Dropping The Ball - A New Year’s Billionaire Romance - Weston Parker Page 0,67
though, didn’t you?” Mom asked. “I should’ve invested in a gym, but we’re proud of you, honey.”
With that, Dad finished off the last of his hot chocolate and patted Mom’s leg. “We’re very proud of everything you’ve achieved, but we should be turning in soon. We had an early start and tomorrow’s a big day.”
“Don’t you want to have some dinner before you go to bed?” Rylee asked, sitting up and putting some distance between us.
Mom shook her head. “I feel like we only just had that big lunch on our way home. I’m stuffed. Besides, I know where the kitchen is. If we get hungry, we’ll help ourselves to something later.”
Rylee opened her mouth to protest, but my dad spoke first. “We don’t really have big dinners anymore unless it’s a special occasion or the kids are home. We’re fine, really.”
They kissed us both goodnight, carried their mugs inside, and left us cuddled up alone. I half expected Rylee to jump up too, but she didn’t. She brought her head down on my shoulder and looked up at me instead.
“I really like your parents,” she said. “I didn’t even realize how much I’d missed them until they got here. They’re awesome. I wish I’d known them better back in the day.”
“So do I.” I kissed the top of her head, letting my arm wrap around her shoulders. “They like you too, Ry. They always have, but I think they love you a little bit now. I can’t remember the last time I saw them with someone the way they were today.”
I was pretty sure it’d been with Justin’s wife the first time he brought her home, but I didn’t say so. Neither of us knew where we stood right now. Adding something like that to the equation wouldn’t help.
“I’m really sorry.” I hadn’t been planning to apologize again, but with her so close to me and the sweet smell of her shampoo wafting up to me, it just happened. When she moved as if to stand up, I tightened my grip on her. “Please stop running from me. I don’t know what you want me to say, but I really am sorry. I shouldn’t have lied, but I was stupid and not used to talking, so I did.”
“How am I supposed to trust you now?” she asked after a beat, sitting up but not pulling away from me. “It’s not that I can’t get past you not telling me. That’s as much on me as it is on you. I just don’t know what else you could be hiding.”
“I just gave you free rein with my parents. That has to be a start.” There was plenty they didn’t know about me, but they knew all the important and really embarrassing stuff. “Bart is here every Sunday. What they don’t know about me, he does. Want me to call him? He could come fill in all the blanks for you.”
“You really mean that, don’t you?” She searched my eyes, her voice soft. “You’d actually summon him here on Christmas Eve to get me to believe you?”
“I’d do whatever it takes,” I replied honestly, bringing my hand up to run my fingertips across her cheek. “I’m not a liar, Ry. I didn’t even really mean to lie to you. It happened, and I’m not proud of it or justifying it, but I also can’t take it back.”
“Would you?” she asked.
I shook my head. “I can’t say I would. It brought us here, didn’t it? I’d never take back anything that ended with you in my arms like this.”
She gave me an odd smile. “Great minds think alike then, I suppose. Or what’s the other thing? Fools never differ?”
“We could be great, Rylee Naples, but I’d be a fool with you any day of the week.” My hand traveled into her hair, my eyes darting down to her lips.
She smiled before she brought them to mine, kissing me so hard and with so much passion that I knew I was back in the game. I still didn’t deserve someone like her, but I let myself believe I did for just this one kiss.
One more time, I promised myself.
Soon enough, she’d realize we didn’t live in the same world. That I lived in the shadows that protected hers, and not in the cool way like a demon hunter might. When that day came, I’d have to let her go.