Page 80 of RomeAntically Challenged
He stopped short and, in a very manly fashion flipped his cap backward and got eye level with her. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She gave a bright smile, knowing she could fake anything with convincing success. She was a master.
Emmitt looked right past that smile and into her eyes, searching for what Annie hoped she’d buried deep enough to avoid detection. Hiding anything from a guy who read people for a living was harder than she’d first imagined. She knew the exact moment he realized her night hadn’t gone all that stellar either.
“Nothing, my ass. Who made you cry?” he said as if he were vowing never to sleep again until he fixed whatever wrongs had been thrust upon her.
“No one.” Which was the God’s honest truth. No one person had made her cry.
“Who, Anh?”
And he’d teased her about being a protector? He looked ready to pummel whomever she blamed. His need to care for those around him—even at his own expense—made Florence Nightingale look apathetic.
“Seriously, it’s allergies,” she said, and this time she did lie. “Did Paisley want to spend time with her grandpa?”
“God, when you say it like that—‘Spend time with her grandpa’—I feel like a dick.” He looked up at the sky as if afraid of whatshe’dsee. Now who was hiding? “She said she likes hanging with my dad. She was even the one to approach him.”
“It’s natural for her to be curious about her grandpa, especially with her unique family situation.” She knew exactly how that felt, just like she knew how Paisley’s curiosity caused Emmitt pain. It was this exact reason that Annie had waited so long to research her culture—and her birth parents.
She’d never wanted her parents to feel as if they weren’t enough.
Right now, Emmitt was afraid he wasn’t enough, and she wanted to tell him that he was more than enough. But he wasn’t ready to hear that. Right now he needed someone to listen, so she took his hand, which was like holding melting ice, and without hesitation, his fingers laced with hers.
“She decided not to tell me because she was afraid it would upset me and, get this, she said that because I’m not around much, it was no big deal. Jesus, my kid thought I was too busy to listen.”
“Were you?”
He sent her a sidelong glance. “You said as much the first time you heard I was a father.”
“I also didn’t know you very well, and you’ve changed, which is what’s important. Emmitt, you realized Paisley needed more so you stepped up and became the dad she needed. That’s what love can do.” She quickly debated whether to confess her recent connection. By not doing so, she’d be no better than his family. But he’d had all theFunny thing happenedkinds of confessions he could take, so she said, “Maybe with age, your dad has changed too.”
“No way.” He spoke with absolute certainty that had Annie wondering exactly what had happened to break this family apart. “This is what my dad does. He’s great at playing people. Then once he gets bored or busy or they disappoint,poof, he disappears. And trust me, when you realize you were nothing but a passing interest, you never fully come back from that.”
Annie suddenly understood why Emmitt was the way he was. Why he was so against going all in when it came to relationships. And why he rarely let people see the deep, soft, and wonderful guy hidden beneath. If all he gave them was this easygoing,everything slides right off mepersona, there was zero chance of building anything lasting and real—leaving zero chance of getting hurt.
“Emm itt—”
“Don’t need to say it. I see the irony.”
“I was going to say, ‘People change,’” she said lightly. “Maybe your dad is trying to make up for how he parented you with Paisley. Maybe he wants to make it up to you but doesn’t know how to reach out.”
“My kid isn’t the person he gets to use to feel better about himself.”
“People who are given a second chance in life rarely waste it.”
He looked at her as if she’d just confessed to sprinkling arsenic over Pediatrics’ lollipop dish.
“I get that you’re just trying to help. But you shouldn’t talk about things you don’t understand. His condescending tone was as confusing as it was hurtful. “Those studies you’re always quoting are cute. But this is real life, Anh. And in real life, people disappoint. Beyond what a day of fishing can fix.”
The remark was so below the belt, Annie dropped his hand and immediately stepped back. She’d only known him a few weeks, but that one comment cut deeper than anything she’d experienced tonight. He’d managed to humiliate her and discredit her in a single assessment. Even more upsetting, he’d gone about it by using personal and meaningful details from her life that she’d shared with him.
There were a few dozen hurtful things she could throw back at him. But Annie didn’t do mean. She also didn’t do confrontation, which was why she’d rather relocate to another state than continue this discussion.
“Noted,” was all she said before turning toward the front door. Because she was one harsh word from embarrassing herself.
She sped up the driveway and wrestled with the door’s lock, but her trembling hands and misty eyes weren’t doing her any favors. Finally, after what seemed like eternity, the bolt clicked over. Not waiting to see if he was coming, she went to open the door when a large masculine hand appeared above her head, keeping her from budging it.
“Let go,” she said, her voice unsteady.
