If I don’t have a filter, I’ll terrify them.”

Flipping open the mirrored visor above her seat, Sage fixes her hair. She applies gloss, and her lips move like she’s memorizing something. Then she pulls out her phone to take notes. “Okay, so no sex talk, and I’m assuming that means no dirty jokes either.”

“How about we just avoid anything we wouldn’t talk to Sean about?”

“Oh, that’s good!” She types it into her phone. “But what about telling them we’re perfect for each other because we both have terrible birth parents?”

“Let’s leave my bio dad out of it. They don’t know about the money, and I want to keep it that way.”

Sage puts her phone away, and her hand finds mine. “Are you sure you’re okay with doing that today?”

I turn to her at a red light. “I don’t want him dictating any part of my life. It’s not fair to me or my parents. Or you.” I’ve been mulling this over for weeks, but when Mason found Elias Johnson’s address, I knew it had to be done.

There’s no room for clouds over my head when I have a ray of sunshine in my hands.

Sage draws a soothing pattern over my knuckles, but when I pull into my parents’ estate, she gawks out the window. The wrought iron gates swing open, revealing the long driveway flanked by meticulously manicured lawns. The air is heavy with the scent of freshly cut grass and the blooming magnolia trees. My mom’s favorite. And based on Sage’s candle collection, hers too.

Sage chuckles nervously. “I don’t think I’m dressed for this.”

Her floral summer dress makes her look innocent and nothing like the girl who had me pinned under her last night. “Should I remind you how much I like your dresses?”

She gasps. “This is not the time to be saying things like that!”

We approach the front entrance, where I park. The golden sun reflects off the floor-to-ceiling windows on the front of the house. When I’m rounding the car to open Sage’s door, my parents descend the front steps to greet us.

My parents bypass me and engulf Sage in a sandwich of a hug. I’m watching in shock as they giggle with glee. Sage stares at me wide-eyed.

“Okay, you two are going to crush her,” I say, pulling them away.

“I don’t mind,” Sage pipes up, still looking stunned.

My dad steps back. “Apologies. We’re usually more sophisticated.”

“Not true.” I interject. “The first game of mine they went to, they managed to piss off an entire section of parents. The bright green poster board they brought to cheer me on blocked everyone’s view the entire game. By the time someone told them, the game was half over.”