They’d sign the paperwork, make small talk with King and fuss over Zoe, and then they’d go home. They’d be on their best behavior.
“What was that?” Mak’s rumbly voice came from over my head.
“Huh?” I turned to look up at him.
“You said something.”
“I did?” I bit my lip. “I didn’t mean to.”
“Worried about your parents meeting the big man?”
I was pretty sure that was the longest sentence I’d ever heard Mak say. I must’ve been an obvious basket case for the stoic and silent Mak to bring it up. I sighed. “Just a little bit. I’m the baby of the family, and my parents tend to…hover.”
That was a nice way to put it.
Mak inclined his head. “My parents are the same with my little sister. It’ll be okay though. They’ll see pretty quick that Kingston isn’t like most of these Hollywood douches.”
I snorted then covered my face. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” Mak rocked back on his heels as his sunglass covered eyes took in the road in front of us. “Look alive. I think this is them.”
Sure enough, a black sedan pulled up to the curb, and despite the tinted windows, I knew my parents were inside. The back door popped open, and my dad stepped out, followed by my mom. She squealed when she saw me and bounced over to give me a huge hug.
There was something about being around my mom that just calmed me. Sure, she was occasionally embarrassing, nosy, and over the top—but she was my mom. The one I’d ran to when I skinned my knee. The one who’d tucked me in at night. I always felt like everything would be okay when I was with her. It was probably the whole reason I’d ran home after Danny and I separated. I’d wanted that feeling again.
Like I felt now.
Until my mom pulled back and grinned. “I cannot believe I’m going to meet Captain America. Should I try for a tiny kiss?”
Mak’s snort almost drowned out my dad’s groan. I closed my eyes in mortification.
“Mom, no. You are going to behave. No mentions of him being on your five-freebie hit list.” I pointed a finger at her before swinging it in my dad’s direction. “You too. No talks about how you work in construction, so you know how to hide a body. King is myboss. You are here to meet him, so he can see you’re not insane. Then I can bring Zoe to see you guys while he’s working. Please, please, please don’t act insane.”
“Honey, we are not here to embarrass you.” My mom kept an arm around me. “We do know how to behave.”
“Current evidence is not in your favor,” I muttered under my breath. I sighed and introduced them. “Mak, this is my mom, Cheryl, and my dad, Sean. This is Mak, the bodyguard King hired for me and Zoe.”
My dad’s eyes widened as he nodded at Mak. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too, sir. Ma’am,” Mak replied, nodding at my mom. “We should get moving. Mr. Grier doesn’t have a lot of time left on his break.”
As we walked down the asphalt toward King’s trailer, my dad moved over to my other side.
“What happened to you not seeing much of him?” Dad asked in an undertone.
“Who?” I asked, confused. “Mak?”
“No, Kingston Grier,” Dad replied. “That’s what you told us when you took this job. Now you’re jumping at his beck and call. And asking us to do the same.”
“Are you serious, Dad? He’s my boss—of course I’m at his beck and call. He wants to meet you two because I want to see you which means you’ll be around his daughter. A little girl he has every right to feel protective of. And he’s trying to see his daughter as much as possible which is why we’re here on the lot every day for his break. I really thought you—of all people—would understand that.” I stopped as a sinking feeling of doom swept over me. “This was clearly a mistake.”
“Briar, I’m just concerned—”
“I’m thirty years old, Dad. I have two degrees. I work to support myself. I’ve been divorced. When are you finally going to see me as an adult?”
“I know you’re an adult, sweetheart. But that doesn’t mean I’m ever going to stop worrying. Watching all you’ve been through this last year…it’s been hard. I hate seeing you hurting. And worst of all, I saw it coming. That bastard Danny didn’t deserve to lick your boots. And now you’re signing up for more of the same with this douche.”
“For the twentieth time, he’s my boss. We’re not in a relationship. He pays me to watch his child—that’s it.”