Honesty, she supposed, would be the easiest way to get out of this. "He's in Finland. A one-night stand, who probably doesn't remember my face much less my name, and who doesn't know a thing about this situation." Kajsa looked down at her jeans and rubbed her palms on them. She wasn't sure about any of that, but it seemed correct. It was her usual modus, just this time in resulting in a little bean because she was off her birth control. Because she was supposed to be off her alcohol and drugs.
"You eat the food in front you, you smile at my mother and tell her the food was delicious, and then you go away." Kajsa scoffed as she looked away from Ryan for a second. "Trust me, I try and avoid family dinners as often as I can. I'm sure they'll understand my hesitation to introduce you to the rest of the mob." She didn't ever introduce her boyfriends to her family. For good reason. "I suppose we'll have to do at least one. Mother will insist. Dagmar will probably be snide about your clothes, Satu will ask about your sports preferences and be snarky when you choose wrong, and Valterri may try to corner you and demand you state your intentions." Kajsa ignored the idea that she might never see Valterri again. Or her mother. The panic fluttered in her chest. "I wouldn't worry about it. You don't exactly seem the sensitive type. Unless you are...in which case, this conversation might be over." She tried a smile. It was a joke.
She narrowed her eyes for a second at the snake. I won't do it without his permission. Calm down, cow-face.
Kajsa looked at him. "What woman would be all right with dating you when you're in this sort of agreement with another woman?" she asked before she could stop herself. Talking about it in terms of an agreement brought her back to her paralegal days talking about contracts and torts. It was comforting and she found herself stuttering less. "Unless you're involved with someone now. In which case, I am in the wrong place. I am trying to clean up a mess, not create a new one. I won't have some infuriated girlfriend come banging on my door demanding answers." Kajsa was willing to allow Ryan a lot of leeway, but the idea was to soothe Linnea's worries. Having an irate girlfriend in Kajsa's face was the opposite.