Page 84 of Fierce-Hyde

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THAT HARD CONVERSATION

Amonth later, Hyde was pulling into the restaurant where they were meeting his parents and sister.

It’d been a while since Tori had met anyone’s family she was dating. And never anything formal. More like they were all out at a party or something.

She supposed meeting for dinner was better than going to their house where she’d felt there could be no time limit on anything.

“Why are you nervous?” he asked.

“What?” she asked.

“Your leg is shaking in the car. You’re nervous. Why is that?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “I’m meeting my boyfriend’s parents and sister. The sister who is going to give me crap, I know it.”

He’d told her that his parents knew the history of their relationship.

The insults that started it. Then the snapping that followed. The fights and the dates, then the misunderstandings afterward.

She’d have to admit after the first time they’d had sex and had that hard conversation, things had been pretty much smooth sailing.

She was more comfortable where they were, which was faster than a chicken pecking for food, but slower than a deer crossing the road with headlights coming.

It was right for them... all things considered.

This was the next logical step since Hyde was close to his family and they’d technically known each other for four months. If you count their first meeting.

She hadn’t decided if she was or not.

But they’d been dating for close to three...somewhat.

Not really a way to put a timeline on anything and she refused to say their relationship was off and on.

Complicated in the beginning was the better term in her mind.

Hyde laughed in the car. “She most likely will give you a hard time. Not sure it’s going to be crap, but there will be some comments thrown in. She’s as protective of me as I am of her.”

“Which I find very sweet,” she said.

Not that she had that from anyone as a child.

Even now, Raina was the closest thing she had to a sibling that was protective of her.

“You won’t when we are done,” he said, smirking.

“Not funny, Hyde. You’re making it worse.”

He laughed. “Sorry. My parents will be great. My mother has wanted to meet you for a long time. You’ll like her. She loved the fact that you’ve given me crap about my phone and even my manners.”

“You actually have great manners,” she said. “At least from what I can see. It’s only when you’re drinking or not acting yourself, that you put your foot in your mouth.”

“You don’t even need alcohol to do it,” he said, poking her in the side.

“Yeah,” she said. “Pretty sad. But that isn’t like me.”

“Sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have said that. I don’t want us to get in a bad headspace and I might have just done it.”

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