Free Teach Me Like That (LMLT Book 2) by Marie James

isn’t until my mother comes out on the porch holding Lennox’s hand that I’ve realized my mistake.
    I watch as a smile spreads clear across her face before she hides it with her hands. I’ll never hear the end of this. I’ve just given my mother enough ammunition for a year’s worth of family dinners.
    “Oh, Kegan,” my mother gasps as Lexi and I walk up the front stairs of the porch. “She’s beautiful. You haven’t brought a girl home since…”
    “Mom!” I chastise cutting her off.
    I feel like a teenager again, bringing home my first girlfriend to meet my parents. Granted, Lexi is the only girl besides the one in high school that has trekked up these stairs. Now, just like then, I want to crawl under the porch in embarrassment.
    More because Summer is the last person I want to think about than my mom getting excited at Lexi being here. We dated for a few months my senior year in high school, went to different colleges, and mutually called things off. To hear my mother tell it, I broke her heart and any chances she’d have at having grandchildren.
    Kadin was already married by then, and Savannah was very vocal about her desire never to have children.
    “Honey!” my mother screams over her shoulder through the screen door. “Come out here and meet Kegan’s girlfriend!”
    My father makes his way out of the den faster than any man in his sixties should be able to move. A smile is on his face the second he crosses the threshold. He nods softly in approval at the sight of Lexi.
    “Lexi Carter,” I say in introduction to my parents.
    “Friend,” Lexi corrects holding her hand out to shake theirs. “Not girlfriend.”
    Friend. I can work with friend . At least she didn’t identify herself as only the girls’ school teacher.
    My mom wraps her arms around Lexi in a huge hug, disregarding her proffered hand. If this is awkward for me, I can’t imagine how uncomfortable she is.
    My dad winks at me, a true lady’s man in his own day. Lexi catches it and scoffs at our interaction.
    My mom finally releases her and takes a step back. “Would you like to come in for a drink and a snack?” she offers.
    “No, thank you,” Lexi says quickly, and I can finally take a relaxing breath.
    Any other woman in this situation would jump at the offer, and I’m grateful she declined. If Lexi stepped foot in that house, my mother would begin planning the wedding. She’d have the china pattern picked out before her homemade cookies hit the table.
    Both girls make their way out onto the porch carrying a pack of fruit snacks, as if they didn’t just eat their weight in candy and popcorn at the movies.
    Lennox tugs on my dad’s shirt until he leans down so she can whisper into his ear. “That’s my teacher,” she informs her grandfather loud enough for everyone to hear.
    “The one who shot Uncle Kegan down when he asked her out last week,” Anastyn adds even louder.
    My mother’s cheeks turn red, not in embarrassment for me, but rather because she’s trying to bite back her laugh.
    My dad doesn’t even bother as he tilts his face up and laughs.
    If it weren’t for the slight smile tilting Lexi’s perfect lips up, I’d wish this interaction never happened, but seeing her amused at my expense brings a certain peace to me.
    “Must not happen often,” Lexi says cutting her eyes to the side at me, but she’s talking to my parents.
    My dad sobers almost immediately. “Never, honey. He’s a Cole.” Nothing but seriousness marks his face.
    Damn straight, dad. Cole men don’t get turned down . That part goes unsaid of course.
    My cheeks flame as my dad slaps my mom on the ass and makes her giggle. The girls follow suit, laughing at their grandfather’s ridiculousness. They see it all the time between their own parents and mine. I was brought up in a very loving home, with parents who weren’t afraid to show their affection. Kadin and London are the same way.
    I’m in the fucking Twilight Zone.
    It’s