Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
“What?” my mom gasped.
My father tilted his head slightly to the side, his brow furrowing. “I thought you said earlier that you weren’t seeing anyone.”
“Yes, but Mom was asking why I didn’t bring a date tonight, and we’ve only just begun seeing each other. It’s far too early for a meet-the-parents dinner. That would be far too much pressure.”
Mom lifted an eyebrow, clearly skeptical of my sudden double talk. “And you’re arguing that you should stay in Cincinnati because you wish to continue seeing this person?”
“I’m kind of hoping that things will go well, but it’s still early. I don’t want to be too hopeful and get disappointed.”
Yes, yes, disappointed about getting dumped by a nonexistent person.
“Understandable,” Dad agreed with a nod. “How about this? Why don’t you ask your new date out for dinner with us in two nights? We’ll be in the city for a few more days.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but my mom beat me to it.
“That’s a wonderful idea. It’ll give you a chance to get to know this person better, and then we’ll all get to meet. We’ll keep it a low-key, informal dinner. Nothing for anyone to be anxious about.”
Dad put the final nail in the coffin. “And if you discover that this isn’t a person who you believe you can make a life with, we can talk more about your plans to move to Boston.”
Yep, totally screwed.
Oh, I could put my foot down and tell them in no uncertain terms that I wasn’t moving to Boston under any circumstances. Just torch that bridge and upset everyone in my family. But why? I saw their point. I’d thought I’d be married and settled into a sweet domestic life by now. More than Sebastian or Rome, I wanted married life and kids. And who was going to beat us to that finish line?
Fucking Declan. The man who hadn’t wanted marriage or kids.
For now, I needed to buy myself some time in order to find a more permanent solution to this problem. It was time to call in my friends and pray they could think of something that would keep me in Cincinnati.
3
PIERCE SUTTON
As soon as I got my parents to their hotel, I rushed to Rome’s downtown penthouse just a few blocks over from where they were staying. I needed help. ASAFP.
Yet I nearly jumped out of my skin when Liam answered the door. They hadn’t been dating that long, and I was still acclimating to the idea of Rome and Liam being attached at the hip.
“Oh. Shit. Guess I should have called first. Sorry, I—” I stammered, already backpedaling while scrambling for an alternate plan.
Liam snorted. “Get your ass in here. It might be hard to believe, but we don’t fuck constantly.”
Well, that stopped all thought in my brain. I had nothing to say. My feet obeyed his command, and I walked through the door. It was only as I was handing my coat to Liam that my mind started working.
“Um…sorry for intruding. I got myself in a bit of trouble with my parents, and I thought Rome could help me out of my mess.”
“Aren’t you getting a little old for that?” he quipped.
“Have you told your mom that you’re bi and dating a man?”
Liam narrowed his eyes at me. “Touché.”
A grin played on my lips. “I’m joking.”
“Me too.”
Liam was still a hard read for me, but his cold look cracked into an affable smile, and it was difficult to deny that Rome had found a good match.
“Hey, Pierce!” Rome shouted as he strolled down the hall with two beers in hand. “I didn’t know you were stopping by. How was dinner with the folks?”
“Bad.”
Rome stopped, his happy-go-lucky expression falling away. “How bad? Like, work bad? Or—”
“Like ‘it’s time you came home and got married’ bad.”
“Ooooh, shiiiit,” Rome groaned. “We’re gonna need help. Living room. We’ll call for backup.”
Liam and I followed Rome into the living room like a pair of lemmings. At that moment, I was willing to try anything, even jumping off a cliff, if it meant I didn’t have to return to Boston and the family fold. Liam was kind enough to grab me a beer while Rome called Sebastian and Declan, conferencing everyone in. It took a couple of minutes for me to explain what had been discussed at dinner and why.
“No,” Sebastian snapped. “You can’t move to Boston. Not happening.”
“Honey, I don’t think Pierce’s parents are going to agree with you just because you don’t want him to go,” Byron chimed in.
“Are we understanding correctly that you don’t want to move?” Declan confirmed.
“Yes, I want to stay, which is why I might have told my parents that I’m seeing someone.” There was a long silence, and I tacked on before Declan could ask, “No, I’m not seeing anyone right now. I’m not even slightly talking to anyone. The dating cupboard is bare.”