Chapter 20 #2
We glared at each other, the heat between us prepared to explode for an entirely different reason than only hours before.
Where I’d hungered for him to the point of losing my mind, I was now too furious.
Well, that wasn’t entirely true, but the anger was winning out.
“We can’t get married,” he insisted.
“You think? I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last man on Earth.”
“Good!” He looked away before his brows furrowed. “Why?”
“Because neither one of us want to get married.”
“True. I don’t know why I lied to your father other than that he is the most condescending man on this planet.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Are all families this horrible? You’ll need to tell me about yours.”
“Oh, my father can be annoying, but he’d likely grill you on figure skating statistics from fifteen years ago versus grilling you on politics. And my mother would feed you until you exploded.”
“Sounds amazing. Anyway, we’ll just pretend while we’re here. We can leave in about fifteen minutes.”
“Alright. I can handle that. Your father is a piece of work thinking all shifters need to die.”
“He’s assuming there really are shifters. I don’t think he’s ever seen one.”
Danny glanced toward the door, huffing and puffing. “Shifters exist. Trust me.”
“Is there something you’re not telling me, Danny? I mean you know a lot about shifters, which surprises me. If there’s something you need to say, please do so.”
The hard bam on the bathroom door brought the same ugly reaction from the two of us.
“What?” we yelled at the same time. At least Danny managed to throw open the door, his expression one I’d never forget.
As if he would eat the person alive for the interruption.
“Daddy sent me to find you lovebirds,” Delaney cooed, still flirting with my date while she had hers wrapped around her heavy ring finger. I wonder how she’d feel if the diamond suddenly disappeared?
I wondered for myself how I’d feel if she disappeared.
She even had the nerve to blow him a kiss before scampering off.
I was already reaching for her, sadly unable to get around my date.
“Whoa, bad bunny. You can’t kill your sister.”
“How did you know what I was thinking and why not?”
He grinned as he’d done before, only I detected a hint of evil. “Because you and I are a lot alike and because we already spent time with Barney Fife tonight. I really don’t want to do it again.”
“Barney Fife? How old are you?”
His shrug was adorable. I glared at my reflection in the mirror, making a lewd face before pushing him toward the door. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
While my legs were stiff, it certainly wasn’t from the heat that had registered at a thousand degrees. I was angrier than I’d been in my entire life. Maybe I was really finished with allowing my parents to take advantage of me.
Yay me.
We headed to my father’s study, an expansive room full of bookcases and books. Of which he’d likely read none, but he certainly wanted the few guests allowed inside his inner sanctum to believe he had.
We stood in the back, my anger refusing to subside. As the waiter passed with a huge silver tray, I almost swiped two glasses of the expensive cognac for myself. I held back.
For now.
“I really do appreciate everyone being here with Sheila and me tonight. Not only are we celebrating the upcoming marriage of my lovely daughter Delaney to a man who will be president one day, but also of my… other daughter to what appears to be a fine-looking doctor. Of some type. Anyway, that’s not the only reason we’re here. ”
My mother seemed to be beside herself, even clapping her hands.
“This should be big,” I breathed.
“After careful consideration and talking with my lovely wife, tomorrow morning I’m going to announce that I will be running for the governor of this great state. Once I win, and I will, I assure you that my first mandate will be to establish stricter laws affecting shifters of all types.”
When he dared look straight at Danny, I was incensed. I was exhausted from years of my father belittling boys I’d dated, what few there’d been.
“Don’t do it,” Danny whispered again. “If you’re a good bunny, I’ll give you a treat later.”
I couldn’t help myself, throwing him a look, but he was right. My father was doing his best to goad us. We’d wait until his buddies provided the accolades he thought he deserved then we’d leave. And I could finally breathe again.
When the group was finished congratulating him, I moved closer. “Just a steppingstone, Father?”
“To what? I haven’t become governor yet.” Everyone thought he was so funny.
“And what do you hope to achieve by trying to destroy the shifters?”
“I’m not trying to destroy them, Christine.
I just want them to know their place. They’re animals.
That’s it. They shouldn’t be allowed the opportunity to become our teachers and politicians.
God knows I wouldn’t want one being my doctor and especially not doing surgery on me or anyone in my family.
I’m going to protect humans, which includes your soon-to-be husband. ”
All eyes appeared to be on me. I honestly don’t know why I’d bothered coming.
“Well, we need to be going, Dad. Danny has a surgery in the morning so we can’t stay.
Enjoy your party.” I was trying to be polite, ignoring the pangs of anguish and disgust I felt with myself.
I’d managed to guilt Danny into lying about what he did for a living.
I took a sip of my cognac, savoring the rich smooth flavor, but not even two thousand dollars a bottle French cognac could ease my nerves.
Or my anger.
I’d become my parents and it unnerved the hell out of me.
So did the fact the entire group was enjoying themselves and I was more incensed than I’d been in probably my entire life.
That’s why without thinking the consequences through, I opened my mouth and spewed.
“Let me tell you something, Father. You always told me the measure of a man was all about what he had in the bank and what he did for a living. And for the longest time, I believed you. As if there couldn’t be any decent men out there for me.
You led me to believe you actually gave a damn about my welfare, but that was one big fat lie, wasn’t it? ”
The silence was exactly what I was going for. You could hear a pin drop. But of course, my father was too self-righteous to answer.
With Danny shaking his head, I winked and mimed two words, ‘Trust me.’ I spun around, slapping my hands on my hips. “I’m tired of playing your games any longer, Daddy.”
“What are you talking about?” he finally asked, his entire face scrunching together in fake confusion. “What games do you play, daughter? You brought your fiancé home to meet your family. Right? That’s all this is. I just want you to be with a good man, a decent man.”
“Fine, Dad. Do you see that man standing behind me, Dad? How about you, Mother? Danny Wright is an amazing man. He’s kind and thoughtful.
He’s funny and articulate. He makes me laugh and forget about the horrors of this world.
He’s romantic, so much so that he makes me swoon.
Just like I always wanted. He’s the real deal and very good for me.
But here’s the thing. He’s not a surgeon.
He only told you what you wanted to hear because that’s how much he cares about me. ”
“Christine,” Danny said from behind me.
“No, they need to hear this. He’s a Zamboni operator at the TDH Ice Plex where the Tampa Bay Gators practice.” I hesitated to confess the only place where I’d allowed myself to feel peace, but I was finished with hiding from anyone any longer. “And it’s where I go to skate every week.”
“What?” Dad was confounded.
My mother moved to the front. “You can’t skate.”
“Apparently, I can. And it makes me happy. Do you know what else makes me happy? Danny. He was so cute with the machine, trying to skate in rhythm with the Zamboni. And you know why? Because he can’t skate and wanted to meet me.
That’s what a real man does, Dad. He goes out of his way to try and meet the girl. ”
“Christine,” Danny said again, a strange shift in his tone.
“But don’t worry, Dad. I’m not here to ask for my trust fund.
You can give it to Delaney as a wedding present.
Sadly, they’re two people who know nothing about each other and even though I haven’t known Danny for very long, I knew he wouldn’t lie to me.
He’s the one man I can count on, the real deal. Have a good election.”
I felt vindicated and very much alive.
It was the first time I’d truly opened up about my feelings and I was very happy with myself. Even if it had taken far too long to get here.
My father had the audacity to clap, as if this was all a joke. “Well, I’m glad to see you two on the same page. I would hate for your… marriage to get off on the wrong foot. Especially since given my announcement tomorrow, everything about your life and the people in it will be scrutinized.”
“Is that supposed to scare me, Daddy? It doesn’t. I have no skeletons in the closet. I wonder if you can say the same.” Ordinarily my father would get very angry at my lack of respect, but he was smirking.
Why was he smirking?
I slipped my arm through Danny’s, surprised at the expression on his face. I couldn’t wait to meet his family. From what he’d told me, they were very normal. Wait a minute. We weren’t a couple. We were pretending.
“Christine. I need to tell you something,” Danny said with a far more serious tone than I was used to.
“Christine,” my father said from behind me, which I ignored. “You should listen to him.”
“We can talk, Danny, but later. Let’s get out of here first,” I told my handsome date, trying to pull him from the room.
“Do you want to tell her, son, or would you prefer that I do?” My father’s voice held an irked amusement, the sound exactly what I remembered from being a child after I’d misbehaved in some way. “I assure you that it’s going to come out sooner versus later.”
Another toss of my head and that was the moment my sister decided to snap a photograph with her phone. I gave her a Darth Vader stare. What in the hell was going on and why was it that it seemed I was the only person in the room who wasn’t in on it?
Danny shut his eyes. “Like I said. We need to talk.”
“Whoa. What are you trying to do, Father?” I tipped my head over my shoulder, not providing him with the courtesy of turning around.
“While I’m glad you remembered to use my name since you fell into some trouble tonight, I’d surprised you would think Officer Matheson wouldn’t call me.”
Danny sighed.
“Okay, so what?” I was so exhausted from the ridiculous games. “Yes, we stopped on the way at a park and were enjoying ourselves. We’re young. So what?” I couldn’t help myself, turning around so I could provide each one of my family members with a dirty look.
My sister giggled, obviously in on whatever was going on. “So Danny Wright is married and has two beautiful children.”
“So there’s a surgeon by his name. So what?”
“No, Christine. Daniel Wright the Zamboni operator.”
It took me a full five seconds to process what my father had said.
Thankfully, no one dared interrupt the silence.
Not even my evil sister. I couldn’t even feel my legs any longer when I turned around like some spinning top to look Danny in the eyes.
“You’re married.” I wasn’t asking. I was making a statement.
I don’t know what I expected. Maybe total embarrassment or dropping to his knees, blubbering apologies, but I certainly wasn’t getting it.
He cocked his pretty head, scratching his wrinkled brow with his thumbnail. “Uh, no. I’m not married.”
Delaney giggled again.
“Sshhh or I’ll cut your tongue out,” I snapped. “Okay. I’m thoroughly confused.” Maybe I really had consumed too much alcohol. “You’re not married.”
“No. Well, Danny Wright is. Happily so. At least that’s what he told me.”
“You know, I was surprised when you didn’t take the bait a few weeks ago,” my father said.
“What bait?” I turned so I could see both men. “What fucking bait?”
“You were responsible for the tip to the Today Show. Weren’t you?” Danny asked. Wait a minute. Who was the man? My God, his eyes were on fire.
“Yes, son, I was. I thought what a perfect way to show Americans that their adopted prodigal son was a man-eating beast. You see, your father and his buddy the mayor of Chicago are thorns in my side. Now, imagine my surprise and joy in discovering you would be a guest in my house. I cannot tell you how thrilled I was.”
“You bastard,” Danny said, taking a step forward. I moved in front of him, sensing something terrible was going on.
My laugh sounded completely maniacal. “Who are you? What is my father talking about?”
Danny or whatever the hell his name was rubbed his long, corded neck and I figured that was an excellent place to punch him in the throat. I almost did, but if I resorted to violence, I wouldn’t be provided with an explanation and I deserved one.
The silence in the room was now annoying.
“Tell me!”
He looked the other way until I was in his face, my hand fisted and ready to throw a punch. And still, I was attracted to him even after he’d lied to me.
“My name is Steven Masters. I’m a center with the Tampa Bay Gators.”
“A hockey player.” That wasn’t so bad. Not really. “Why would you lie to me?”
“Because you said you hated hockey players for one. Because I wasn’t eager to admit who I was to anyone. I’m on a short leash with the team.”
“I bet you are,” Delaney’s fiancé said under his breath.
“Okay, I’m still confused.” If I didn’t ignore the rest of the crowd, I would lose my ever-loving mind.
My father chuckled from behind me.
“Shut the hell up. Please. Father. What are you hiding?”
My sister in her infinite wisdom decided to howl. While I would normally blow off her attempt at being disruptive or cute, I realized exactly why she was making a primal noise.
“No,” I muttered, taking a long stride away from him.
Steven—the name would take some getting used to—nodded. “Yes. I’m everything your father is terrified of and hates. A wolf.”