CHAPTER 21
SIERRA
“I still think this is a bad idea. A very, very bad idea,” I moaned as I shadowed behind Matty like I was his assistant and he was my demanding boss.
“Sierra, I told you. I’m not backing away from this,” he said, setting up the table in deep calmness like there wasn’t a tsunami warning to thrash us in five minutes.
“This is going to be so much fun.” Raphy smirked, his eyes bouncing between us. “God, big man, please tell me you ordered some popcorn.”
Matty ignored him and continued with his task.
I slid a sharp glance toward Raphy before popping in front of Matty. “Pretty please,” I said, adding saccharine to my voice as I batted my lashes. “We can just have the food. You don’t need to tell them everything.”
My parents were coming over for lunch.
Why? Because Matty decided it was a great idea to invite them over to ask for their permission.
“You’re so fucking gorgeous, firecracker,” he mumbled with a shake of his head.
I smiled.
He leaned in, his eyes light with amusement. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to listen to you.”
“Oh, come on,” I groaned, giving up as I collapsed into a chair.
“You guys are disgusting to watch, by the way.” Raphy wrinkled his nose. “I can’t believe you got him to date you, Si. I didn’t know my sister was that intelligent or… pretty.”
I didn’t even bother countering him with a comeback because dread unlike anything was swimming in my gut.
The past six days had been nothing but sweet agony.
Matty respectfully kept his distance, saying nothing romantic would happen between us till he got the green light from my parents.
It felt like I’d done something right for the first time in my life. I found myself a man I was not only obsessed with but also knew would treat me like a princess.
Yet my situation was anything but spectacular.
He was cool about the whole thing because he didn’t really know my parents.
I was either going to be dragged back to Iona or subjected to an embarrassing interrogation by my mom.
I didn’t want Matty to witness that. I didn’t want my potential lover to see how it only took one instant for my mom to make me feel like a little child again.
Just then, a buzz slithered through the air, crackling up coiled tension twisting my insides.
“Must be them,” Matty said, gesturing to us.
Matty walked out of the dining room while Raphy and I slumped behind.
“I’m telling you, this might as well be the last time you see me,” I warned, trying one last time to persuade him.
But the determined look on his face didn’t fade as he opened the door.
Fine, let’s have it your way.
I took a deep, calming breath and got myself ready for what I predicted would be an absolute shit show.
Dad entered first, a smile on his lips revealing the creases in the corners of his eyes.
Emotion tugged my heart when those soft brown eyes met mine first. “Hey, kiddo.”
“Dad,” I choked, hugging him tight. “I missed you so much.” And I did. I’d never been away from my family for this long, and I missed Dad the most.
“Ah, let me look at my girl,” he said warmly, cupping my cheeks. “Is it my eyes? Or has my daughter gotten more beautiful?”
“Dad.” I blushed. “I’m still the same.”
He chuckled, stepping away as he nodded to Matty. “Thank you for inviting us over, son.”
“It’s my pleasure, Jen. Please come in.”
I gaped, son? Just how close was Matty to my parents?
Maybe I should trust Matty on this.
“Sierra.” Mom’s shrill voice jerked my attention toward her.
She stood by the doorway, dressed in a silky purple shift dress, her thick black hair twisted into a knot, her face artistically done with the right amount of makeup that left her skin glowing in all the right places.
“Hey, Mom,” I mumbled, pulling the edge of my hoodie.
“I hoped you’d dress more like a lady for the occasion, Sierra,” she berated, eyeing me up and down with a slight frown on her face.
A flare of heat curled my chest, and a mortified flush crept up my cheeks.
Not even a hi or hello. She went straight to the way I was dressed.
“Sorry, Ma…”
My words were cut off by a strong, resounding tone. “I think Sierra’s dressed fine. It’s just a casual meeting, Victoria,” Matty assured, nodding to her.
For the first time in my life, someone defended me, and for the first time in my life, I saw something akin to embarrassment coat my mother’s dark brown eyes.
“It’s good to meet you again, ma’am.” Matty stepped forward, offering her his hand. Ever the gentleman.
“Ah, yes, Mr. Evans.” She gave him a courteous smile, shaking his hand.
“Please, call me Matt.”
She nodded, lifting the packed bag she held. “I bought some egg tarts and braised chicken.”
“I’ll take it.” I stepped in and took it out of her hands, wanting to do something to keep myself busy.
`Soon, we all sat in the living room, chatting like normal people while sipping lavender tea, which I offered to make because I didn’t want to linger an unnecessary second in this room.
“This is a nice place you got here, Matty. Some view, I must say,” Dad acknowledged, eyeing the floor-to-ceiling windows and the posh interiors. “I hope my children have been behaving well.”
“They’ve been a joy,” Matty said.
“Oh, come on, Dad. You know how amazing it is to live with me,” Raphy added his two cents because he just couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
I wrung my fingers inside the pockets of my hoodie, squirming in my seat. I wanted to sit somewhere else, but Matty insisted I sit next to him, which was only making my heart lurch up to my throat.
“How’s your music coming along, Raphael?” Mom questioned Raphy, her eyes sliding to him. Her back was pin-straight as she took slow, measured sips of her tea.
“Good, Mom. It’s coming along perfectly. I can’t wait for you all to hear some of it. I played Si some, and she approved. Right, Si?” Raphy replied, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
“Yes, he was great. It sounded incredible,” I offered, flashing Raphy a soft smile.
He put his heart and soul into this project, and I could hear that in his music, but it wasn’t just that. There was a flare of Matty’s touch in the composition, and it came out brilliantly.
I loved it.
“That’s good,” Mom said in her even-toned voice. “But I hope you know you start school in a month, Raphael. I get that you want to be a musician, but I want you to complete your studies.”
“Yes, Ma,” he replied with a look that said he was stifling the urge to roll his eyes.
“And you, Sierra, how are your classes coming along? Did you get familiar with the curriculum?” She directed her next line of questions to me.
“Yes, absolutely,” I blurted. “The professors have been so amazing and friendly, and the campus is so beautiful. Mom, I can’t wait to make more friends and live in the city,” I said with a shaky smile, cursing myself for my insistent need to ramble whenever I lied.
“Good. I hope you know how serious this profession is, Sierra. It would be better if you concentrate from the start.”
A lump stuck in my throat, and I just nodded.
Matty’s eyes caught mine, and they held such softness in them that it almost melted my insides.
I smiled, grateful.
Looking into his eyes, I felt hope.
Hope for the first time in my life that I could get through this and accomplish my dreams.
A beat of comfortable silence passed before Matty cleared his throat. “I know I invited you to visit Sierra and Raphy. But there’s one other thing.”
Every bone in my body stiffened, and panic sliced through my chest.
Dad frowned. “And what would that be, son?”
“In these past few weeks, I’d grown a liking to Sierra…” Matty started in a steady tone, leaning forward as he regarded my parents, not losing his composure.
The easy expression on Dad’s face dropped, and his gaze narrowed. “What do you mean, Mr. Evans?” he asked, his tone strained.
Mom’s eyes clipped to me, laced with accusation. Like I’d just committed the biggest crime of liking a man I wasn’t supposed to.
I want a beam to open through the roof and teleport me somewhere else.
Anywhere other than here.
The silence in the room thundered so loudly that it could crack through the walls.
“What I mean is, I like Sierra.” He looked them square in the eye. “In a romantic way, and I wish to date her. And before you say anything, I just want you to know that it isn’t some momentary infatuation, and I don’t take decisions like this lightly. I really do like Sierra.” His voice softened as his eyes flickered to me gently before bouncing back to them. “I’m taken by her kind heart, her beautiful eyes, and her spirited soul. I won’t date her without your permission. I know she’s still young, but I promise to treat her with nothing but respect, and I will take good care of her.”
No one said a word as he finished.
I blinked as the tension in the room swallowed me over like a dark cloud.
“Sierra.” Mom’s piercing voice cut through the tension as she pinned me with a hard glare. “I sent you here to study. Not…not try to entice Mr. Evans with your ridiculous charms. What were you thinking? How could you embarrass me like that?” she chided, waving a furious hand.
Hurt cut my heart open, and a biting sting burned the back of my eyes.
Was that what Mom thought of me?
That I would do something like that?
“Victoria.” Matty’s voice boomed through the room like the sharp stabs of a knife. “I’d appreciate it if you don’t think of your daughter that way.”
A flush crept through my mother’s cheek as she averted her gaze. “But Mr. Evans…”
Dad held a hand that halted her mid-sentence. He shot her a sharp glance. “Vicky, you know better than to speak about our girl like that. Matt is right.” He huffed out a heavy breath before turning his attention to Matty. “Look, Mr. Evans, this is the last thing I expected when you invited us over. I honestly don’t know what to make of it. Sierra… kiddo, is this something you want?”
I swallowed the clog down my throat and tried to steel my spine. “Yes, Dad. I really like him, and I want this. He knows how much I value you guys and wouldn’t even start dating me without your permission. I know I would never find another man who treats me with such care and respect, and I never will. And Mom, it saddens me to know that’s all you would think of me.” My voice cracked as I locked my eyes with her. “I’m not like that.”
In an instant, her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she rushed to my side, holding me close. “Of course not, my baby.” She softly patted my head as I buried my face in her chest. “I just don’t want my daughter to get her heart broken and hurt. I always want you to be happy, Sierra.”
I nodded, my nose curving along her soft dress as I breathed in her jasmine scent.
I hated her at that moment, but then I still loved her more than life.
“Sorry about that, Matt,” Mom said softly as she pulled away from me, not before planting a quick kiss on the top of my head. “I didn’t mean to be rude and ruin the moment.”
He gave her a nod before sliding his eyes to me. “You okay?” he asked, his voice laced with concern.
“Yeah,” I replied with a small smile.
I was okay. It was almost a daily occurrence in the Chan family for Mom and me to have a disagreement and then patch things up. But then I wondered how much of it I could take before I broke?
“I appreciate you asking me permission before you date my daughter, son, and respecting our family values. In this day and age, that is rare,” Dad said, the hardness in his face replaced with a tender look as he peered at me. “I trust Sierra to make the right decision when it comes to her love life. No man in the world is good enough for my daughter, but if I had to choose anyone, it would be you, Matty. I give you my permission to date my daughter.”
“Thank you, sir. I will take good care of her,” Matty said in such an earnest tone that the hairs on my arm stood straight.
We were living in two thousand twenty-five, and here I was with my parents, while the man I liked asked their permission to date me. I wonder if he would write a full-blown contract when he wanted to marry me.
My eyes widened. I was only freaking eighteen, and Matty and I hadn’t even started dating, so I’d leave that little thought for another day—a day far, far in the future.
I knew how traditional and old-school my parents were, and I knew how much they appreciated him asking their permission and doing the right thing rather than taking advantage of the girl under his roof. In such a short time, Matty figured them out well. He was earning an extra space in our little family without even trying so hard.
But then that was who Matty Evans was, right?
Even a red freaking marker wouldn’t work if someone were to write something bad about him.
I didn’t know him for long, but his silent presence and tiny gestures felt like he melted my heart and molded it back into a shape that would fit only in his palms.
Without a doubt, I knew for sure my heart would be safer in his hands than at home in my rib cage.
“I agree, too,” Mom told us after a moment. “I think you would treat my daughter well, but I’d like to wait and see you prove yourself. Sierra hasn’t dated anyone serious before, and this would be her first relationship, so I suggest you both take the time to figure it out. And Sierra is still young, so I don’t want her to lose focus on her academics.”
Before Matty could give her a false promise, I jumped in. “Yes, Mom. I will work hard. I promise.”
She smiled, nodding.
“Okay, are you guys done with all the serious talk? Because I’m so hungry, and you guys are boring me,” Raphy muttered, which earned him a sharp glare from Mom.
But thankfully, the heavy conversation was put to rest as they wound down to the dining room while Matty and I threaded to the kitchen to bring in the food.
A sudden, tense energy shifted between us when our eyes met just as we entered the kitchen. A space too small for him and me. A blush sneaked its way up my cheeks as I averted my gaze.
But a strong grip circled my wrist, tugging me toward his massive form as he lifted my eyes to him. “Don’t tell me you’re all shy now? We haven’t even started yet, firecracker.”
The burn in my cheeks intensified. “It’s just so new to me,” I mumbled. “Like you don’t understand… To be with Matty Evans is like something out of my wildest dreams, and I’m living it. That doesn’t ever happen to girls like me. When was it?” I asked in a low whisper. “When was it that made you start thinking of me differently?”
“I think from the moment I laid eyes on you.”
I suppressed the feelings that climbed up my heart. “Though I’m not usually you’re type. I just imagined you’d like someone more…stiffer?”
He shook his head with a faint smile. “I don’t particularly have a type, but if I did, it would be you.” His finger grazed slowly along the side of my neck, just over my rising pulse. “Everything about you turns me into a man I don’t recognize. For better or for worse, you’re going to ruin me for the rest of my life, Sierra, but I would gladly let you.”
With that, he closed his lips over mine in the softest possible way.
It was brief yet sweet, like a slow, heavy drug seeping into my veins.
He tasted like caramel and heaven.
The taste I wanted on my lips for the rest of my life.