Hot Under His Collar - Andie J. Christopher Page 0,93
her, she’d decide that he wasn’t a good bet. He’d known that was a risk going in, but she was worth it.
She was still worth it.
“No, I’m not.” She was firm on that, and relief washed through him. “But my parents might be, and I don’t want to sugarcoat that for you.”
“I’m willing to stand up for us if you are.”
“I am.” She sighed. “But I just don’t want to put you through this.”
He wanted to tell her that he would suffer any number of indignities in order to be with her. He wanted to tell her that he loved her more than he’d ever loved anything in life. He wanted to tell her that he would do anything to ensure that she’d be happy—even let her go. But they didn’t have time for that.
She turned and took his hand and walked them out of the room and into the fire.
CHAPTER THIRTY
PATRICK’S HAND WAS THE only thing holding her back from running out of her apartment screaming in nothing but a cotton robe. His warmth at her back was the only thing keeping her from being a shivering mess.
Her parents catching her and Patrick the way they had was a worst-case scenario. They liked to pretend that all their daughters were virgins until well after they were married. Her mother—who had always referred to sex in the extreme and rare circumstances that it came up with disdain—did not understand why all young women seemed intent on “ruining themselves” before marriage.
“I hope that you have a good explanation for this.” Her mother wasn’t going to cut her any slack at all. Disappointing, but good to know. And she’d made an error by making the opening salvo. Moira was losing her touch.
“I don’t see how any of this is your business.” Sasha was happy to see that Patrick had positioned himself across the island next to the coffee pot. He was even making coffee—four cups, so smart.
“Well, you live under our roof.” Her mother was really rolling out all of the clichés today.
“You mean his roof, right?” She pointed at her father. “You don’t own anything for yourself.”
“Is this going to turn into you lecturing me on how you’re so different from me and your sisters again because you earn your own money?” Sasha had the uncomfortable realization that she sounded just like her mother when she was being shitty and sarcastic. “We gave you the money to start your business, you know.”
“I do know that, and I’m grateful.” Sasha truly did feel thankful that her parents could afford to help her. She knew that without their help, she would have struggled to start her own business and keep it open over the past few years. “But I’ve paid you back, and now it’s mine. And, maybe Daddy didn’t tell you, but I’ve been paying him for this condo in installments, so it’s technically my roof.”
Her dad turned around and winked at her. It filled her with strength until her mother said, “Well, I never agreed to that, so any agreement you have with him is null and void.”
Sasha looked at her father, who hadn’t said anything as usual. When he said, “Happy wife, happy life,” it was incredibly sinister, because the only thing that made her mother happy was keeping her children under her thumb. “We didn’t sign anything.”
He was right. Unlike the business loan that he’d given her, they hadn’t signed anything with respect to the house. And he wouldn’t put up a fight if her mother wanted to take the place away from her.
She looked around. She loved her home and the memories she’d made inside it. After college, she and Hannah had moved in and gone to work together at a big event-planning firm in the Loop. The place she’d grown up wasn’t home—this was.
“Coffee?” Sasha had to suppress a laugh at Patrick offering her parents coffee while wearing her pink robe and too-small pajama pants. Her parents looked shocked to see that he was still there. Sasha was so happy that he was.
“I don’t think I owe you an explanation, but the long and short of it is that Patrick and I are in love. He left the priesthood, and we’re together now.”
Her dad made some grumbling noise, took a sip of coffee, and then his mumbling became less disapproving.
“It’s a scandal.” Apparently, her mother wasn’t going to let this go. “I can’t let this happen. How will I explain this?”