Page 37 of Falling for You
Suddenly, her skin felt too tight. She looked around the room to find the Lawson clan in various stages of embarrassment, yet no one jumped to her, or Evan’s, defense. It was no wonder Evan hesitated to bring her here. “Will you excuse me? I need to use the restroom.” She pulled her chair back and stood, her head held high as she strode to freedom.
As her feet hit the carpeted hallway, she heard footsteps behind her. Evan took her hand and stopped her, pulling her into another room. “I’m so sorry,” he breathed, closing the door behind them. He covered his face and moaned like a wounded animal. “My father is an asshole. This is exactly what I feared.”
CeCe raised her eyebrows in confusion. “You knew this would happen?”
Evan ran a hand through his hair, a rogue blond curl standing on end. “Yes, but I wasn’t sure how bad. My dad is a tough customer on a good day, and I could tell when we got here, it wasn’t a good day.”
CeCe stepped closer to Evan, who had backed himself against the far wall. They were in a guest room, with a frilly bedspread and floral wallpaper surrounding them. She walked around the bed and took one of his hands. “Areyouokay?”
For a moment, she didn’t think he would respond. He looked defeated, drained of his usual spirit. After a beat, he blinked. “Don’t worry about me. Are you okay? My father basically called me a useless youth and implied your eggs are drying up. I’m used to this, but I’m petrified you’re going to run for the hills. God, he’s such an asshat.”
“If I run for the hills, I’m taking you with me.” Just as CeCe stepped closer, there was a knock on the door as Mallory barged in.
Mallory’s eyes were red, like she was holding back tears. “There you guys are. Are you all right, CeCe?”
CeCe laughed. It was humorless. “Don’t worry about me. I’m more worried about Evan.”
Mallory chewed her bottom lip. It was clear this wasn’t a new dynamic, checking in after Dale said his piece. Finally, she offered, “I mean, I’m worried about both of you. Do you need me to fake an emergency so you can leave?”
As far as CeCe was concerned, they were free to leave whenever they liked. “Do we really need an excuse? Can’t the excuse be that we’re not having a good time?”
Evan and Mallory both turned to face CeCe, and she feared she’d said the wrong thing. Jerk or not, Dale was still their father. That was a sacred relationship, and she should mind her business.
Before she could apologize, Evan took CeCe’s hand and stepped back toward the door. “We’re leaving,” he said without looking back. He pulled them both to the front door with such determination she feared her arm would pop from its socket. Sophie and Emily waited, neither appeared surprised that their guests were leaving before dinner was finished.
“I’m sorry, Ev,” Emily said as she hugged her brother. Turning her attention to CeCe, she groaned. “And I’m really sorry, CeCe. Please know that Evan and our father are nothing alike. I promise you that.”
“I figured that much out already.” CeCe looked for her purse.
Sophie frowned. “Are you sure you can’t stay a bit longer? Dad is in a mood, but he’ll be better soon. I’m sure.”
CeCe looked at each of the sibling’s expressions and recognized that was far from the truth. Dale was a bully, plain and simple. Pamela appeared with a plastic box filled with food. “You’ll want something to eat for the ride home. I’m sorry we haven’t cut the pie yet.”
Was this woman for real? CeCe wanted to shake Pamela until she saw sense. Shake her until she saw what horrible things her husband had said to his only son. CeCe couldn’t reconcile the Evan she knew with the scene that played out before her.
Evan took the box and opened the front door. “Thanks for having us,” he said half-heartedly.
Mallory followed Evan and CeCe onto the stoop, looking like she wanted to cry. “What a mess. This is worse than when I invited Daniel Musgrove over after the senior prom. I’m so sorry, CeCe.”
“Don’t worry about me,” CeCe reassured the younger woman. “I have thick skin.”
While she followed Evan to his car, she feared his skin wasn’t thick enough to withstand such negativity from his father. As he pulled the car out onto the road, she watched Evan shut down. He wasn’t talking, and his focus was solely on the task at hand. There was no banter, no conversation. Hell, he hadn’t even turned on his beloved K-pop to fill the space.
CeCe didn’t know how, but she had to help him get out from under his dad’s thumb. Evan was working on projects that anyone would be proud to be a part of. He went through every day with blind optimism and enthusiasm for everything he did. It was depressing to think he was suffering in silence, or that he needed his father’s approval. As far as she was concerned, Evan was a star.
*
Well, that had goneabout as well as Evan had expected. His sisters behaved themselves—for the most part—but his parents had exploded like a 1950s time capsule. His mother, bless her, refused to stand up in defense of any of her children. Even her baby boy, and it nicked away at Evan every time he visited home. Then there was his father. Dale was in rare form, not even waiting until dessert to alienate his son and embarrass his date.
Why, why, why had Evan allowed himself to be bullied into bringing CeCe? He knew better than that. You don’t bring a woman home to your parents if you’re serious. Any woman worth her salt would run for the hills after that embarrassing and hurtful display.
Unable to look at CeCe and stand the silence another moment, Evan turned on the radio and found his favorite K-pop station. “I’ll have you home in less than an hour.” He sighed into the steering wheel as he took a turn ten miles over the speed limit. He felt CeCe shift in the seat, but she didn’t say anything. Evan couldn’t decide if that made things better or worse.
CeCe wasn’t known for her ability to bite her tongue. Fortunately for Evan, he didn’t have to wait long. When he pulled over at a gas station, she hopped out and met him at the pump. “This is on me,” she said, swiping her card and twisting the gas cap. He opened his mouth to argue, but she cut him off with a wave of her hand. “Don’t get me started. Max will reimburse me for the mileage to the food truck vendor. Now, go inside and get me a Diet Coke and a peanut butter cup. You got me out of there so early, I’ll starve to death before we heat up those leftovers.” She winked at him and turned to face the pump.
Evan stood there in the fading light and studied CeCe’s profile. Her button nose gave her a younger, more childlike appearance in the dim lighting. He was falling hard for her, and he couldn’t stand the notion that his parents had ruined a good thing before it started. “I’ll be right back,” he said over his shoulder, careful to put some space between them.
While he waited in line to pay for his snacks, his cell buzzed with a flurry of texts from his sisters.
