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Leo hesitated for a moment, and Peyton imagined his internal struggle was not an easy one since this was directly related to his business. Brushing the man off or feigning ignorance wouldn’t help his own company’s image, and the truth would raise all kinds of red flags to her parents, who were listening in on the conversation.
“I’ll be there,” Leo finally said, making the only choice he could.
“Next week?” Peyton’s mother asked from beside them, clearly bewildered by Leo’s reply. “Won’t you two be back in New York by then?”
“New York?” Chad cut in, his voice just as confused as Tawny’s as he frowned at Leo. “Are you going to New York for a business trip?”
Peyton’s stomach roiled as she watched the clusterfuck happening right in front of her eyes, and judging by the apprehension etching Leo’s handsome features, he was also well aware that their fake relationship was about to be exposed.
“He lives in New York,” Tawny insisted, supplying the answer before Leo could speak.
“When did you move to New York?” The guy looked totally perplexed by the information coming his way. “I had lunch with Eric a few days ago and he didn’t say anything about you relocating. Was it fairly recent?”
Leo shook his head, and he squeezed Peyton’s hand as if to say he was sorry for what he was about to do. “No, I didn’t move to New York, and I’ll see you at the me
eting next week.”
“Okay.” Chad still appeared a little unsure about the odd conversation that had just taken place. “I guess I’ll see you then. You all have a good night.”
“You, too,” Peyton said, and as the other man walked away, she could feel her parents’ eyes on her even before she and Leo turned around to face them.
“Peyton?” her mother asked, clearly trying to make sense of everything. “I don’t understand what’s going on.”
“I do.” Her father finally spoke, his gaze much too enlightened, and not very happy, either. “If I followed the conversation correctly, Leo doesn’t live in New York. He lives right here in San Diego, where his business is located. Have I got that right, son?”
Leo looked Carson straight in the eyes, despite her father’s brusque tone. “Yes, sir.”
Tawny gasped and pressed a hand to her chest as everything finally came together in her mind.
Carson shifted his gaze to Peyton, and she felt the weight of the disappointment she saw in her father’s eyes. “Which begs the question, Peyton . . . have the two of you really been dating for the past nine months, or has all that been a lie?”
She swallowed the hard knot in her throat. A lie. She hated the way that betrayal sounded, and the only way to alleviate the guilt sitting so heavily on her chest was to tell the truth. “No, Dad, we haven’t.”
The disbelief and hurt she saw in both her mother’s and father’s gaze were crushing, because over the past week, they’d gotten to know Leo, had grown to like him, and had made him a part of her small family. This wasn’t how she’d planned for things to play out, but her own regrets changed nothing because she had gone to great lengths to deceive her parents.
“I don’t know why you lied to us,” her father said, his brows furrowed over eyes that were filled with disappointment, “but I think you have some explaining to do when we get back to the house.”
An explanation and an apology were the least Peyton could do. She only hoped that when she revealed her reasons she’d fabricated her fake relationship with Leo, it didn’t hurt them even more.
Chapter Twelve
Peyton was quiet on the drive home from the wedding reception. Knowing that she was about to face her parents with the truth—in person rather than over the phone from New York like she’d originally planned—Leo remained silent, too, giving her the time she needed to gather her thoughts for the difficult conversation ahead.
Reaching her parents’ place, he parked in front of the house and cut the engine. Sitting in the passenger seat, Peyton twisted and wrung her fingers anxiously in her lap, and he reached out and grabbed one of her hands to stop her stressful fidgeting.
“It’s going to be okay,” he said softly, trying to calm her nerves. “Bottom line, no matter what you’ve done, your parents love you, and this situation isn’t going to change that. You just need to tell them the truth about why you fabricated the relationship in the first place, and hopefully they’ll be much easier on you going forward.”
It was dark in his vehicle, but he saw the wealth of uncertainties shimmering in her eyes. “I know this is a little too late, but I’m really sorry for dragging you into this, too.”
He smiled gently. “Pixie, you didn’t drag me into anything. I agreed to this pretense, so I’m just as much at fault.” Except, he never expected it to feel like more than a fun, make-believe relationship. He never expected to fall so hard for her, and that knowledge made his heart hammer in his chest.
“Hardly,” she said on a dry laugh. “But I appreciate everything you’ve done for me this past week.” She exhaled a deep breath. “I’ll send you a text later and let you know how it all goes.”
He jerked back slightly and narrowed his gaze. “What do you mean that you’ll let me know how everything went later?”
“Leo, I don’t expect you to sit through this embarrassing conversation and be privy to my mother’s and father’s disappointment. You can pack up your things from the guesthouse and avoid this whole awkward, uncomfortable discussion with my parents. It’s not your problem. It’s mine.”
Not his problem? After a week together, did she really think he’d bail on her now? “I’m not leaving you to do this alone.” His tone was adamant. “I’m coming in with you, even if it’s to support you while you tell your parents the whole story, because no matter what you say or think, I am a part of this situation. The damage is done, but this is your opportunity to be open and honest, to tell them that you’re an independent woman and you’re making it on your own just fine in New York, without a boyfriend.”
