Page 87 of My Small Town Silver Fox Billionaire

It feels good to finally utter those words. I’m sure they don’t want to see this and would prefer Lily or someone else who’s a part of their clique. But they can deal.

Mom looks over at Sara, eyeing her outfit. “Nice outfit.”

“Thanks. I wanted to wear something special for tonight.”

“I see. I like it,” she compliments.

My father clears his throat, still annoyed by my decisions.

“Dad, I get it. You think that Sara is not the right choice for me, but I won’t sit here and argue with you again.”

Dad rubs his salt and pepper hair, sighing as he looks away.

“It’s not that, it’s—”

“You’re upset that I chose someone else, not part of our income bracket.”

“Well, just a little bit—”

“She’s not going to run off with your money, is she?”

So here it goes. I sit there, affronted by my mom’s words. How dare they assume something like that? But instead ofopening up a major argument, I stifle back a laugh and shake my head.

“No, she’s not,” I insist. “In fact, she hasn’t even asked me for a Rebecca of her own since we started dating.” I look at Sara apologetically.

“I see,” my father utters. He totally doesn’t get my joke, but, oh well.

The server returns to take our food orders, again reducing the tension for a bit. I reach for Sara’s hand and grip it.

“I’m sorry,” I mouth to her. She shakes it off, smiling. At least one of us is dealing with this well.

As the server leaves, my father looks over at Sara curiously. “What about you, Sara? Do you want to be here?” he asks, almost pointedly.

She nods, smiling. “Yes, I do,” she admits. “I do want this. In fact, if it weren’t for Robert’s pursuit, I don’t think I ever would have dated him.”

He nods slowly.

“I see.”

“No, I don’t think you understand at all, Mr. Harrington.” Sara cuts in. “When I say Robert’s pursuit, I’m not talking about him making money. I’m talking about all the kindnesses he pays to both friends and strangers.”

“Dad, really,” I reply, holding Sara against me. She smells like strawberries and cherries, and I indulge in the scent. I smile, something that still feels foreign, but it’s right here. “I am happy. This is the first time I’ve truly felt happy.”

“But what about the future—”

“You’re one to talk, Dad.”

My father stiffens the second he hears that. Bingo. I knew those words would be ammo one day, and I just had to wait for the right time.

“Robert, that was a long time—”

“And you, as well, married out of love. You loved Mom despite her being a club dancer. Your parents hated it, but you still pursued her, didn’t you?”

He looks away, caught in his own mess.

“Sure, but—”

“So, you’ve got no room to talk. You two married based on love. None of the family showed up, but you still did it. That said, I think we all know what to do here.”

---