Page 85 of The Proposal Pact
A moment later she reappears. “Let’s go to your parents’ place before you do something else nice to make me cry again.”
I laugh at her angry tone, as if it’s really my fault she had to cry. “I wouldn’t dare.”
23
Sophie
“Half the game is mental; the other half is being mental.” – Jim McKenny
Idon’t like my fake husband. I don’t like my fake husband. I don’t like my fake husband. Nope, I don’t…because I think I’m falling in love with him instead.
24
Callum
“I knew it the very first time I touched her. It was like coming home.” – Sleepless in Seattle
“That’s your home?” Sophie asks, her face pressed against the window like an excited child as we drive up.
“That’s where I grew up, yes.” I park in the cobbled driveway off to the side of the house.
“Clover! It’s beautiful,” she proclaims, and I peek over her at the whimsical two-story house that is nearly all swallowed up by flowers and…fucking mint.
“Uh-huh. Sure.” I get out of the car, opening the door for Sophie.
“And look at all that mint! I love mint!”
“Oh, I’m aware,” I mumble to myself, but Sophie seems to be too excited to hear me anyway. Or maybe she’snervous?
She must’ve asked me at least seven times if she looked okay and if the baklava she made would be a good choice to bring to dinner. And now she’s rambling about my childhood home.
“Sophie?”
“Does your mom take care of the garden all by herself? That’s a lot of herbs and vegetables, wait, I have no idea if those things are vegetables. Are they vegetables?” She looks around.
“Little menace!” I shout and she finally stops, turning around to face me with that bottom lip in between her teeth. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” she answers too fast and when I quirk an eyebrow, silently telling her I’m not buying what she’s selling, she sighs. “What if they hate me?”
My lips almost twitch with amusement. Almost. “They won’t, trust me. But even if they do, it doesn’t really matter, does it?”
“Of course, it matters!” Sophie proclaims, seeming so distressed I have to wonder if this is the same woman that I’ve married.
“Sophie.” I take a step toward her, cupping her face with my hands. “Stop freaking out. This isn’t you.”
“Oh, yes, it is,” she snorts. “It’s a deep ugly part of me that I’ve been trying to root out. But it’s me, Clover. I know she’s not as pleasant to deal with.”
“Hey.” I lift her face up to mine. “There’s no part of you—none—that is unpleasant, okay? You’re perfect.”
She sucks in a sharp breath. “Are you trying to make me cry again?”
“What have I done now?”
“You said a nice thing to me.” She sniffles.
“Jesus Christ. Okay, so no doing or saying nice things, only dirty text messages are okay.”
Sophie eyes widen before she smacks my arm. “Don’t you dare make me horny when I’m about to meet your parents for the first time.”
