Page 9 of The Temptation
“Obergefell v. Hodgeswas the Supreme Court case,” my father stated promptly, lifting his eyes to me at last.
“Exactly. It’s been ten years since that. Of course, you could have remained in Massachusetts and gotten married earlier than that. Not that we wished to rush you.”
I almost rolled my eyes, because she wasn’t at all trying to rush me now. “I appreciate you not trying to rush me.”
That earned me a new glare despite my attempt to not sound sarcastic, so I must have failed.
“Oh, I wouldn’t have rushed you when you were in your twenties or even early thirties, but those days are gone now,” Mom announced. It was as if I could hear a distant, heavy door slamming shut. Good-bye, youthful, carefree days. Hello, old age and back pain.
“Think about it, Pierce,” my father chimed in, but not in my favor. “It takes time to meet someone and then settle down with them. If you decide to have kids, you want to be young enough to really enjoy their rambunctious years. Do you think it will be that easy keeping up with them after you turn forty?”
Ouch!I was still in great shape.
And where the hell was our server? I needed to change my drink from an iced tea to a Long Island. That was the only way I was getting out of this conversation in one piece.
“Yes, you both make great points, but remember that meeting the right person isn’t that easy. It takes time and a bit of luck. Sebastian and Declan are the same age as me, and they’ve only just gotten into serious relationships. With Rome taken, I’m sure it’s a matter of time now for me to find someone.”
My mother sighed, picking at the linen napkin resting beside her plate. “I worry about you here. We see you no more than a few times a year. God knows what kind of hours you’re truly working. And if your friends are now in serious relationships, that means they aren’t going out to help you meet new single men.”
Shit. She was building up to something. She had been since she’d begun this conversation. I could feel it, and it wasn’t good.
“Your father and I feel that maybe it’s time for you to return to Boston. You can start formally training with your father totake over the firm, and you may have better luck at finding someone to spend your life with. It certainly hasn’t worked out for you here in Cincinnati.”
“No.”
The word jumped from my lips before I could catch it. I knew I should say something else to soften my rejection, but my brain had gone into full fight-or-flight mode, and all I wanted to do was run.
“Please consider it, dear,” my mother pushed. “We merely want you to be happy. We worry that you’ve been single for too long. Don’t you think it’s time for you to come home?”
I clenched my teeth. It was hard for my mother to see Cincinnati as my home. She’d grown up and lived in the Boston area her entire life. That her children could want to live anywhere else was insane to her. Archer got a free pass because he returned for visits all the time, but grabbing a train or a plane meant he was there in the blink of an eye. Not that a plane from Cincinnati to Boston took all that much time. It was that I made a lot of excuses not to make constant trips there.
“I know, and I appreciate your concern. I don’t think moving back now is good. The timing…it’s…” I fumbled for something, anything that could put them off, and in my desperation, I blurted out the worst thing I could have. “I’ve recently started seeing someone.”
“What?” my mom gasped.
My father tilted his head slightly to the side, his brow furrowing. “I thought you said earlier that you weren’t seeing anyone.”
“Yes, but Mom was asking why I didn’t bring a date tonight, and we’ve only just begun seeing each other. It’s far too early for a meet-the-parents dinner. That would be far too much pressure.”
Mom lifted an eyebrow, clearly skeptical of my sudden double talk. “And you’re arguing that you should stay in Cincinnati because you wish to continue seeing this person?”
“I’m kind of hoping that things will go well, but it’s still early. I don’t want to be too hopeful and get disappointed.”
Yes, yes, disappointed about getting dumped by a nonexistent person.
“Understandable,” Dad agreed with a nod. “How about this? Why don’t you ask your new date out for dinner with us in two nights? We’ll be in the city for a few more days.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but my mom beat me to it.
“That’s a wonderful idea. It’ll give you a chance to get to know this person better, and then we’ll all get to meet. We’ll keep it a low-key, informal dinner. Nothing for anyone to be anxious about.”
Dad put the final nail in the coffin. “And if you discover that this isn’t a person who you believe you can make a life with, we can talk more about your plans to move to Boston.”
Yep, totally screwed.
Oh, I could put my foot down and tell them in no uncertain terms that I wasn’t moving to Boston under any circumstances. Just torch that bridge and upset everyone in my family. But why? I saw their point. I’d thought I’d be married and settled into a sweet domestic life by now. More than Sebastian or Rome, I wanted married life and kids. And who was going to beat us to that finish line?
Fucking Declan. The man who hadn’t wanted marriage or kids.
