Counting the Ways to Reject You

“So I finally get to meet your family?” Patrick Sharp adjusted his tie and winked in the mirror. “After only two months of dating? Natalie, I'm honored.”

I slapped his shoulder. “Come on, I almost couldn’t hear the sarcasm in your voice.”

He grinned childishly. “You ready my dear?” he held out his arm for me and I rolled my eyes, but took it anyways. “You look beautiful tonight,” he whispered in my ear as he walked me down to his car.

I looked down at myself in a knee length black skirt and a Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup long sleeved shirt. “Don't judge me. It makes sense in my family what we wear.”

“Am I not dressed appropriately?” he asked, genuinely concerned about his appearance.

“Shut up and drive Patrick. We’re already late as it is.”

~~~~~

“Natalie!” a loud voice boomed from the top of the staircase and I grinned up at the man who stood there.

“Dad!”

He walked down and I noted Patrick=s surprise when he saw that my father was wearing a Minnesota Wild tee shirt and a pair of nice blue jeans. He held me at arms length, shaking his head at my choice of shirt. “Well aren’t you so proud there?” he laughed. “Your team is sucking right now I hope you know.”

“It’s all right. We’ll give some other team a chance to live the dream before we come back for round two. Definitely not your Wild.”

He rolled his eyes before they landed on my boyfriend. “So you're the boy who finally got a hold of my daughter.”

“Pleased to meet you sir,” Patrick held out a hand out to my father.

“Same to you Patrick Sharp. You’re a good man.”

“Thank you sir.”

“Where's Mom?” I asked, eager to see my mother.

“Probably finishing up dessert. You know how she always likes to make those cookies you like.”

“Cookies?” my head snapped up. “Um, if you’ll excuse me, I think I heard Mom calling me. Something about. . .” I trailed off, running down the hall to the kitchen and where my cookies waited for me.

“You’re going to spoil your dinner, you know,” Mom laughed as I snuck three cookies off the plate.

“I can’t help it!” I whined. “If you didn’t add the sugar meth to it, I could convince myself to get some help!”

She laughed again and stuck her head out to get a good look at the hockey player who I called my boyfriend. “He’s not half bad looking. Good looking babies, I tell you,” she said.

I nearly spit out a cookie. “What?! Kids?! We’ve been dating two months!”

She shrugged. “Just saying. Cute babies.”

~~~~~

“That was not nearly as bad as I envisioned it,” Patrick said as he drove me back to my place. Where he would probably stay the night again.

“Good. My parents like you.”

“I didn’t get that during the argument of who was better. Me or Ryan Kesler,” he laughed.

“He was testing you I guess?” I shrugged.

“You sided with him!” he accused. “Only your mother sided with me!”

I shrugged again. “He has great hair. . .and well come on! I’ve known him just a little bit longer than you.”

He smiled as he pulled into my driveway. “So because you chose Ryan Kesler over me, your parents like me?”

“Essentially yes,” I said getting out. He however stayed in the car. I rolled my eyes and turned back to him. “Are you coming or what?”

And he smiled at me.

I had a feeling that was a test of his own right there.