Page 68 of Blitzing Emily

“You keep using that phrase,” she said. “Doesn’t ‘we need to talk’ usually mean bad news?”

She saw him hide a smile while pretending to rub his nose. “Gotcha.” He took a deep breath. “I’m not mad at your dad, because he’s telling the truth. I’d be the same way if it was my daughter.”

Emily shook her head vigorously. “You would not.”

“Oh, yes, I would. My little girl isn’t dating till she’s thirty.” Emily rolled her eyes. Brandon grinned back at her. “No matter how old you are, you’re still his little girl, too. He remembers you with pigtails and no front teeth, sugar. He doesn’t want anyone to hurt you, and he certainly isn’t sure about some guy who ended up engaged to his daughter less than twenty-four hours after they met.” He took a swallow of his pint of beer. “I’ll invite him out to lunch.”

“He’ll tell you no.”

“I think you’ll be surprised.” He pulled the smart phone from his pocket. “May I have your dad’s phone number?”

“I don’t think this is a good idea—”

“I need the number,” he said.

Emily reached out for his phone, keyed the number in, and handed it back to him. “All you have to do is hit ‘Send.’”

Brandon held the phone to his ear.

“Mr. Hamilton, it’s Brandon McKenna. I would like to have lunch with you this week. How does Tuesday sound?” Emily couldn’t hear her dad’s response, but Brandon said, “I’ll meet you at a restaurant by your office. How about the Metropolitan Grill at noon?” After a bit more conversation, Brandon said, “Great. I’ll look forward to it. See you at noon on Tuesday.” He punched a button to end the call.

Emily regarded him in shock. “How did you manage that?”

Brandon raised an eyebrow. “Your dad doesn’t want to lose his daughter. He also wants to know that I’m a man, not a boy.”

“Maybe you could explain that, too.”

“If I don’t have the balls to face him, you shouldn’t be with me. Eat up, sugar, or you won’t get any dessert.”

It sounded like Attack of the Alpha Males. Brandon convinced her father to have lunch with him. Then again, Emily’s dad wouldn’t stage a DEFCON-1 freak-out in one of Seattle’s most exclusive restaurants.

AFTER THEIR MEAL,they walked hand-in-hand to the same bench they always sat on during visits to the park.

“I don’t see Katie today,” Brandon said.

“Maybe her mom and dad took her somewhere else.”

“Could be. But, hey, we need to discuss something else your dad mentioned. My mama wants to know when the wedding is. She says her friends are driving her nuts about it.”

Emily swiveled to look at him in disbelief. “We can’t pick a date.” It was one thing to have a fake engagement. A fake wedding date? Now, that was taking things a bit too far.

“It’s obviously a problem for your dad. Plus, I think we should set a date,” he persisted.

“I thought we said we’d see how things went. I don’t understand why you’re changing the rules.”

“Listen,” he said patiently, “Engaged people typically pick a wedding date. There’s only so long we can avoid it.” He wrapped his arm around the back of the bench and stretched his legs out in front of him. He seemed perfectly relaxed. She was a bundle of emotions: surprised, shocked, and more than a bit scared.

“This is crazy.” Emily said.

“We need a date. Pick one.”

“You’ve decided this is real now.”

His eyes sparkled with amusement. “Maybe.”

The ring on the third finger of Emily’s left hand felt like the weight of the world. Most women waited their whole lives for this moment. Obviously, there was something wrong with her.

Her feelings for him grew every day. He was the first person she ran to now when she wanted to talk or she needed encouragement. Even when they sat on the couch and said nothing to each other, his presence was enough. He made her laugh. She missed him desperately when they were away from each other. Maybe it was shallow, but if they weren’t in public, she’d want to push him down and jump on him. Then again, she wanted to push him down and jump on him anyway.

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