Page 97 of His Curvy Distraction

“A father is going to do anything to protect his daughter, Mrs. Edwards. I respect that.”

Mom smiled at Omar. “I like you. Better than the man who sent you running to our house. How long have you two been dating?”

“About a month,” Omar said, holding Mom’s gaze and letting her know the truth.

My entire body flushed hot.

Omar slid an arm around my waist. “The beginning was rocky, with a misunderstanding between us. One I have worked hard to correct. I care a lot about Natalie, Mrs. Edwards. I would do anything to make sure she knows how I feel about her.”

“And how do you feel about her?” Mom asked.

Omar looked at me. His brown eyes twinkled in the dark bar, the depth of them drawing me in. “I love her, Mrs. Edwards,” he said, his gaze locked on mine. “But this is the first time I’ve said those words to her.”

Mom gasped. “Natalie! You have to say something back.”

“I would if you would allow me to,” I said.

Mom inhaled sharply, watching us like we were the only entertainment around.

“You love me?” I asked Omar.

He nodded. “I didn’t intend to tell you like this, but yes, I love you. I have for a while and wasn’t sure how to say it. I think I fell in love with you the night we went for a drive. Maybe when we were trapped at the campground. Or maybe the day you landed on your knees in front of me and nearly castrated me. It doesn’t really matter to me when, just that I love you, Natalie.”

“I love you, too,” I whispered.

“Yeah?” His lips lifted on the edges.

I nodded, pulling him close.

He erased the distance between us and sealed our declaration with a kiss that promised so much more once we were alone. He pulled back long before I was ready for him to, but we had an audience. A large one.

That included my parents.

“Oh, I’m so happy for you, Natalie,” Mom gushed. She cupped my jaw, then hugged me tight. “I’m glad you worked things out.”

“Me, too,” I admitted. I knew one day I would have to tell them the whole story, but not now.

“What happened?” Dad asked, joining us with a drink for Mom and one for himself.

“They’re in love, Dean. He just told her for the first time that he loves her.” Mom took a sip of her drink, then looked at me with wide eyes. “You were the woman in the newspaper article.”

She couldn’t have had that revelation without my father next to her? I nodded, but before I could say anything, Omar jumped in.

“Mr. and Mrs. Edwards, that picture was taken out of context. I was walking down the hallway, coming from the bathroom. Natalie walked out of the women’s restroom, and a man was racing past. He bumped into her and knocked her down. I tried to catch her, but she fell. That’s when the picture was taken.”

Dad looked at me with a glare that bordered on murder. “Is that true?”

I nodded. “Yes, that’s exactly what happened. It was the night of that engagement party I told you guys about.”

“For the hair stylist?” Mom asked.

“Yes, Haley and Knox from Al’s Hardware.”

Dad nodded, knowing who we were talking about.

“I tried to grab onto something and ended up grabbing onto Omar. But he was just trying to help me. He didn’t do anything wrong,” I explained, pleading for them to understand.

“That’s very kind of you to try to help her,” Mom said. “Right, Dean?”

---