Page 14 of My Irish Roommate

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The restaurant is packedwith businessmen having lunch meetings. This is exactly why I chose this place. Dad and Emma will be less likely to cause a scene here. They arrived ahead of us and are already seated at a booth in the back.

As we walk toward them, I decide to take Ricki by the hand. The smiles fade from our parent’s faces, and they turn their gaze away from us and toward each other. Ricki’s hand is warm and wet. She whispers, “Did you have to do that?”

“Yes,” I reply, smiling and squeezing her clammy little hand. It’s fine if she’s scared. I can be strong for both of us.

My father stands as we ascend to the table. I shake his hand and say, “Dad, thanks for coming.” Then, I move to Emma, who is still seated, and kiss her on the cheek. She sighs audibly as though I’ve offended her and doesn’t stand to embrace her daughter as she did at dinner two nights ago.

I pull Ricki’s chair out for her and sit down beside her. Her mother glares with her lips pursed, and Ricki looks down at her lap.

“Emma, are you okay?” I ask her.

She scowls in my direction and asks, “Why are you holding hands? Is there something going on between you?”

“Yes. Ricki and I invited you to lunch so we could tell you that we’re now a couple.”

“Rowan! This is inappropriate,” my father spats.

“Inappropriate? There’s nothing inappropriate about this,” I defend myself, careful not to raise my voice.

“She’s your stepsister, son,” my father pleads for my understanding.

“Technically, yes, but we didn’t grow up together. We’re not related by blood. We haven’t bonded through some shared family unit. We were strangers. We met, we were attracted to each other, and we decided to pursue a relationship. Just as you and Emma did.”

“You’re practically twice her age, Rowan. You’re taking advantage of my daughter,” Emma retorts.

“No, mom. He isn’t. I’m not some emotional child. I’ve done a very good job of keeping men from taking advantage of me,” Ricki tells her. She’s clenching her fists, and I know it takes a lot for her to stand up to Emma.

“We’re not here so you can toss insults and accusations, but if that’s what it will take for you to get it out of your system, please continue. Just know it isn’t going to change anything between us. It might, however, change things between us and you,” I add.

“Are you threatening to take my daughter away from me?” Emma gasps, her hand dramatically flying to her chest.

“No, I’m advising you that your behavior might cause a rift between you. That has nothing to do with me,” I explain.

“I’m sure you can understand that this comes as a bit of a shock to us. How about we just have a nice lunch and continue this conversation once we’ve had some time to digest this information?” my father, the perpetual peacekeeper, says.

“I think that’s a great idea,” I confirm. “Emma? Can you do that?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she scoffs.

“It means that I don’t appreciate the side-eyed looks and disgusted body language.”

Ricki reaches under the table and squeezes my thigh. She doesn’t want this situation between her mother and me to escalate, so I decide to back down for her sake.

“I’m sorry, Emma. I understand that this is hard for you to digest. Let’s just eat. I’m buying.”

For the next thirty minutes, the table is silent, but the tension couldn’t be thicker. I keep glancing at Ricki to make sure she’s alright. She focuses on her food but gives me a soft smile when she catches me staring.

We finish our meals and are waiting for the check when Emma asks, “Where exactly do you see this going?”

Ricki wipes her mouth with her napkin and says, “It’s a bit early to have this discussion.”

“I’m in this for the long term,” I interject. “That’s why I insisted that we tell you. If I thought it was just a fling, you wouldn’t need to know.”

Emma nods her head and signals to my father that she’s had enough. They say their goodbyes and get up to leave. Surprisingly, Emma stops beside Ricki and holds her arms out to her. Ricki rises and hugs her mother who whispers, “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Ricki looks into her eyes and says, “I do.”

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