Page 16 of Wrong Number, Right Silver Fox
She has a small smile on her face, but it doesn't reach her eyes, and that worries me.
"Don't make promises you can't keep. Plus, you don't know my father. He's a ballbuster if you ever met one."
"I want to meet him. I want to ask for your hand in marriage."
Her eyes widen, but she steadies herself. "We can go meet my parents tomorrow. No talk of marriage, though. Not yet."
I get up and walk over to where she's sitting. Pulling her off her seat, I wrap my arms around her and look deeply into her eyes.
"My life will be complete when I can call you my wife."
"Be careful what you wish for, my savage."
I reach into my pocket and turn on the playlist I made during the weeks I was daydreaming about her. The first song is the most on point: “Lose Control" by Teddy Swims. This woman is that for me. She tears all my walls down and leaves me completely vulnerable at her feet.
I don't mind, though, and we dance to the song, holding on to each other, knowing that we've got something precious between us.
Later, when I make love to her, I make sure she knows I will always take care of her.
Chapter 9
Emily
Icalled my parents early today to see if we could have brunch together. I told them I had a surprise for them. Mom seemed excited, but Dad, not so much. He hates surprises, and I'm not sure a forty-five-year-old man dating his twenty-four-year-old daughter will be a good surprise.
Jack seems certain this is the right thing to do. Things are moving fast, and that is a little bit scary for me. I've never really brought a boy home. I've never gotten serious enough with someone to take that step, which is why I'm kind of freaking out.
Okay I'm totally freaking out, but I can't say no to Jack. He seems so eager to do this. I swear he wants to shout outloud to the skies the fact that we're together. He's become very possessive of me, and I like it.
I look at myself in the mirror. I've chosen clothes that make me feel safe—jeans and a fancy, comfortable shirt—my go-to outfit when I'm nervous. When I hear Jack's car arrive, I head out of the house without waiting for him to come get me.
I give him a quick kiss and get inside the passenger seat of the car. He eyes me carefully and then gives me a warm smile.
"It's going to be okay, Emily."
"It's a big step for me."
"It's important to me that your family knows we're together and that we're serious about each other."
"Okay."
When he takes off towards my parents' house, I do some deep breathing to calm myself down. Why am I so scared? My feelings for Jack are real, and they run deep. The way we met is tricky, and I've told him not to mention that to them.
I'm so deep in my thoughts that I don't notice when we stop until Jack puts his hand on my shoulder and gently squeezes it.
"We're here," he says softly.
"Already?"
I start to panic again, but Jack holds my chin in his hand and we make eye contact.
"I love you."
Not able to say the words just yet, I put my arms around him and hold him tight for the longest time. I'm trying to think of ways to convince him to do this later when someone taps into the driver's seat window.
It's my mom, and she seems cheery enough until she gets a good look at Jack. Then she's frowning. Jack gets out of the car and shakes her hand.
"Oh my, you're definitely a surprise."
