Page 33 of Except You

“Chips?” I ask, and he shakes his head.

“I’m not a fan. Oh, but I do love Pringles. Oh yes, let’s do Pringles.”

“How about some Chex Mix?”

He nods his head, and I take that off the shelf too. By the time we make it to the counter, bags of snacks are falling out of my arms.

It all falls in front of the cashier with a small crash, and Beau just beams at him. “I’m so hungry.”

“You’re a good partner,” the woman behind us says, and I flush, turning to tell her that we’re not together, but the words die on my lips.

“He makes it easy,” I say, and Beau grins goofily next to me.

“Oh, boo, you have no idea.” He leans over and presses a kiss on my cheek, making my skin warm even more. “You are such a surprise. A happy accident.”

The beeping of the scanner continues on for far too long, and when he finally pays, the total is atrocious. I still can’t believe he’d spend this much on snacks, but Beau looks really happy walking back to the car, his arms full of bags.

“Oh, now I have all sorts of choices.”

“For our two-hour drive.”

“I have an incredible metabolism. Just you watch.”

And I do. I can’t help but peer over at him as he takes bites of crackers, pizza-flavored Combos, and those Pringles. He’s making a huge mess, but looks so cute doing it, I’m not even bothered. And Doggo seems happy lapping up all the crumbs that fall within reach.

When we finally arrive at his parents’, he’s holding his stomach.

“I ate too much, Max. You’re going to have to carry me inside.”

“No, you’re going to live with your choices.”

He sighs and then bats his eyelashes at me. “Please, baby. Carry your sad, bloated boyfriend inside.”

“If you were, I would. But you’re just chopped liver now.”

He gasps, and I grin at him, stepping out of the car and walking to the trunk where our bags are. Just as I pop it open, a woman and a man make their way out of the farm-style house, their faces sporting really large smiles. They look so much like Beau that I already feel at home.

“Beau! You made it.”

“I did!” He gets out of the car, Doggo leaping out behind him and prancing over to the couple, who smile down at him as he throws himself at their feet, belly up. Beau pulls his mom up in a large bear hug before moving to his dad, slapping at his back. This is so different than how my parents would greet me. My dad would nod his head at me and my mom would pat me on the shoulder.

I move toward the three of them, my arms full of luggage. You’d think we were going on a month-long vacation with the amount of stuff that Beau packed. I just have a small duffle bag and he has a large hard-shelled suitcase and his backpack which is thrown over my shoulder.

“Oh, you must be Max!” his mom says loudly and comes rushing toward me. “We have been dying to meet you. Beau has told us so much about you.”

“Same, so nice to finally meet you,” I say and let her pull me into a tight hug.

I don’t know when the last time my mom hugged me was. And she really gives the worst hugs, limp and insincere.

“Oh, you are so handsome. Beau sure is lucky.”

I should try and refute it, but the happy way she’s smiling and how excited she is, I can’t bring myself to tell her we’re not together. It’s just a little white lie, a bit of a fib that will only make people happy.

And I’m okay with that.

“I am too,” I say, and she nearly squeals.

“I’m Pamela, and this is Keith. Keith! Come meet your son’s boyfriend. He’s just lovely.”