Page 96 of His Curvy Distraction

I didn’t have time to dissect it before I heard my name in the crowd.

“Natalie! Natalie!”

“Mom?” I turned in Omar’s arms and found my mom leading my dad through the wall-to-wall crowd of people.

Mom waved. “Natalie!”

“Mom!”

Omar released me, letting me hug my parents.

“What are you guys doing here?” I asked them.

“Amelia told me about it,” Mom said. “She was surprised you didn’t. Why didn’t you tell us? We wanted to be here to support you.”

“I didn’t want to make you feel like you had to come. You didn’t have to come.”

“We wanted to, Natalie. You were great up there. Always knew you had it in you,” Dad said.

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Bet you showed that jerk you had a date with last month how wrong he was about you, too. No one’s too good for my girl,” Dad continued.

My cheeks burned at his words, especially when I felt Omar behind me and knew he not only heard what Dad said, but completely understood he was the jerk in question.

“Um, yeah. Anyway, Mom, Dad, this is Omar,” I said.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Mayor,” Mom said. “We’re happy to hear you’re running this fall. Excited to support you.”

“As long as you’re good to our girl.” Dad crossed his arms and looked Omar up and down. “Are you?”

Omar shook Mom’s hand, then let Dad appraise him. “I am doing my best, Mr. Edwards.”

“Is your best good enough?” Dad asked.

“Dad!” I hissed.

Dad raised his brows at me. “I don’t care how old you are, I’m still your father, and I’m going to make sure any man who kisses you the way he did is holding up his side of things. There’s more to life than what happens between the sheets.”

“Oh my God. Dad!”

Omar chuckled, his body shaking with humor. “I agree, sir. I’m divorced, but my first marriage was not a good one. I’m not going to make the same mistakes I made then. But I do intend to keep seeing Natalie for as long as she wants to date me.”

Dad leveled me with a look, one I knew meant he was waiting for me to answer.

“Dad, we’re fine.”

Dad nodded, then jerked his chin at Omar. “I’m watching you, Mr. Mayor. And if I find out you hurt my baby girl, we’re going to have a very different conversation than this one.”

“Da-ad!”

Omar just nodded. “I’d expect nothing less, Mr. Edwards.”

“Dean, leave the mayor alone,” Mom said. “This is a party. Get me a drink.”

Dad kissed Mom’s cheek, then left to get her a drink, leaving a withering stare behind for Omar.

“Don’t mind him,” Mom said. “He’s harmless.”

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