Page 18 of Dating the Bad Boy

I turn my attention back to them, my heart racing as I press on. “I’m a twenty-five-year-old woman who has every right to defineher own path. And that includes a relationship with Asa! I know you don’t approve of him, but I don’t fucking care.”

“Well…” my mother stops and clears her throat, “maybe you should bring him by for dinner so we can get to know him.” I blink several times as her words take the wind out of my sails. “And maybe you can show us the real you.”

“Oh…” That’s not what I expected her to say, and I’m not sure how to respond.

“Leslie,” my dad walks over to put his arm around my mother’s shoulders, “we just want you to be happy. That’s all we ever wanted. If you don’t like the same things we do, you should’ve told us.”

“I’m telling you now.” I draw in the first deep breath I’ve taken in forever as the band around my chest loosens. “I love both of you, but I’m not just like you, and a relationship with Asa is what is best for me.”

“If you’re certain he’s what’s best for you.” My mother walks over, and her delicate perfume wraps around me as she hugs me close. “We’ll give him a chance.”

“But if he ever hurts you, I’ll make sure they never find his body,” my dad adds, shocking me.

“Alfred.” My mother glances over and chuckles. “I didn’t know you had it in you.”

“It seems like there’s a lot for our family to learn about each other.” He shrugs.

CHAPTER 7

ASA

“How’d your date go, asshole?”Aidan asks as soon as he answers the phone. The amusement in his voice instantly pisses me off. Or maybe it’s the fact that I haven’t heard from Leslie in hours that has me on edge. Either way, I don’t like it.

I should have gone with her, tried to explain things to her parents. Am I an asshole for letting her handle it alone?

“I think I fucked up.”

“Jesus Christ, Asa,” Aidan groans. “What did you do?”

I scowl at his tone. “Why the fuck do you think I did something?”

“You said you fucked up, idiot. Why else would I think you did something?”

Oh, right. I did say that…

“I didn’t fuck up the date,” I growl. “The date was perfect. But her mother caught us together at breakfast this morning and heard me say… never mind. Doesn’t matter what she heard. The point is that she thinks I’m a degenerate asshole now.”

“You are a degenerate asshole,” my brother says, most un-fucking-helpfully. “And hold on. What do you mean she caught you at breakfast this morning?”

“I told you the date was perfect,” I say, my tone smug because fuck him and the suspicion in his. The date was perfect.

“Well, goddamn,” he says. “Didn’t think you had it in you. I’m almost impressed.”

“Thank you.”

“I said almost, Asa. You still fucked things up this morning,” he reminds me.

“Why the fuck did I call you instead of Caroline?”

“Because you know Caroline will ream your ass harder than I am.”

He has a good point. That is why I called him instead of her. Couldn’t call Jeremy, either. He’d fucking snitch to my sister. I should have called Drake Whitlock for advice.

“You need to apologize for whatever you said and pray she forgives you.”

“She isn’t mad at me. She’s mad at her mom.”

Aidan doesn’t say anything.

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