Page 101 of Mayhem
Cruz snorted, and Paetyn lifted a brow at her but said nothing. She was referring to them buying her things. He would let it slide for the night. He and Cruz knew her comments about it were to poke at them.
“Okay, then.” Morris took another drink of his wine.
“Not that we aren’t glad, but you’re taking this well,” Cruz said, and Paetyn had been thinking the same.
Morris chuckled. “I long ago stopped being surprised by anything Erin does. Honestly, I thought you would tell me she cornered you and said, ‘I’ve decided I want to be with both of you, so you need to get on board.’ It would be on trend.”
“Dad!” Erin exclaimed. “Don’t…put me out there like that.”
“I’m just being honest, but as long as she’s happy and safe, I have no issue with what she does with her life. She’s an adult who can make her own decisions.”
Paetyn and Cruz both nodded. This was by far the easiest parent meeting they’d had, but it explained why Erin had been so open to being with them and why things with her felt easier. Her laid-back demeanor came from her father, and it brought out the best parts of their relationship.
Cruz drank his wine as he let Morris’ words sink in. Honestly, he could see Erin approaching the two of them and telling them she’d made a decision they needed to get on board with. He was also sure they would have, even if it weren’t the type of relationship they usually had. It was a pull she had about her.
He was glad the conversation had gone so smoothly. That was never usually the case. It normally would take hours to answerwhy and what-if questions, and even then, parents were still skeptical. Cruz couldn’t say that he blamed them, but it was as if right before their eyes, their child had reverted to being in grade school, and they couldn’t fathom what they were hearing. It was nice to be on the opposite end of the spectrum.
“Erin told me after the opening event last night that her shop was a birthday present from the two of you,” Morris stated, drawing Cruz from his thoughts.
“It was,” Paetyn responded.
“We wanted to give her something meaningful, and she’s talented. Why let it be used for someone else,” Cruz added.
Morris nodded. “Tell me about yourselves. What do the two of you do for a living?”
Cruz took another drink of his wine as Paetyn spoke.
“I’m a restaurateur. I own several in town and different states.”
“I take it this is one of them,” Morris stated.
“It is,” Paetyn responded.
“And you, Cruz?”
“I’m the owner of C.A. Advanced Technologies. It’s—”
“A security company,” Morris cut in. “You signed a contract with the military at the beginning of the year.”
“You did?” Erin questioned. “Doing what?”
“I can’t say,” Cruz responded, while Morris stated, “He can’t tell you that.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Erin replied before drinking her wine.
Cruz couldn’t say because he wasn’t allowed to, but he also wasn’t one hundred percent sure. They’d asked him to tweak one of his software programs to specific specifications. That had been last year, and he assumed they’d wanted to see if he could before they asked him for what they wanted. It’d been simple enough, but it could be used for anything. He’d done it, and they’d signed a hefty contract in January.
“Erin told us you’re in the military,” Cruz stated, turning his attention to Morris.
“I’m a Colonel in the army.”
“How long have you been serving?” Paetyn asked.
“Almost forty years.”
“If he were able, I’m sure he’d serve another forty,” Erin threw in. “I think he should find a nice woman or two and settle down,” she teased. Morris raised a brow at her, and Cruz shook his head.
“You needed more spankings as a child to help you form a filter,” her father responded.
