Page 55 of Quake
“Oh…” She frowned. “When?”
“Saturday.”
“ThisSaturday?”
I nodded, studying the flecks in her blue eyes.
“But the expo is this weekend,” she said. “There will be all kinds of opportunities to meet important people, and Jade… She’s counting on me.” Her expression became troubled as she glanced away. I knew her well enough to know her mind was working overtime.
“I had to ask,” I muttered. “My parents are the kind of people who never let up once they get an idea in their heads. Dad especially. He’s a commanding son of a bitch.”
“I don’t remember him much,” she said, “but he was a little intense. Is it going to cause trouble?”
“Trouble?” It was my turn to raise my eyebrows. “Unlikely. It’s more about me than you.”
She hesitated, her brow creasing in the way it always did when she was thinking about something intently.
“Honestly,” I went on, “my mum will likely adore you and start planning our wedding. And my father will probably be late if he shows up at all.” The moment I uttered the wordwedding, Juliette paled. “Don’t read too much into it. What we’re doing here is more than I’d ever dreamed could happen.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
“It means you’re my girl, Jules. I’ve never got this far before.”
Her eyes widened. “Never?”
“It’s always been about boxing for me,” I explained. “Training, fighting, winning. My dad’s catchphrase is pretty muchfailure is not an option.” I imitated his voice. “I never had time for anything else. It was like I had blinders on, and then I met you. It was like I could see all the possibilities I’d been missing. I’m a thirty-year-old man who’s never really tasted life, but now I see there’s something else out there. Something I really like.”
“I don’t think I ever had the courage,” she murmured. “To really be with someone. Either that or I had horrible taste in men.”
“Had?”
“Had.”
I smiled, my lips curving lopsidedly. “Then it makes this even better, right?”
Her eyes sparkled, and I imagined I could see hope there.
“We can do this together,” I went on. “Discover.”
She nodded, bumping me in the guts with her boxing glove. “I like the sound of that.”
Turning back to the punching bag, I shouldered it again as she continued her reps. After a while, she slowed, then stepped away, shaking out her arms. A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead, and she swiped it away with the back of her arm.
“Is it really that important to you?” she asked. “Dinner with your parents? If it is, then…”
I didn’t like putting her in this position. My guts twisted, and I scowled, wishing we could just hide away someplace and not have to deal with them.
“If you can swing it, then yeah, I suppose,” I said, knowing it would satisfy them for the time being and give us both some peace. “If you need to work, I can handle my dad.”
She shrugged, casting her gaze toward the punching bag. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Reaching up, I ran my palm over the small of her back and leaned close. Placing a chaste kiss on her shoulder, I whispered, “Thanks.”
Watching as Juliette started to pound her fists into the bag again, I caught my breath, not realizing I’d been holding tension in my shoulders our entire conversation. She was fast becoming the center of my universe, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. Everything going forward from this moment was uncharted territory, and it alarmed me more than it should.
She and I? It was good. Nothing was wrong with it at all. Sure, there were still secrets hanging between us, but it wasn’t as simple as sitting down and hashing it out. Juliette had been through something terrible. Forcing her to confront her past could do more harm than good. Still, there was still so much left unsaid.
All I could do was hope dinner with my parents wasn’t a step too far.
