Page 33 of Marry Me…Maybe?
Theo frowned, riled on Emily’s behalf to hear her spoken to like that. She might be a little wild, according to the reports he’dread about her in the press, but she wasn’t a marriage-wrecker or a gold-digger.
‘What I choose to do with my life has absolutely nothing to do with you,’ she replied, her voice now shaking with anger.
Lula’s father took a step towards Emily. ‘It affects me when it’s my daughter you’re leading astray.’
He leaned in closer to her, but Theo was pleased to see she steadfastly refused to move, her expression remaining defiant.
‘At least I’m here, celebrating with my family. Where are your family, Emily? From what I’ve heard they don’t even acknowledge you. Your father certainly doesn’t have a good word to say about you.’
‘Leave my family out of this,’ she said quietly, her tone edged with steel.
‘Why should I? You seem quite happy to muscle into mine.’
‘I’m not muscling in. Lula chose me to be her bridesmaid. I think you’ll find I’m more like family to her than you are.’
Lula’s father let out a sharp bark of laughter. ‘If you were part of my family, I’d be ashamed to admit it to anyone.’
Before Theo could react, Emily marched right up to Lula’s father until she was almost nose to nose with him. ‘You’re a pathetic excuse for a father,’ she spat into his face, sending the man reeling back in shock. ‘And don’t you ever speak to me like that again!’ she said, more quietly this time, her voice wobbling with emotion and her eyes glistening with angry tears.
Something twisted hard in Theo’s gut and he stepped forward and put a hand on her arm, guiding her behind him as Lula’s father turned on her with balled fists and an expression of pure rage on his face.
‘You little b?—’
‘I think it’s time for you to leave the room,’ Theo said forcefully to the man, acutely aware of Emily trembling under his grip.
Lula’s father let out a disgusted snort and without another word strode out of the kitchen, his tense shoulder banging against Theo’s in his haste to leave.
‘You’re a selfish bastard!’ Emily shouted after him.
Her eyes were blazing with the fire Theo admired so much in her.
She swivelled to face him. ‘What are you doing? I was handling things fine by myself, Theo,’ she said, turning her ire on him now.
‘Yeah, it looked like it,’ he said, shaking his head at her.
‘What do you want?’ she asked, pulling her arm out of his grasp.
‘Not here,’ he said, holding out his hand and waiting till she reluctantly put her own into it. ‘Come on,’ he said, guiding her gently out of the room.
He didn’t know why, but that moment of vulnerability she’d shown right before he’d stepped in had him rattled. It was the first time he’d seen her let her guard down, and against his better judgement it made him want to dig deeper.
‘What? Are you going to tell me off for making a scene in your house now?’ she muttered, dragging her feet as he walked her into the empty library, her bag knocking against his thigh as it swung from her shoulder.
He let go of her so he could shut and lock the door behind them, then turned to face her again.
‘He had it coming, Theo! He’s never been there for Lula and I wasn’t about to let him slope away, thinking it was okay to treat her with so little respect on her wedding day.’
‘I don’t care about that, Emily,’ he said quietly.
She stilled and looked at him with fierce eyes. ‘Then what do you want?’
‘I want to know why you’ve been lying to me about your mother being dead.’
6
All the fight seemed to drain right out of her and her shoulders slumped. ‘Lula told you?’ she asked quietly, her brows drawing together and her chin dropping an inch or two.
‘Accidentally,’ he said, folding his arms.
