Page 103 of Chasing After You
“Can I hide up here with you until then?Please?” he asks, sitting on my bed.
“You’re twenty-six, Henry. Sometimes we have to face the consequences of our actions, and this is yours. You can’t just leave them down there with Wilson.”
I honestly don’t have much left to do other than swipe some mascara on my eyelashes, but I’m enjoying seeing him squirm. I’m also dreading going downstairs with my parents.
However, this is his fault.
“Mon cœur,” Henry says, trying to sweeten me with his pet name.
“Nope, you better go down there before they think we’re continuing what you started in the pool.”
“I’m pretty sure you started that.”
My jaw drops. He’s not wrong, but it wasn’t my idea for me to sit on the edge of the pool. “No, I was going for a swim. Nobody said you had to join me.Out, Henry.”
Henry looks like he wants to put up just a little bit more of a fight, but I think he knows he has no ground to stand on here. His shoulders drop, and he moves slowly toward the door like it’s his death march.
Actually, it could very well be.
I look in the mirror, noting my lip is still swollen from when Henry bit me earlier. I touch it gently, grateful it isn’t bleeding.
I stall as long as I can, but truthfully, I’m excited to see my parents. I’m just not thrilled they saw more than they should have.
I slip into my boots to head downstairs, wondering if this is how Henry felt.
I make eye contact with Henry first, noting his relief that I’m finally down here. Mom smiles at me, standing to hug me. “Hi, Mira.”
I have a hard time making eye contact with my dad. I’m a little worried he’s going to say something. Instead, he steps forward to hug me tightly, without saying anything at all. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding, relieved he didn’t start yelling.
Honestly, I don’t think I would blame them if either of my parents did start yelling. They’re being supportive of what they believe is a relationship, but that doesn’t mean they need to catch us in the act.
Dad pulls back, ruffling my hair with a smile. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yep. One car or two?” I ask, trying to act like my parents didn’t just see me naked a half hour ago. Shit, no wonder Henry was trying to hide in my room. They’re being nice, but I feel awkward as fuck.
Two cars would give Henry a short reprieve since he’s been entertaining them or whatever he’s been doing while I was getting ready.
“How about one car? It’ll give us a chance to catch up,” Mom suggests, looping her arm with Dad’s.
Henry’s eyes widen in my direction, and I stifle a laugh. He could be a little less obvious about how nervous he is.
“Perfect.”
My parents sit in the front seat of their car, while Henry and I sit in the back. Henry taps his fingers rapidly on his knee, the only sign that he’s nervous about any of this. I reach over, threading our hands together. He offers me a faint smile as my parents chat about the family trip to France we’re taking for Christmas, where we’ll also celebrate JJ’s birthday.
I’m doing Thanksgiving in New York with Henry’s family, as well as my aunt and uncle, since we’ll be there for the Panthers game against the Stars.
Henry doesn’t let go of my hand until we’re seated at a table in the back of my favorite restaurant, and Mom orders a bottle of wine.
“So are you two attending the charity gala together?” Mom asks, her smile meeting her bright green eyes.
“Yes,” Henry answers, resting his hand on my knee underneath the table.
Emily designed my dress herself. It’s a sleeveless ivory A-line evening gown with fringe sequins and crystal embellishments, but my favorite part is the dramatic slit in the skirt that will show off my Louboutin heels. I’m excited to dress up, but I’m even more excited to see Henry in a tuxedo.
That is of course if he lives long enough to wear his tuxedo again.
“I think we’re all sitting at the same table together if I’m remembering the seating chart correctly,” I say, taking a sip of my glass of wine.
