Page 25 of Infatuated as They Come
“Please elaborate.”
“I’m sorry I upset you, okay?” he said, a hand on his chest. “For ruining breakfast, about making you feel whatever I made you feel.”
I wrapped my arms around myself. “Until Sawyer came along, you never acted so weird about money. I know you work really hard to let me and Mom have a good life, and I appreciate everything you’ve done for me and the life you’ve let me have—”
“And I want you to keep having that life,” he said, cutting me off. “Don’t you get that? He’s not the boy who’s gonna give that to you.”
“I don’t need him to. And the kind of life we have doesn’t make us better than anybody. Do you think we shouldn’t be allowed to interact with people who have less money than us or something?”
Holding up a hand, he shook his head. “I never said that. I don’t believe that at all.”
“You act like you do. It’s stupid. I don’t want to date some country club lacrosse player,” I said. “I want to be with the person I’m with now, because I love him and he makes me so happy and that’s all that should matter to you.”
“I just don’t think he’s good enough for you,” he whispered. “I know you don’t want to hear that, but I don’t think he’s the right guy for my daughter.”
My eyes closed at those words. “You know, Sawyer’s dad came back after just disappearing on him for months, but Sawyer’s managed to survive on his own this whole time. And it’s not even the first time his dad has done that to him. He’s been doing that Sawyer’s whole life. You think he’s not good enough for me, but he’s so much stronger than you realize. He’s stronger than me and you put together.”
“I just want you to be happy,” he said, taking the smallest of steps forward.
“He makes me happy. I keep telling you that, but you don’t listen,” I said, voice turning into a pained murmur, but I swallowed the lump in my throat just as quickly as it showed up. “And while you can be really, really mean sometimes, I know you’d never treat me or Mom the way Sawyer’s dad treated his family. His dad isn’t a good person. His dad is terrible and I only met him for—”
“You met his dad?” he asked, eyes big as he stepped forward.
I shrugged. “He showed up out of nowhere.”
He took more steps towards me. “Are you okay? What happened?”
“Sawyer made sure I was okay. In fact, his first priority seemed to be making sure that I was okay and safe. He putmefirst,” I said, jabbing a finger into my chest. “You probably think he’s not capable of that, but he is.”
“Are you alright?”
“You should be asking Sawyer that. Instead, he’s off at a motel because staying at his own home wasn’t safe. It’s never been safe with his dad there, but he’s had to stick it out until now. His own dad thinks he’s not good enough for me,” I said, voice wavering as the afternoon’s memories put a sharp knot right there in my stomach, “so could you please, at the very least, keep whatever awful things you have to say about him to yourself so that he doesn’t haveeveryonein his life trying to put him down?”
“What do you want me to say, Holly?” he asked.
“I just want you to treat him with some respect. I don’t care how much money Sawyer has, and I definitely don’t need him to buy me some fancy ring,” I said. None of that mattered. Cheap silver or genuine Tiffany. Expensive, sparkling, ever so bright diamond or no diamond at all. “And if it doesn’t bother me, then why does it bother you?”
“I know you think I am the way I am because I’m some… overbearing classist,” he said, taking a few more steps over to me. Slow, cautious ones. “But I just want good things for you. You’re my daughter. My only daughter and my only child, and I never want anything bad to happen to you. I’m not saying sorry for wanting you to have a good life, Holly.”
“Your version of a good life and my version of a good life seem to be twovery different things.”
“I’m allowed to worry about you and… I’m allowed to not like him,” he said hesitantly. “That’s not going to stop.”
“What was the point of this conversation?” I threw my hands up. “Do you want me to be happy or not?”
“That’s all I want.”
Gripping the little pendant resting against my chest, I gave it a soft squeeze. “I don’t want anyone else but Sawyer and there’s nothing you can do to change that, so you need to accept it already. Just get over this idea that I’m meant to be with some rich guy thatyouthink is right for me. You and Sawyer don’t have to be best friends or anything. You don’t have to go out on golf trips at the club or whatever…”
He laughed softly. “I don’t think me and Sawyer and a bunch of golf clubs would end well.”
“I don’t expect a miracle, but can you just please stop and think about what you’re saying? You’re so hurtful and mean when it comes to him. It’s like you turn into a totally different person. You need to stop. Please? For me?”
“For you… yes.” He placed what seemed like a wary hand my way, inching towards me like he was testing the waters. “I’m sorry for upsetting you.”
The words had me frowning, just about to step away from him. “Wait, are you sorry for upsetting me or sorry for saying something so awful about Sawyer?”
“Oh, you two made up! Good!” Mom suddenly piped up from the doorway. Hands clasped together, she sent us a big grin. “No more fights please, especially since Holly is leaving very soon. Can we just have some family time before our daughter moves to the other side of the country?”
