Our Star-Crossed Kiss (The Rooftop Crew #4) - Piper Rayne Page 0,40
Way to grow a pair, Andrews.”
I tense up and freeze.
“Friends of yours?” he asks.
“Yeah.” I sit on the edge of the worn-out brown sofa and run a hand through my hair. “Roommate actually.”
“Good to know those are the people sworn to serve and protect us.”
“Honestly, they’re good—”
He holds up his hand to stop me and I shut up. Amazing how similar he and my father are in their mannerisms and general intimidation factor.
“Okay, I’ll just get to the reason I’m here.” I swallow hard and fist my hands on my lap. My stomach feels light and tingly, and sweat forms on my hairline. “You don’t know this, but I’ve been dating Evan.”
He quirks an eyebrow and his lips press into a firm line.
“I know it comes as a surprise, but I’m sure you can imagine why we kept it a secret. You know, due to the family dynamics.”
He says nothing.
“Things have grown more serious, and I’m here to ask you for her hand in marriage.”
There, I said it. I feel relieved that it’s out, yet somehow also guilty knowing it isn’t real.
His face blanches white, still expressionless. This is it—I’m going to be the cause of his second heart attack. And then the families will never ever get back to where they were. Then again, that isn’t our end game. We just need to get them to agree on this business venture for the show.
Then Evan and I will go our separate ways and… but damn, playing that game with my friends and being teammates felt good. Even though we lost and aren’t a real couple, it was pretty damn awesome.
“You’re dating my daughter?”
I blink and come back to the moment. “I am.”
“I thought she was dating that asshole Brock Floyd?”
I smile inside at his classification of Brock as an asshole. At least we’re on a level playing field, I guess.
He sits back in his chair and props his ankle on his knee. “Just the other night he showed up here in his fancy sports car. From what she was wearing, I’m fairly sure it was a date.”
I nod. “Well, we…”
Shit, this part sucks. Lying to Mr. Erickson more than I already am puts me close to Trevor’s territory—where one lie starts it off and you allow them to pile up until before you know it, you start to believe the lies yourself.
I wonder how Knox would handle him. Mr. Erickson’s like a police officer—the deafening silence, the eyes boring into mine as though he knows he’s got me right where he wants me.
Fuck it. This is for our futures.
“We kept our relationship a secret,” I say. “However, I will say she’s probably going to be shocked when I propose. It’s a little early, but I need her in my life.”
His eyebrows rise.
“I should clarify that. Um…”
Again he doesn’t fill the silence, like he’s watching me tie my own noose around my neck.
“I love your daughter.” It’s a lie, but in some messed up way, there’s a bit of truth there. I’ll always love Evan. Not as a fiancée or a wife, but as a friend. Even if I haven’t had a lot of contact with her in twenty years. I tried to warn her about Brock, that’s proof enough.
“You do?”
“I do.”
He examines me further, letting time draw out between us. “And she loves you?”
“I believe so.”
“And she was dating that Floyd guy as a cover?”
I bite my lip and nod. “Yeah.”
He sits up and places his forearms on the arms of the chair, linking his massive hands together. “Why do I find this whole thing odd?”
“Um… I don’t know.” I swallow and gulp like a kid being asked questions after he accidentally broke a window. Okay, so that happened once before. When I was six, I broke Evan’s window by throwing a ball at it.
“So you love my daughter and you want to marry her?”
“Yes, sir,” I say.
He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. There’s something cynical and conniving in the creases of his eyes. “We’ll plan a family dinner then, with both families. You and Evan can come over and you can propose to her here.”
Shit. I’ll never be able to pull it off in front of both families.
“I had a private proposal planned,” I say.
“Nah, an engagement is a family thing. Since you love my daughter so damn much and you want to marry her, we should all be part of the moment.”
I nod. “Okay.”
Okay, what? I’m going to fall on bended knee in front of