Page 129 of Rosabel and the Billionaire Beast

Veronica chewed her lip. Instead of looking smug, she, at least, had the decency to look worried.

My jaw full-on dropped. Duncan’s mom knew nothing about me. How could she possibly know why I wanted to be with her grandson? Were they that bitter about my refusal to order her flowers?

“She doesn’t want me for just my money.” Duncan’s voice grew more adamant.

“Obviously, her competency is on the same level as her ability to order flowers.” Beside Grandma, Mrs. Hawthorne staked her hands on the table as if affirming the statements.

I suspected Mrs. Hawthorne was focused on pleasing her mother-in-law. Her reference to me earlier made more sense. She may have known Duncan cared about me, but that hadn’t been enough to be upfront with Veronica or anyone else, for that matter.

But the flower comment? That was low.

It seemed Grandma had a set of standards that no one in her family could manage to meet, and they all danced around to please her.

It made me think of my parents, the way they approved of everything I attempted. Even when I’d joined the dance teamonly to discover that I had as much coordination as a popsicle stick, they’d still been proud of me for trying.

What must life have been like for Duncan growing up and never feeling like he was good enough?

I glanced around for Duncan’s dad. The quiet man had been the only sane person in all of this. Maybe that was why he kept so silent. He was nowhere in sight.

“I have made something of my life, Grandmother,” Duncan said.

He returned to my side and slid his arm around my waist once more. My heart picked up speed at that. He was with me.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed we had more of an audience than I’d originally noticed. Among them, Eudora watched as avidly as everyone else. For some reason, she was shaking her head.

Duncan’s gaze slid to her. He shook his head in return and kept going.

“Rosabel is so much more than my assistant, Grandmother,” he said, elevating his voice.

He’d already told his mom he cared about me on the phone. There was no need to do so here, now, in front of everyone.

I tugged on his lapel. “Don’t do this. You don’t have to.”

His eyes burned. “Yes, I do.”

I wanted to dig in my heels, to make a break for the exit and get lost in the museum’s paths outside. He didn’t owe me this. This was no crusade. He was no knight on a charger saving a maiden from a proverbial dragon. If anything, he was about to rip out the dragon’s teeth and then laugh in its face.

Sheesh. We’d only just started dating, and I was already comparing Duncan’s mother to a dragon.

“I love her,” he pronounced with confidence. “She’s an incredible person, Grandmother, Mother, and if you give her a chance, you’ll come to love her, too.”

Grandma’s lip curled. She lifted a finger at him. “You’re settling. Remember the last time you made such a hasty decision? Horace died of a heart attack. I’d hate to have such a grave result of my actions.”

“I didn’t cause the heart attack.” Duncan’s voice was dangerously low and steeped with emotion.

“And now, you bringherhere when we should be celebrating me? Who is she, Duncan? Who are her parents?”

Thanks to their raised voices, people collected around us the way they gaped at wrecks on the freeway, slowing down to take in every gory detail before zipping past and getting on with their own lives. Men and women leaned together, whispering behind their hands. A few pointed, and several women even had their phones out—recording the scene, no doubt.

Veronica had left the table, though I’d missed the moment when she made her actual departure.

And there was Eudora, looking at the situation with the same grim disappointment.

My heart was a drummer in my chest.

“Her parents are amazing,” Duncan said. “Her father is a student of history, and her mother was a teacher.”

He knew this about Mom? I mentioned Dad being a teacher, but wasn’t sure when I’d told him Mom was, too. But he knew. Having him honor my parents made me stand just a little bit taller.

---