My mouth drops open because if I was being honest with myself, that thought had crossed my mind. I didn’t necessarily want him to but I did think there was a possibility. “You read too many romance novels,” I tell her before moving toward my dresser to grab the Cartier watch that Parker had gotten me for my birthday last year as well as my engagement ring.

“I sense deniiiiiial,” she sings.

I ignore her as I move into my bathroom to finish my hair. I stand in front of the mirror at my sink staring at myself in the mirror. The bathroom has his and hers sinks and it’s extremely obvious which is which. My curling iron, bobby pins, Q-Tips, makeup wipes and face wash line my sink as well as my Chanel perfume that I’ve been wearing for years. I plug in my blow dryer and flip my head over and begin diffusing my hair. “He wants you back.” I hear from the entrance to my bathroom and I immediately flip it over and stare at my cousin with wide eyes.

“No, he doesn’t. I mean… he does? Who said that? Did you talk to Trey? Who said he wants me back?” My heart begins pounding in my chest and adrenaline rushes through my veins at the thought.

Chloe leans against the doorjamb. “I said, what if he wants you back?” She blinks her eyes rapidly. “But I think I just got my answer.”

“I love you and I wish you were here,” I say into the phone as I stand in front of my parent’s house. Chloe and I had decided to take an Uber because I was already anticipating drinking too much, especially since I was already feeling a slight buzz from the champagne. Now I have a feeling in the pit of my stomach that I can’t decide if it’s nerves, anxiety, excitement or maybe a combination of the three. Regardless, the feeling is trying to convince me that another drink will calm whatever it is coursing through me. Chloe had already left to go inside when I decided to call Parker. I wanted to hear his voice. Wanted to hear him tell me that he missed me and wished he was here too. Instead, he’s given me a hard time ever since we’ve gotten on the phone.

“You know how you get when you and Chloe drink too much. I can already hear it in your voice,” he responded without even an acknowledgment to what I said. “And your parents wait until I leave town to throw you some sort of engagement party? Without your fiancé?”

“It’s not an engagement party, Parker. Our engagement party is next month. They are just having their friends over.”

He sighs. “I shouldn’t even be surprised; your parents hate me.” I brace myself for the conversation we’d had at least a dozen times before.

“They don’t hate you, Parker.” And they didn’t. Kevin and Michelle Monroe don’t hate anyone. My mother is practically a direct descendant of Mother Teresa and my father is like a giant teddy bear. They just don’t know Parker very well and struggle understanding him at times because Parker can come off… aloof. My parents are loud and exuberant and will ask you a million questions in an effort to get to know you and keep you involved in the conversation and that overwhelms and intimidates my introverted fiancé a bit. Therefore, he comes off standoffish which makes my parents try harder to get him to open up.