Page 68 of Angel In Armani

“That’s okay, I—” Liza continued in a rush.

“No, Mom, it’s fine. I’ll come. Only, do you mind if I bring a … friend?” She tilted her head at Lucas, and he just nodded. Apparently a surprise meeting with his secret lover’s parents wasn’t enough to throw Dr. Gorgeous. Which made sense, given he wasn’t the one who wanted to keep them a secret.

“A friend? Honey, you didn’t tell me you were seeing someone. That’s wonderful. Of course he can come. It’ll be ready in about an hour. Bring Dougal, too. And … what is your friend’s name?”

Sara bit back the groan that rose in her throat. “Lucas. His name is Lucas, Mom.” Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. After all, her parents didn’t exactly run in the same circles as Alex and Mal, and they didn’t have anything to do with the Saints. Even if they knew about her and Lucas, keeping it quiet at work should still be doable.

“I always liked that name,” Liza said. “So we’ll see you and Lucas around seven?”

She hoped. “Sure, Mom, see you then. Love you.” She waited until her mom hung up and then turned back to Lucas.

“So, I guess you heard that.”

“I got the gist.”

“And you don’t mind?”

“Meeting your parents. No, of course not. I’ll cook you dinner tomorrow night.”

“My mom’s making lasagna. It’s pretty good.” She smiled at him. “Though maybe not as good as your mom’s.”

“Trust me, I’ve never had lasagna that my mom made from scratch.”

“You haven’t?”

“My mom leaves the cooking to the housekeeper,” Lucas said.

Right. She’d forgotten how he’d grown up for a moment. “Well, in that case, you’re going to love it.” She stopped. “You know, it’s okay if you don’t want to come.”

Chapter Fifteen

“Why would I not want to eat your mom’s lasagna?” Lucas asked, wondering why she looked worried.

Sara’s face didn’t relax even though she shot him something he thought was supposed to be a smile.

“Is there something wrong?”

She shrugged, mouth twisting. “I’m not sure. Mom sounded … tense. I think maybe Dad’s having a bad day.”

“His leg?”

“Yes. I think it hurts him more than he lets on. And he doesn’t seem to be progressing like he did at first.”

“Sometimes things are never quite the same,” Lucas said. “Surgery isn’t perfect. Sometimes there’s just too much damage.”

“Or maybe his doctors are screwing up,” Sara said. She hesitated. “I know I don’t have the right to ask you this, but do you think you could talk to him? He might listen to you, you’re a surgeon.”

A surgeon who was sleeping with his daughter. If Sean Charles was anything like the fathers of most of the women he’d dated, then taking Lucas’s advice about medical issues on first meeting wasn’t necessarily likely to happen. “Let’s see what happens.”

Sara’s face fell. He walked over and pulled her close. “I didn’t mean I won’t talk to him, just that tonight might not be the perfect time. I mean, they didn’t even know I existed until a few minutes ago, did they?”

“No.” Her voice was somewhat muffled against his chest. “You’re right. I’m just worried about him. It’ll kill him if he never flies again. He needs two good legs to fly.”

“It’ll be okay,” he said. He wanted to make it okay. Wanted to chase that fear out of her voice. And the ferocity of that emotion startled him. He thought he’d been keeping himself back a little. Trying to play it smart, given that she didn’t seem to be sure about him.

But apparently she’d wriggled her way into his heart deeper than he thought.

And breathing in the smell of her hair as she held on to him, he couldn’t bring himself to feel too upset about that.

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