“Here’s his gorgeous, long-legged, blonde-haired, blue-eyed fiancée. Or soon to be fiancée. I’ve got the proof here to blow the story up before they make it official. I’m hoping the son of a Fortune 500 Company getting engaged will earn me some money from a tabloid.” My cousin is so vapid. All she wants is drama and money.
I squint and focus on the image on her screen. Is he happy or mad? His jaw is relaxed, but there’s no smile on his face. They are standing several inches from each other and appear deep in conversation rather than clawing each other’s clothes off.
Okay. Take a deep breath. While he might have some explaining to do, I’m not throwing away everything we’ve worked for. There’s an explanation for all of this. I know it.
“Mom.” I scoot back. “Thank you for the lovely meal, but I need to get home to study.”
“That’s my girl.” My dad beams.
“Please.” Heather rolls her eyes. “I know what you’re doing. You’re going to the store to be a truckload of ice cream so you can wallow in misery because your hunky obsession is marrying someone else.”
“Heather.” My jaw flexes as I stare down at her. “I’m tired of your incessant trash-talking. I don’t say anything rude to you, and there’s no reason for you to come at me with anything but respect. I’m tired of the snarky comments and insults.”
She’s jealous of this other woman. The one she thinks is with Alexander. She put the moves on him, and he turned her down. And now, she’s lashing out at me to pretend she doesn’t care.
Heather’s mouth drops as she looks from me to my parents and then to her parents. They all remain silent. “If you can’t handle the–”
“Heather, I said it was enough.” I spin on my heel and hold my head high as I march to the door. After I twist the handle, I smile. That felt good. That felt damn good. There’s a big difference between respect and being weak. I think I just discovered my breaking point. I’m done.
Chapter Forty
Daisy
Two Hours Later
My cell phone dings as I flip the page of my calculus textbook. As I grab my phone, my notebook slides off the table and plops onto the floor. Seriously? I groan, snatch it off the ground, and drop it back onto the stacks of books.
Alexander: Is it okay if I come over?
Me: Of course.
Alexander: I’m pulling up to the house across the street.
I lay my phone on the table and walk to the door. Sneaking around has now reached the annoying phase. At least when I go to Alexander’s place, he has a garage so no one can see me. But here? He must park on the street and hope no one recognizes him when he comes to my door.
Before he can buzz the doorbell, I open the door. He’s wearing a baseball cap pulled down tight to his head and has changed into jeans and a T-shirt. I must admit. I like this version of him better than the dressed-up businessman who was dodging the bachelorettes earlier tonight.
I arch an eyebrow. “How was dinner?”
“A fucking shitshow,” he groans, walks in, and wraps his arms around me. “I missed you tonight.”
“Yeah.” I nod, inhaling his scent and letting the stress from my parents’ house evaporate. “Me, too.”
He kicks the door shut with a bang and his lips cover mine. With one touch, everything is better. I close my eyes and sink into him. Eight more weeks.
He pulls back and cradles my face. “My father is a pain in the ass. Instead of tonight’s dinner being a family get-together, it was the equivalent of a breeder’s showcase. He gathered what he considered best allies who have single daughters and paraded them around like cattle, wanting me to pick my favorite one.” He closes his eyes and sighs, “The man doesn’t realize how insulting that is.”
“I’m sorry.”
After he leans forward, he presses his forehead against mine. “And sadly, neither do the women’s parents or their daughters. They’re all hoping to be picked and bathed in money.”
I wrap my arms around his waist and gnaw on my bottom lip. “Is there anything I can do?”
His eyes pop open. “Be you.”
“I can do that.” I smile, stand on my tiptoes, and kiss his lips.
When I drop my heels back to the ground, his eyes dance with humor. “See. I’m all better. I just needed your special dose of medicine to make everything else go away.”