I rang the doorbell, my fingers lingering on the button. A moment later, the door swung open.
“Casey! Finally, you’re here!” Mom exclaimed, her face lighting up. “We’ve been waiting for you! I was just about to call, and then I heard the doorbell!”
She reached for my arm, but I gently placed my hands on her shoulders.
“Mom, why are you so nervous?” I asked with a smile.
She let out a breath. “I don’t know. I just really want you to like Aaron as much as I do.”
I smirked. “I’m not sure you want me to like him quite that much.”
She laughed. “Okay, fair enough.” Then her expression softened. “But I really do want you to accept him.”
I gave her a reassuring nod. “I’m sure everything will be fine. You chose him, so why wouldn’t I support you?”
Her shoulders relaxed, and she smiled. “You’re right. Come on.”
She slipped her arm through mine, and we walked toward the dining room together.
But the moment I stepped inside, my stomach dropped.
A man stood beside the dining table. He had dark hair, a neatly trimmed beard, and a confident posture. At first glance, he looked like someone around my age.
I frowned and leaned toward my mom.
“You didn’t tell me Aaron had a son,” I whispered.
She looked at me, confused.
“No, Casey. This is Aaron.”
I turned toward her so quickly I nearly lost my balance.
My mom was still smiling, apparently unaware of how strange the situation seemed to me. She glanced between us, waiting for an introduction, but I couldn’t find the words.
I just stood there, frozen.
Aaron stepped forward and extended his hand.
“Nice to finally meet you, Casey. I’ve been trying to convince Sandra to arrange this for ages.”
His voice was calm and polite. Mine, however, was anything but.
“Are you kidding me?” I blurted out. “Is this some kind of joke?”
“Casey, this isn’t a joke,” Mom replied. “Aaron and I are dating.”
I let out a short, disbelieving laugh.
“Dating? He’s practically my age! You could be his mother!”
“Almost your age,” she corrected. “Aaron is 25, just two years older than you.”
I stared at her in disbelief.
“What is wrong with you? How did you even consider dating someone so young?”
Mom’s expression softened.
“I understand why you’re surprised. At first, I struggled to accept my feelings for Aaron, too. But I’ve never felt this kind of connection with anyone else. I’ve never been this happy.”
I scoffed.
“What kind of connection? The kind a mother has with her son?”
Aaron cleared his throat.
“Please, let’s all calm down and talk about this.”
I turned toward him.
“And you! Why are you with her? Is it because of her money?”
Mom gasped.
“Casey!”
But I wasn’t ready to back down.
Aaron took a slow breath.
“I’m not with your mom for her money.”
“Yeah, right,” I muttered.
Mom’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment and anger.
