Page 129 of Sinful as They Come
“Oh,” Mom said, sounding a little taken aback. “Who is he?”
There it was. It was an expected question, but it was one I wanted to avoid.
“Um, just this guy from school. He’s in some of my classes,” I said. None of that was a lie… technically.
“What’s his name? Do we know him?” Dad asked, staring at me quizzically. “You didn’t tell us about this guy.”
Dad had been over the moon when he came back home. He was beyond excited about me getting into college. But he wouldn’t be so proud if he knew what I had been up to lately.
“After Carter, I wanted to take things kinda slow,” I said softly, tugging at the hem of my black dress. That wasn’t a total lie as well, but I totally avoided his first two questions, intent on keeping Sawyer’s identity a secret until the last moment. Until theyreallyhad to know. And then the storm would hit. “But this guy is really nice. He’s not like Carter at all. I hope you’ll like him.”
“Are you sure you’re ready to start dating so soon after Carter?” sighed Mom.
“I wasn’t planning on it. But… This new guy kinda swept me off my feet,” I said with a little smile.
“Are you blushing?” Mom asked.
“No.” I smacked my hands to my face. “Just please tell me you’re free on Saturday. You can meet him. I’ll help cook dinner. And you canall… sit down and get to know each other.” I held back a grimace. I could picture knives flying in my head. It was going to be a mess. I hoped Sawyer was prepared for whatever mean things my dad had tucked up his sleeve. But I was ready to defend him. Well and truly.
Mom looked over at Dad with a little shrug. “We don’t have any plans, right?”
Dad shook his head before turning to me. “No. But Holly, if you’ve been dating this mystery man, you really should have told us. I don’t like the idea of you sneaking around behind our backs.”
“There was no sneaking,” I lied. “We’re just taking things slow.”
“Huh. Well, why isn’t he here tonight celebrating with you?” questioned Dad.
I cleared my throat. “I wanted to tell him the news face to face, which is perfect for Saturday. I can tell him about getting into Columbia, and you guys can meet him. Besides, he’s working tonight.”
Dad’s eyebrows raised. “He has a job? Okay. I may be starting to like the guy already.”
“Mhm.” I downed some of my water. My poker face was terrible.
“But if he’s anything like Carter, I’m gonna kick his ass all the way back home,” Dad said with a slight mutter.
I let out an awkward chuckle. “Trust me. He’s Carter’s total opposite.”
And that was the absolute truth.
Chapter 46
SAWYER
My hands were a little sweaty as I drove up Holly’s driveway. Her dad’s car was out the front. The sight of the Mercedes made me grip the steering wheel a little tighter.
It was finally happening.
No more sneaking around. No more hiding. No more climbing into Holly’s window to have some fun with her – though that part was a lot of fun.
It was now or never. I was about to walk into Holly Sutton’s house and tell her parents that I was in love with their daughter. And they weren’t going to be happy. I could already tell. Her mom seemed cool that one time we met, but she was probably only tolerating me.
And her dad? Her dad was going to lose his fucking mind. But he could do that all he wanted. I was ready to fight for Holly. She was my girl. Mine and no one else’s, and I wanted it to be official. I wanted every single person in the world to know that Holly belonged to me.
My truck came to a stop and I gave my reflection a quick glance in the rearview mirror. My hair was brushed back neatly, the first time it had ever looked so polished. My tie was tight at the neck and I gave it a little pull, but that didn’t relieve any of my stress. I fucking hated wearing ties. But it was worth it for Holly.
“Alright. Let’s fucking do this,” I told my reflection. Not wanting to be late, I hopped out of my truck and shut the door lazily behind me. It was abit of a walk from Holly’s driveway to her actual house, but it gave me a few more moments to prepare for whatever the hell I was walking into.
I gave the front door a knock, ready for her dad to open it up and slam the door in my face. But when it did swing open, Holly stood there looking as beautiful as ever. Hair in soft curls, eyes big and filled with light, lips pouty and looking so damn kissable. She had on a white dress that stopped just past her knees.
