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I sat at the vanity in our bathroom. I’d been officially ready twenty minutes ago, but instead of rushing to get out the door, I was procrastinating. Physically, I was dressed and could walk out the door any second. Mentally, I was paralyzed by dread. Mom and Dad were back from Paris, and Dad had called me the day before to set up our dinner date. Any other time and I would have been ecstatic to see my dad after being away from him for so long. But I wasn’t ready for this damned confrontation.
When I didn’t answer, Harris pushed open the bathroom door to find me still seated at the vanity playing with my makeup brushes. “Lu?”
I blew out a long sigh and tried to paste on a smile for him. “I’m almost done,” I lied.
“Yeah, I can see that,” he said dryly. “Your dad already texted me saying we were five minutes late, sweetness. We need to get out the door now, not later.”
“I don’t know if I can do this,” I muttered, unable to look at myself in the mirror.
He crossed to where I was seated and crouched down in front of me. “I’m going to be right there with you. And so is your dad. Everything will be okay, I swear.”
“I don’t even know what she’s going to say,” I whispered. “What if she’s mad we canceled all her plans? What if…what if she doesn’t want to come to our wedding now?”
“Then that’s her loss.” He stroked a hand over my exposed knee left bare by my dress, effortlessly distracting me from some of the madness that was torturing my mind right then. I squirmed in my little chair, and he smirked for a second before turning serious again. “But I don’t think that’s something you need to worry about. Look, let’s just go and see what they have to say. And if for any reason you don’t like what comes out of Layla’s mouth, we will just leave.”
“You make it sound so simple.”
He brushed a kiss over my brow as he stood. “Because it is simple. If you aren’t happy, I won’t let you be forced into a situation with your mom. But you can’t hide from this. We have to go see them.”
Taking my hand, he pulled me to my feet. “Why do you have to be such a good guy? Why couldn’t you be one of those grooms who hates his in-laws and wants to alienate them?” I grumbled as he put my clutch in my free hand and pocketed both our phones.
“Because I love you too much to come between you and your family. And because your dad would kill me if I ever tried.” He grabbed his keys and wallet. “Which is what will likely happen if you don’t move that sexy ass of yours so Jesse Thornton can see with his own eyes that his baby girl is safe and happy.”
Knowing that if we didn’t show up, and soon, Dad would just come looking for us, I stopped dragging my feet. Marcus was already waiting down in the garage with my Range Rover right in front of the elevator. The drive to the restaurant was quiet, and I ate off all my lipstick before we even got there. I didn’t bother to retouch it as Marcus pulled up in front of the entrance.
Carina’s was one of my favorite places to eat. It was also one of the busiest, which was probably why Mom had picked it. She knew I would make an effort not to cause a scene if there was a crowd. Not that I would have. With Dad there, I knew better than to yell at her. He might spoil me and love me more than anyone else on the face of the planet, but he would never tolerate my disrespecting Mom.
As we entered, the hostess looked harassed as she tried to field walk-ins looking for a table. Reservations were always booked at least a week in advance, and if you just showed up expecting a table, there was a two-hour-plus waiting list. I held on to Harris’s elbow as he approached the woman
.
“Lu, over here.”
My head turned at the sound of Dad’s voice, and I saw him standing near the bar. Despite the unease I’d been feeling all day about this dinner, my heart lifted at the sight of him. It had been two weeks since I had set eyes on him, and that was just too long for me. Even though I had on heels, I raced over to hug Dad.
He caught me around the waist and held on tightly for a long moment before stepping back. As I looked up at him, I saw his eyes were changing from one shade of brown to another rapidly, and I couldn’t pinpoint which emotion he was feeling, but his grin put me at ease. “You look better, Lu. That week away did some good.”
I beamed up at him. “Yeah, you too, Daddy. Two weeks in Paris away from the twins seems to have agreed with you.” I felt Harris behind me, and the two men shook hands as I glanced around. “Where’s Mom?”
“She’s at the table already. I thought Harris and I would grab a drink while you two talk.”
I nearly groaned. I had been hoping Dad would be there so I would be unable to do anything but have a rational conversation with Mom. But it looked like he knew exactly what to expect, and was maybe even giving me permission to yell a little. I looked up at Harris, silently begging him to stay with me.
Harris touched the small of my back but kept his eyes on Dad even though I knew he could feel my eyes drilling into the side of his head. “I could use something hard to get over this past week. Work has been crazy.”
“Traitor,” I muttered with a pout.
With a resigned sigh, he dropped a soft kiss on my lips, effectively erasing the pout. As he slowly lifted his head, he trapped me with his gaze. “Your dad’s right, sweetness. Go sort this out with Layla. You know you’ll feel better after you do.”
“But you said—”
“And I meant it. I’ll be right here.” He tipped up my chin. “Go, Lucy. You need this.”
I knew he was right, but damn it, I didn’t want him to be. Fighting back tears, I pulled back. “Where is she?” I asked Dad in a voice tight with emotion.
“Our usual table. It’s more secluded. You should have a little privacy.” Before I could turn in that direction, he caught my wrist. “She loves you, Lu. Don’t be too hard on her.”
All I could do was nod once and pull free. I understood why they were sending me in there alone—she was my mom, for gods’ sake. It wasn’t like she was going to beat me or some crazy shit. But I couldn’t help feeling hurt they would do that to me.
