Let Love Win

Chapter 14 - Hadley

The next couple of weeks were weird for me in a comfortable kind of way. Being able to say that I had a boyfriend was the weird part while it was comfortable because it was Zeek. He didn't let anything get too awkward between us. Especially at the beginning. He always had something new to talk about and every time I debated breaking it off because of the tension between us, he would break it with something else.

I hated getting sappy over things like this, but I was surprisingly ok thinking about our relationship like that. We had gone on a couple dates along and a couple dates with Mel and Brad. the dates alone usually involved going to the park with the boys or going out to some fast food place for supper. When we went out with Mel and Brad, we usually spent the night at a club or a bar and then some cheap motel. However, since the first day we became boyfriend and girlfriend, I've steered myself away from whiskey.

Tonight, I was supposed to be going out to dinner with him at Swiss Chalet, and I had no idea what to wear. Sure we were already a month into our relationship and we'd gone out for dinner before, but never to an actual restaurant.

I called Mel as I looked through my closet and she answered on the third ring. "Help, we're actually going out somewhere kinda fancy where I have to look decent and I have no clue what I'm looking for."

"I'm on my way over, hold tight," she replied.

 I stood in front of my closet while I waited for her to show up at the orphanage. Mel and her family were the only people that I talk to that actually know I live here. When we were in kindergarten, it was pouring rain and her mom offered to drive me home. Unknowingly, I gave her the directions to the orphanage and Monty had to explain to a young Mel that I didn't have a family so I lived here to get care and food. Ever since then, Mel has been the only one who knows and the only one who I'm sure won't judge me for it.

The doorbell sounded and I turned my attention away from my closet to go and answer the door. Mel was standing there and as soon as I opened the door, she walked right in like she owned the place. but the boys loved her, and she spent the night a couple of times too, so she was allowed to do that.

"Ok, so tell when what you've done so far?" she said as she followed me to my room.

"Nothing, why do you think I called you in the first place?" I said back.

"You mean you have nothing picked out?"

"No. By the way, he's meeting me at your house so I'm coming over when we're done here."

"Of course. But you guys have been dating for a month now, when are you going to bring him here to meet the boys and Monty?"

"I don't know yet. I mean, I still think it's going to be a lot for him to take in. he has met 4 of the boys already but I told him that I was babysitting them."

She sighed at my answer, clearly unsatisfied. "Ok, so I guess I'm making assumptions based on the time that Brad and I have spent with you guys, but he really, really likes you, Hadley. Like I mean likes everything about you," she said grabbing a pair of jeans out of my closet. She held them up and shook her head in disgust when she saw the holes in them. "I'm sure that something like this won't turn him away."

"But you don't know that for sure. And you know how sensitive I am about this subject, and especially who I bring over to meet the boys," I said laying back on my bed.

"I know, but I can tell that you like him too. Maybe you should let him in a bit more. I'm not saying to stay the night here or to marry him or anything, but maybe it would be good for you to bring him over. It would show the kids that it's ok to commit to something you're afraid of."