Page 43 of Wild Daddy

"Just thinking."

"About what?"

"About how different this is from my family dinners." I lean into his warmth, breathing in his familiar scent of pine and something indefinably male. "My parents would spend the whole meal quizzing me about my studies, making me recite quotes from classic literature or discussing my 'trajectory' like I wasn't even there."

"Well, you're here now." He presses a kiss to my temple that feels like a hug. How quickly I’ve come to rely on his touch for comfort. How I seek it out for pleasure, and purpose and safety. "And we're not going anywhere."

It's such a simple statement, but it hits me harder than any declaration of love. We're not going anywhere. Like permanence is just a given, not something that has to be earned or maintained through perfect behavior.

My phone buzzes in my purse, and I ignore it. Then it buzzes again. And again.

"You should probably check that," Delaney says gently. "Could be important."

I pull out my phone and see three missed calls from Professor Harrison and two from my mother. My stomach drops like a stone. This is it. Crunch time.

"Excuse me," I say, getting up from the table on unsteady legs. "I need to take this."

I step out onto Colt's back porch and call my advisor back, my hands shaking as I dial.

"Marley!" Professor Harrison's voice is sharp with irritation. "Where have you been? I've been trying to reach you for hours."

"I'm sorry, I was at dinner. Reception is spotty here. What's wrong?"

"Your parents called me this afternoon. They're driving up for your defense on Friday."

The world tilts sideways. "They're what?"

"They want to be there to support you, which I think is wonderful. Your mother mentioned that she's looking forward to discussing your Harvard placement with the committee afterward."

My mouth goes dry. “I have someone else coming as well,” I say as quickly as I can, ripping off the band-aid.

“Marley. That’s not going to happen. Defenses are closed to all but—”

"Then my parents can’t be there either, can they?"

"Oh, don’t be ridiculous. Your family includes two distinguished academics who've made significant contributions to the field."

“Either I can bring someone, or defenses are closed, it can’t be both.”

“Marley, I’ve never… Fine, bring someone for support.” Harrison's tone suggests I'm being unreasonable. "Your father is quite excited to hear about your methodology. He's been telling colleagues about your innovative approach to ethnographic research."

"Professor Harrison, about my thesis—"

"Yes, I'll need your final draft by Wednesday so I can review it before the defense. I trust you've been working on incorporating the feedback from our last discussion?"

"Actually, I've been taking a different approach—"

"Excellent! Innovation is what sets Michigan apart. Well, I'll let you get back to your work. See you Wednesday with the finished product. I know you’ll exceed everyone’s expectations as you always do."

The line goes dead, and I stare at my phone like it's a bomb that just went off.

My parents are coming to my defense. My parents, who think they've raised the perfect academic daughter. Who've already told their colleagues about my "innovative methodology." Who are expecting me to present the kind of research that will make them proud and secure my place at Harvard.

I have no idea how they’ll react to the thesis I now have planned. It goes against everything they ever taught me. Itrebels. I’ve never rebelled in my life.

"Everything okay?" Cade's voice makes me look up. He's standing in the doorway, concern tightening his brow.

"My parents are coming to my thesis defense."

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