Page 50 of Married to Lies

I hesitated for a moment, torn between disbelief, thrill, and dread. “I will. There’s just one thing.”

“What’s that?” she asked.

“I need you to meet my mom.”

24 Rei

He wanted me to meet his mother.

And that made me like him even more.

I stared at him, just to make sure I’d heard him right. “You want to take me home to Mama?”

He fought a smile. “You don’t have to say it like that.”

Was he embarrassed? That was so adorable. “You know, the way a man treats his mother says a lot about him.”

“You haven’t seen how I treat her yet,” Quentin countered.

I raised my eyebrows. “You want me to meet her, though, I’m assuming you like her.”

“If you think I’m a stalker, wait ’til you meet her. She’s already run a background check on you, but she wants a DNA sample to be more thorough,” he said, straight-faced.

I stared at him in shock.

Then he laughed. A real laugh that brightened his features and made his chest shake. “I had you there.”

“Quentin!” I whisper-yelled, although I was smiling too.

“It’s important for you to meet,” he said. “They’ll all want to know you when they learn how important you are to me.”

My heart flipped at his words, making it hard to reply. Good thing the server brought our food just then. I took a bite, savoring the sweet cream filling mixed with dough and sugary syrup. It was heaven on earth, or more aptly, heaven in my mouth. “So good,” I mumbled. “We should serve this at our wedding.”

“Our wedding,” he echoed.

Our hands stilled on our silverware, and we looked across the table at each other like we were truly realizing it now.

“We’re getting married,” I whispered, testing the word like I’d tested the food. “Married?” It didn’t feel real.

Quentin looked at me with a guarded expression.

“Are you sure about this?” I asked him.

He only nodded.

My eyebrows drew together. “That’s all you have to say? A nod?”

Reaching across the table, he took my hand. “You’d call me a stalker if I told you what I’m really thinking.”

“Please say something because I’m about to hyperventilate,” I said, only half joking. I knew I’d do what it took to protect my company and my employees, but the reality was truly sinking in. Like maybe I thought it was all a joke just to see if I’d go along with it. But here we were at brunch discussing wedding dates and when I’d meet his parents.

He rolled his lips together and tilted his head as he looked me over. “I never thought I’d be in a situation to choose between getting married and protecting my company. But when Simon told us his conditions, your face came to my mind. You, Rei Li, are the best possible outcome.”

My stomach bottomed out as I realized just how truly Quentin had admired me and for how long. I wished that he’d approached me sooner. Maybe we could have dated a few more weeks before he had to ask me such a major question.

But then again, would an extra few weeks have made a difference? Marriage would still be too soon either way. At least Quentin was honest with me about the marriage clause up front, and I found myself respecting that about him.

His principles seemed clear in what he did, which made me wonder even more why Conrad was so against him. I decided to ask... “What do you think of my CE–my boss? Conrad?”