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His eyes travel appreciatively down my body, and I fight back a blush as he flashes me a Cheshire cat smile.Must focus.
“Those aren’t the words I was hoping for, but I’ll take them. You never did like surprises,” he says, coming to a stop only a foot in from me. In one quick swoop of his head, he’s kissing my cheek and collecting my hand in his. “Hey.”
I lean into his lips but arch a brow when he pulls away. “Hi back. How did you know I would be here? I thought I was perfectly vague.”
He narrows his eyes, scowling. “Yeah, wasn’t a fan of that. I had to come here and make sure you weren’t meeting another fake boyfriend. I don’t share. And really? You said crepes, and unless they’re from Tina’s, you won’t eat them. It was easy to piece it together.”
And if I remember correctly, he only lives a few blocks over.
“It’s worse than another fake boyfriend, Dox. My parents are inside.”
My anxiety must be obvious because he starts to rub my arm while bringing our joined hands to his lips and kissing my knuckles.
“I’m glad I’m here, then. You’re not dealing with this by yourself.”
I shake my head, looking back into the window. There’s another person at the table now, and when a head of flaming-red hair catches my eye, I blow out a small breath of relief.
“My sister is with them. I won’t be alone.”
“Little Annalise Heights is inside? It’s been too long. I can’t wait to catch up.” Maddox tosses me a wink. When I still don’t relax, he sighs and cups my cheek, drawing circles on my tense jaw with his thumb. “Your father doesn’t scare me, Curly. I’m just doing what a good boyfriend would, right?”
I nuzzle into his palm, staring up at him, looking for even the slightest bit of hesitation, but he’s all confidence.
“If you’re sure. My father isn’t known for being subtle. He’s going to be livid to see you with me. It isn’t going to be pretty,” I warn.
Dox’s grin is pure arrogance. “Then I can’t wait.”
“Okay,” I breathe, nodding one too many times. “Let’s go in, then.”
He wraps his body around my back and holds my hand tight as we walk to the door. Extending an arm around my head, he pulls it open for me, the bell chiming as we enter.
My stomach falls between my knees when my dad whips around and finds the two of us. Sharp as daggers, his blue eyes cut deep.
Maddox immediately flanks my side and slips his free hand around my waist, pulling me tight to his body. His hot breath warms the top of my head before he kisses me there and whispers, “We leave when you want to.”
I nod stiffly, and then we’re at the table.
“Braxton!” Annalise squeals, jumping out of the booth and ripping me away from Maddox before pulling me in her arms. I smile into her pin-straight hair and hug her back.
While my little sister may be four years younger than me, she’s always been mature for her age. It’s one of the reasons we became so close so young. My opposite in every physical way, she looks more like Mom than Dad.
“It’s only been a few weeks, you know?” I tease, pulling back.
“Oh, I know. You used me for free labour when you moved into your new house, and then I was chopped liver.” Her glare is weak and wavers when she moves it to the man still glued to my side. “Maddox Hutton. I see you’ve gotten quite massive over the years.”
A loud laugh rips out of me before I can suck it back. My sister lacks a filter. No matter who she’s around, she can’t seem to ever find one. It’s one of the things I love most about her.
Luckily, I don’t have to worry about Maddox having a problem with it. He only lets out a deep laugh of his own and gives her a genuine smile.
“It’s nice to see you again, Anna.”
My sister flashes a grin. “You two sit. I’ll pull up a chair, and then maybe you can both tell me why I had to find out about this relationship on social media and not in person.”
She lifts a brow at me and then walks away in search of an open chair in the busy restaurant. I face my parents, choosing to focus on my mom and her tired eyes as I slide into the booth opposite them. Maddox follows, but he doesn’t wait for either one of my parents to get the first word.
“Mrs. Heights, it’s nice to see you,” he says, slinging his arm over my shoulder, keeping me close.
I risk a glance at my father and find his lip curled, his focus on Maddox. Hate, disgust, rage. It’s all there on his face. He’s not bothering to hide it, and that’s a terrifying realization.
