My Boyfriend's Father novel Chapter 1

Valerie Montgomery watched as her boyfriend shoved clothes haphazardly into a dusty duffel bag, eager to be off the campus and heading home. “Justin, really, what’s the rush? There are parties going on here all night long to celebrate the graduation. We should hang out one more night, say goodbye to our friends, have a few more drinks, and wake up with one more hangover. I don’t see the need to rush back home.” She tucked a stray strand of her blond hair behind her ear, and then placed her hands between her knees, hoping she could get through to him.

Justin Pressman gave her a weak shrug as he shoved another stack of shirts carelessly into his bag. “I don’t want another hangover. And we’ve already said goodbye to everyone who matters. Besides, I have interviews scheduled early on Monday morning, and I want to make sure everything’s ready, give my resume a once over, pick out an outfit that shouts confidence. You can help me with that, actually.” He stopped packing and stood there, staring over at her. “I thought you were eager to be away from this place. Why the sudden bout of holding on?”

Valerie glanced down at her hands, twirling her fingers around each other in a nervous gesture. “I just don’t know if going back to your dad’s is a good idea right now,” she said. Then she glanced back up at him. “He didn’t take your mom leaving so well, you know, and I don’t want to add stress to him by sort of barging into his house and making myself at home.”

Justin chuckled as he reached for another stack of shirts. “Val, Dad loves you and you know it. He wants us there. Hell, he’s probably tired of all the quietness and needs us to liven the place up again. It’ll be great. You’ll see. Besides, we won’t be there long. I have everything planned out. A week tops, and then we’re in our own place.”

Valerie just nodded as she glanced back out the window to the trees in the distance. Justin always had his plans and to-do lists. Four years they spent at the college, finding each other among the thousands of students that roamed the campus. For the past two years, they were inseparable, and had even made plans for their future; well, Justin made plans, that is. Valerie just went along for the ride, letting him steer. That future, however, was suddenly here, and Valerie had to admit, she was a little afraid. She should have been having her fun and experimenting, but Justin was a fairly structured individual, even in his fun. She sighed. Even in their sex. She glanced back up at Justin, his shaggy dark hair dangling across his brows. “I’d really like to stay one more night,” she said, her tone soft, almost pleading, as she stared at him.

He paused, one hand still halfway to his duffel with some shorts, as he looked at her with his soft green eyes. He studied her for a moment and then plopped his shorts back down on his bed. Nodding, he moved over to where she sat, sitting beside her and taking her hands in his. “Are you all right? What’s with the sudden desire to stay? Yesterday you said you couldn’t wait to get out of here.”

She shrugged, holding onto his hands as if a lifeline to her sanity. “I’m just not as ready as I thought, I guess. I know Tony and Celia are heading to Chester’s later. Let’s meet up with them and have one more night before the real world sucks us in. Then we can get back to your plans and to-do lists. It’ll be fun. I promise.”

He studied her some more, his lips pressed into a thin line. Eventually, he nodded, taking a small breath. “All right,” he said. “If that’s what my girl wants, then that’s what she’ll have.” Then he held a finger up as his face grew serious. “One more night, but no hangovers. I want to be on the road early tomorrow. I already told Dad we would be there this weekend.”

She felt the smile crease her face as she nodded. “Promise. No hangovers.” She leaned over, kissing him softly, one hand cupping his cheek. When she pulled away, she felt the flutter in her chest she always felt when she kissed him. “Thank you.”

He squeezed her other hand, his eyes sparkling as he gave her a reassuring smile. “Anytime, sweetie. I’d do anything in the world for you, and you know it.”

She nodded. “I do, but still, thank you.”

“Well, at least help me get this packing finished,” he said. “We can load up the trunk of the car, so there’s less to do in the morning.” She watched as he stood back up, moving back to his packing. “What time are Tony and them hitting Chester’s?”

She told him and then moved to help him pack some of the knickknacks he had collected over the past four years, wrapping them up in old newspaper before stuffing them in a box. It didn’t take long to pack everything up and stuff most of it into the trunk of Justin’s car. They stacked Valerie’s belongings by the door to his dorm room, ready to be hauled down to his car first thing in the morning. Luckily, she didn’t have much she wanted to keep with her, and her parents were able to take the rest with them when they left after the ceremony.

She sat on the corner of his bed, watching him as he stood in the middle of his now empty room, hands on his hips. “I had more shit than I thought I did,” he said, chuckling. “I have no idea where I’ll store all this when we get back home.”