Page 110 of Hate You Forever (Hate 1)

She snaps out of her daze, instantly changing the subject. “What was your dad like?” She obviously doesn’t want to talk about something right now, but I’ll find out what it is.

“Think of me, but older, shorter, meaner, and uglier.” I smirk at the last one, hoping she’ll find some humor in it too.

“Ah, so an asshole,” she jokes.

“Obviously. Where do you think I get it from? Clearly not my mom.”

Tara’s eyes are bright, nothing like they were a minute ago. “True, she’s the sweetest. At least you look like your mom. She’s beautiful.”

“Are you calling me beautiful?” A mischievous grin spreads across my face. This dinner started out terribly, but now that we’re having a decent conversation, I don’t want it to end.

She rolls her eyes. “Don’t act like you don’t know you’re handsome.”

“Am I?” Her gaze meets mine, lust blazing deep in her eyes. A blush creeps up her face as she stares at me.

“What? No one ever told you before?”

“Only my mom.” I grin.

Tara sits up straighter in her chair, and playfully slaps the table between us. My eyes catch on the ring sparkling on her slim finger. A slight warmth fills my chest. This girl is my wife.

“Well, I’m here to tell you, Marnix, that you do not have a face only your mom can love.”

Did she just compliment me?

Another rare laugh escapes me. “I was just messing with you. I get that all the time. But not in casual conversation like this. Only ever to get into my pants.”

A smug look paints her beautiful face. “Oh, all the time? Wow, how do you sleep at night knowing how hot people think you are?” She chuckles. “Well, you’re in luck. I don’t want in your pants, Marnix.”

I have to admit that stings more than I expected. I know from experience with her that’s not the truth, but the rejection still hits me. I laugh it off, acting hurt. “Ouch.”

What I really want to say is, “Well, that’s good news, since you were just in my best friend’s pants.”

But I don’t. I don’t want to ruin what we have going on right now.

“I guess that only makes this marriage more real. Married people don’t have sex, right?” I say, sipping on my water.

She smiles. “Right.” Her focus shifts back to her fork as she stabs another bite of manicotti. “How did your mom survive their marriage?” As soon as the words slip out, her eyes widen. “Shit, I shouldn’t have asked that.” I love the way her cheeks redden from embarrassment.

“It’s okay. My father was always an ass to everyone, but never to her. That was until a few years ago. I don’t know what changed between them, but he started treating her just as badly as he did me. Like an object, instead of a person he loved. I’ve been asking my mom what happened, but she just pretends like nothing changed and it was all in my head.” I know it wasn’t in my head. I know there was a reason he hated me, but would never let it spill from his lips.

“You’re her baby. Whatever happened, she’s probably trying to protect you. That’s what good parents do.”

“I’m not a child. I can handle whatever it is,” I growl.

Tara unexpectedly grabs my hand, and electricity sparks through my arm at her warm touch. “Have you looked into it? I’m sure Rush could help you.”

“We’ve looked through my dad’s stuff, but didn’t find anything out of the ordinary.”

Her mouth twists as she thinks. “What about your mom’s?”

I shake my head. “It's more likely my dad was hiding something. Might have Rush go through my father’s computer again, see if we missed anything.”

She squeezes my hand, before letting go. I instantly miss her soft skin against mine. I wonder what the rest of her would feel like against me.

We spend the rest of dinner talking about our childhoods and how opposite they were. She got to hear all about the things I never got to do because it would make my father look bad, and she told me about all the things her family never had the money to do. She’s never even been to an amusement park. I’m going to have to change that. We’re so different, but I want to learn everything about this woman.

“Dinner was amazing, Marnix.” It doesn’t make me angry anymore when she says my full name. Now that I think about it, she’s been calling me that all through dinner and I haven’t flinched once. She’s the only one who could get away with that.

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