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“Why were your parents lecturing you?” I ask, picking back up our conversation.
“This is my first time really away from them. They’re both really overprotective of me. Which I know is a good thing. My parents are awesome and I love them so much. I just want to be able to live my own life,” she finishes, turning to look out the window.
I want to tell her that she’s too precious to be walking around in the world all alone. If she were mine, I would never let her out of my sight. It sounds like that’s the opposite of what she wants though, so I’m going to have to get used to it if I want her to be happy with me. Or just get good at trailing her around without being seen.
“I’m sure that they’re just worried about you. It will get better soon,” I tell her, trying to comfort her.
I don’t like when she’s upset. It’s crazy that I just met this girl and I’m already wrapped around her little finger so tight.
“Do your parents still worry about you?” she asks me, finally turning in her seat to face me again.
“I’m sure that they would, but they’re dead.”
“Hayes,” she starts, her voice filled with pain and concern, but I wave her off.
“It was a while ago.”
“When?” she asks quietly and I can feel her eyes on me.
“They died when I was twelve. Car accident.”
I rub over the scar on my face and she reaches her hand over the console, her fingers grabbing my forearm and giving me a little squeeze.
“I’m so sorry.”
I nod, the ache in my throat starting. It’s always the same, every time I think or talk about them and the accident.
She leaves her hand on my arm as we head down Main Street. The roads are quiet, but they almost always are in this small town. I turn into the parking lot of On the Rocks bar and park right next to her car.
I don’t want our time to end, but I don’t know how to get her to stay. Can I ask her out? Should I invite her back to the bar to see me sometime? See if she wants lunch right now, even though we just had breakfast?
Before I can decide on an approach, she’s turning to me with a smile on her face.
“Thank yo—oh crap!” she hisses, and I follow her eyes to where some fancy car is turning into the parking lot.
“What’s that?” I ask, my protective instincts on full alert.
“That, is my parents,” she says with a sigh as she moves to climb out of my truck.
ChapterThree
Betty
I know that my face is as red as my hair right now because it feels like it’s on fire.
I knew that my parents were coming up to visit, see my new apartment, and have lunch with me, so I’m not too surprised to see them pull into the parking lot of On the Rocks. There’s always the chance that they were driving by and saw my car so decided to stop, but it’s entirely more likely that they have a tracking device on it and that’s how they found me.
“Hey guys,” I say as I climb out of Hayes’s truck.
I try to smooth the wrinkles out of my clothes and tame my hair as I make my way over to them. I’m positive that they think this is a walk of shame and it kind of is, just not in the sex sense.
Their eyes instantly go over my shoulder to where Hayes is climbing out of the driver’s side, and I wince.
“This is Hayes. He was just giving me a ride back to my car,” I explain, though I don’t think that I really just explained anything.
“Hayes, this is my mom and dad, Ryan and Emma Jones.”
“Nice to meet you,” Hayes says, stepping forward to shake both of their hands.
