I Like You a Latte {Completed}

Bonus Chapter - Two of Three

Beverly's mom took one look at Griffin and started laughing like a hyena.

"Mom," she whined, mortified at the woman's reaction, "stop that!"

Her mom only laughed harder. "Alright, alright!" she exclaimed once she had calmed slightly, raising her hands up in a sign of surrender. Beverly wasn't fooled, though—she saw the twinkling of mischievousness in the woman's dark brown eyes. "I'm just a bit surprised, is all; Beverly's an amazing girl, but I never thought she'd go for the whole I'm-a-bad-boy look. Are you aware that she's extremely well behaved and has never once broken a rule? She forgot to brush her teeth once when she was five, and she woke me up in the middle of the night crying, saying, 'I'm horribly, Mommy!' I had to promise she wouldn't die of cavities to calm her down."

Beverly hid her face in her hands. "Mom!" Honestly, they hadn't even gone inside the house yet, and her mother was already telling embarrassing stories.

"Sorry, sweetie," the woman said, not looking the slightest bit apologetic as she winked at Beverly before letting her gaze drift up and down Griffin. "I'm Jeanne, by the way. Have you ever considered modeling, Griffin?"

With a pained groan, Beverly tugged on Griffin's hand and pulled him past her mother; once the familiar smell of firewood and cooking food hit her, she smiled contentedly. She didn't come home nearly enough, but, whenever she did, she was reminded of why she missed it so much.

The house itself was a bit on the small side; it had three bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms, a living room, and a kitchen, all of which were relatively tight spaces. Beverly had always found it cozy instead of confining, thankfully, and she hoped Griffin liked it too.

"Dad?" she called once she stood in the living room, grinning when she spotted the Christmas tree in the corner. Her family usually put off cleaning up holiday decorations until several months after the holiday had occurred, and it was nice to see that some things never did change.

A buff, burly man poked his head through the second living room entrance a second later, his stern, beard-clad face breaking into a grin when his blue eyes settled on her. "Beverly," he grunted, striding forward and pulling her into a tight hug.

Releasing Griffin's hand, she wrapped her arms around her father, smiling into his chest at his familiar warmth. "Hi, Dad." Pulling back, she used her chin to gesture at Griffin. "This is Griffin."

Her dad released her and stepped over to the young man. He looks awfully calm, Beverly couldn't help but notice; Griffin's face was blank, but his shoulders were relaxed, his legs spread apart and his hands hanging loosely at his sides. "You the boyfriend?" her dad asked, eyeing Griffin with his thick brows furrowed in contemplation.

Nodding once, Griffin held out one hand, shaking her dad's as he replied, "Yes, sir."

Letting go of Griffin's hand, the older man huffed and said, "Not bad. You take care of my girl?"

"Try to, sir."

"'Try' is different from 'do,' boy."

"I understand, sir, but Beverly hates when I hover too much." Beverly would have glared at Griffin, if not for her dad's quiet chuckle.

"True enough," he replied. "Call me Sam. You drink beer, Griffin?" Placing a hand on Griffin's shoulder, her dad pushed him towards the kitchen, leaving Beverly alone in the living room with a small smile on her face.

"That's a good sign," her mom spoke up from the corner, sending Beverly a thumbs-up when the girl startled and looked at her.

"How long have you been there?" Beverly asked, placing a hand over her heart in an attempt to calm it.