Page 85 of Fierce-Hyde

She grabbed his hand and threaded their fingers together. “It’s fine,” she said. “We have to be able to joke like this without upsetting each other. We are good.”

He let out a breath. “Thank God. For a second I thought I could do it too without alcohol.”

They’d been sitting in the parking lot talking and he shut his car off for them to get out.

“Do you think your parents are here already?”

“That’s their car,” he said, pointing to the black SUV a few over. “They probably picked up CeeCee since it’s on the way.”

They walked to the door and Hyde pulled it open for her and held it.

“See,” she said. “Manners.”

He smiled and put his hand on her lower back to walk them in.

“Person,” he said. “We are meeting people.”

The hostess looked down at the screen in front of her. “Right this way.”

They walked to the back and saw Hyde’s parents right away. His sister was very similar in appearance, even down to the bright blue eyes. Which they got from their father. His mother had darker blue eyes by the looks of it.

She’d gotten her light brown eyes from her father too. Her mother had dark blue eyes.

He pulled a chair out for her next to his. His mother and sister were across from them and his father at the end.

“Mom, Dad, this is Tori Miller. Tori, my mother, Brenda, father, Rodney, and sister, CeeCee.”

She leaned over and shook hands with everyone. “It’s nice to meet you all. How are you doing, CeeCee?”

“Great,” CeeCee said. “I’m back to work and going about my life mostly. I won’t be doing any more back bends or half my yoga poses for a long time or maybe never, but there are worse things in life.”

“That’s right,” Brenda said. “It’s going to be a long road, but you’ve got the right attitude.”

The server came over to get their drink orders, everyone getting something alcoholic but CeeCee.

“I want a glass of wine,” CeeCee said, “but I took a pain pill so that is a no-no.”

Hyde frowned. “You’re still taking them? Shouldn’t you be done now?”

CeeCee squinted one eye at him. “Don’t worry about me. I don’t take them daily. I haven’t had one in almost two weeks. I only took one this afternoon because I pushed myself in PT.”

Tori watched Hyde staring his sister down, then looking at his mother. “Is that true?”

“I don’t know,” Brenda said. “I have to take your sister’s word for it and I trust her.”

“Yeah,” CeeCee said. “It’s not like I’m getting drunk every night or going to work hungover.”

Tori was surprised this was being brought up. “Yep and it messed up my life,” he said. “Not anymore. I’ve got someone keeping me in line.”

“Speaking of that,” CeeCee said. “We know Hyde messed up, but he shouldn’t have to work to the bone to make up for it either. How do you feel about that?”

“CeeCee,” Rodney said. “You’re pushing it.”

“It needs to be said,” CeeCee said. “What’s the big deal? I’m just asking. It’s not like Hyde didn’t put his foot in his mouth multiple times.”

Tori looked at him and then answered. “He did. So did I. I think we are both putting the same amount of effort into thingsnow. Did he do more than me in the beginning? Sure,” she said. “He did. He wanted to give this a try and I needed some convincing. I’d think a lot of women would have felt the same way at my age.”

“I agree with Tori,” Brenda said. “My daughter is being loyal and I understand that. But she’s also one-sided. At your age, if you are looking to maybe settle down in the future, you don’t want to waste your time on someone you are already butting heads with and move on. There is nothing wrong with that. Hyde should feel lucky he was given another chance.”

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