Page 61 of Dare to Fall

Everyone’s attention turned back on my mother as she stared at me. A simple nod cued them all to leave us be. As they filed out of her office, I made my way to one of the chairs positioned in front of her desk.

When the last person shut the door, my mother finally spoke.

“Well, this should be interesting,” she said, raising a brow at me. “I’m curious as to how my eldest son would know more about this scandal than me.”

I rolled my eyes and said, “If I tell you, I need you to promise me you won’t throw a fit.”

She crossed her hands and placed them on top of her desk. “What did you do?”

“I didn’tdoanything, Mother,” I sighed.

“Okay. Tell me what you know.”

“I’m only revealing this to you because one of the people involved needs your protection, and I know you’re probably the only person who is able to protect her. She’s already been through enough as it is, and I don’t want her name plastered all over the news.”

My mother tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at me.

“Garth Walker, please don’t tell me you’re involved with a teenage college student.”

Heat rushed to the surface of my skin under her scrutiny.

“No, Mother. I’m not involved with a teenager. She’s twenty-one and more of a woman than anyone else I’ve met. And she needs your help.”

The harsh line of her lips softened as she took me in. “You really care for this girl, don’t you?”

I hesitated a moment, unsure of how much I wanted to reveal.

“Yes, I do,” I finally said.

The harsh planes of my mother’s face softened as she said, “I will do everything in my power to protect her, but in order to do so, I will need to know the whole story.”

A weight I didn’t realize was there lifted off my shoulders. I wanted to do anything I could to protect Eva from this mess. It didn’t matter if she wasn’t talking to me right now. If I could prevent any further harm from her, I would do it.

“The professor is a biostatistics professor. I’m not sure what her name is, but I know it’s a woman. And the student she is having an affair with is a pre-medical student. His name is Connor O’Brien. Apparently, both of his parents are well-known physicians who have settled on the East Coast but spend a lot of time here in Orlando.”

It didn’t take much to put two and two together after Eva’s and my run-in with Connor’s mom and a quick Google search of who his parents were in society.

My mother pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a frustrated sigh. “Does he have blond hair?”

“Yes. And he always wears a polo shirt. Well, at least that’s the only thing I’ve ever seen him wear. He looks like a typical fraternity brother who wastes all his parents’ money on booze.”

“If he is who I think he is, both of his parents have requested meetings with me throughout the years to ensure he is getting the best education possible to set him up for the top-tier medical schools. They’re a giant pain in my ass, and I’m sure dealing with this will be even worse. So how is this girl involved?”

“Well…she’s dating Connor—or at least shewasdating Connor. I’m not quite sure where they stand now, but I know she’s aware that Connor was having an affair.”

“Jesus, Garth. You’re involved with a college-age girl who has a boyfriend? I thought your father and I raised you with better morals than that.”

It was like a punch to the gut. And if I were completely honest with myself, it was another reason why I chose not to kiss Eva. It wasn’t just that kissing her would make things even more confusing or that my pride got in the way. Kissing her while she was dedicated to another man was wrong. And I wouldn’t let my own selfishness fuck with Eva’s moral compass or my own. If kissing her while she was still dating Connor risked her feeling even an ounce of regret or guilt, I wouldn’t have it.

She was worth the wait—even if I had to wait forever.

“Her name is Eva, and nothing ever happened between us, Mother. I would never put her in that kind of position. But I do care for her. Deeply.”

“I can see that.”

There was a knock at the door, and my mother said, “Come in.”

The same blonde woman from earlier walked in and stood next to the chair I was in. She looked back and forth between my mother and me.

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