Page 66 of Falling for You
Dale’s face had turned a worrisome shade of red as he found his words. “Young lady, you think you have the right to speak to me that way, but I’ll have you know—”
CeCe wasn’t having it. “I can speak to you any way I like. If memory serves, you had no qualms telling me my business. I was a stranger, and you gave me an earful on my choices in life. Well, here is a choice I’ve made. I love your son. And I won’t stand by while you dismiss his work, his passion.”
Pamela dabbed at her eyes with a tissue and cleared her throat. “Evan is very lucky to have you in his life,” she said. “It’s nice to see him supported by someone who cares.”
“Pamela, get in the car. We’re leaving,” Dale barked.
Surprising everyone around them, Pamela shook her head. “No. We’re not leaving. CeCe is right. This is important to Evan.”
“What should be important to Evan is getting a real job, being a man. He needs to grow up.” Dale’s jowls shook as he spoke, looking like a balloon about to pop.
“He is grown up! Have you seen what he’s done with his website projects? He’s so talented and dedicated. He’ll work a double at the diner, go home to work on his website development, and still find time to make me dinner. Every day he shows how much of a man he is, and I’m lucky enough to be a part of his life. If you’d only pay attention, you’d see he’s given you a million reasons to be proud of him.” CeCe’s voice hitched, and she realized she was crying. Max reached out and handed her a towel, which she shook off. The sensation of her tears made CeCe feel alive, made her feel things for the first time in a while.
Dale stepped closer to CeCe, his eyes dark and filled with unchecked rage. “How dare you stand here and talk to me like that?”
“Enough.” Pamela pulled him back to her side. “Stop acting like this. CeCe is right. I’m only sorry it took me this long to see it.” Turning to CeCe, Pamela took one of her hands and squeezed. “Thank you for loving our son so fiercely. He deserves nothing less.”
CeCe didn’t have the heart to tell Pamela that Evan deserved a hell of a lot more than her. She merely squeezed her hand back and nodded.
She watched the couple walk toward the exhibit hall and let out a lungful of air. She felt drained and needed to find a place to sit. Before she could step away, she was pulled into the fiercest hug of her life. “Ooof,” she exhaled as Mallory pinned her. The other woman was not that much taller, but her embrace made CeCe feel like a rag doll.
“That was the coolest freaking thing I’ve ever seen,” she said as she released CeCe.
“What? I just barked at your father, in public.”
“And it was about twenty years in the making. Well done.” Mallory gave CeCe a thumbs-up and finally stepped back. “If I would have been quicker with my phone, I would have recorded it.”
CeCe’s shoulders slumped. “I think I’ve had enough viral videos for one week.”
“I don’t know. I think this one would have been bigger,” Evan said as he stepped past his sister.
CeCe couldn’t fight the goofy grin that crossed her face. “You saw that?”
“Sure did.” He inched forward and stepped between CeCe and his sister.
For once in her life, Mallory knew when to step away. She giggled and followed Max as they went toward the exhibit hall.
“Can we talk?” CeCe asked, feeling the whiskey churn through her. She had said so much to Dale, but now she wanted to—needed to—say it to Evan.
*
Evan thought he mightrip in half at all the battling emotions rushing through him. On his way back from submitting their entries, he had a feeling of hopelessness he couldn’t shake. He wasn’t sure how CeCe felt about him, and he was stressed about seeing his dad at the competition. He wasn’t even sure he believed Mallory that their parents were coming, so stumbling upon CeCe dressing down his father—in public no less—was simply incredible.
Never before had Dale Lawson been told what to do, let alone how to act. CeCe cut him down faster than a sack of potatoes before the brunch rush. Yet for all her words, and there were a lot of them, the part that stuck out was that she loved him. CeCe told his parents—and half the attendees—that she loved him. His heart felt like it tripled in size, but he still had so many things he needed to say as well.
“There’s a bench over at the entrance. You mind if we talk for a minute? They won’t announce the winners for a little while.” Evan reached out his hand, and CeCe snatched it up, pulling him closer to her. He smelled her familiar vanilla scent, and felt his heart stutter. Being angry with CeCe didn’t sit right with Evan. The sensation was awkward and uncomfortable, like a threadbare hand-me-down sweater. Hopefully after they talked, he wouldn’t feel that way ever again.
When they reached the bench, Evan gestured for CeCe to sit down. She slowly sat, but stayed perched on the edge, ready to jump up at any moment. “Evan, can I just—”
Shaking his head, Evan frowned. “I need to say a few things first. Okay?”
CeCe bit her lip and nodded.
Evan paced back and forth in front of her. He wished he wore a pedometer so he could have tracked all the pacing he’d done in the last day. His hair was mussed and his cheeks were flushed from hours working in the hot food truck. He feared he looked awful.
“So let me get this straight,” he bit out, trying to slow his pulse. “You and Eric used to date?” CeCe barely raised her head in the affirmative before Evan soldiered on. “I think I understand. You didn’t think I could handle the truth. Right?”
“That’s not the whole picture.”
