Page 56 of His Property

She shakes her head. “Why do I feel like this was a bad idea?”

I chuckle, and we go inside the church. It does seem like a bad idea. A horrible idea on Mae’s part. For one, why the fuck would she think I’m any better company than the other guy? And for two, how much experience does she think I have with meet-the-dad situations? I havenone.

Still, my nervousness is long gone. I got what I came here for, and I finally feel at ease.

We enter the nave where everyone is standing and singing a hymn, several people with their hands above them and their eyes closed like they're into it. It’s uncomfortably loud in here, but when we make it to Mae’s family, I’m grateful for the noise. I hate small talk.

A tall, stout man looks over at us when we slide into the same pew as him, and when Mae wraps her arms around him, it confirms my suspicion that he’s her father. There’s a middle-aged woman next to him who doesn’t resemble Mae in the slightest, a man in a suit about my age, and then twin girls in flowing dresses who are fighting over a doll.

Her dad hugs Mae back but glares at me the whole time. I don’t know what to do with that, so I look around at all the people.

“Daddy,” Mae says, pulling away and putting her hand on my arm. She glances between me and him. “This is Victor.”

I smile and hold out my hand, but Mae’s dad continues to glare and doesn’t budge.

Jesus, this guy’s cold.

I drop my hand, and Mae’s cheeks go red. She looks at me apologetically.

“I didn’t realize you were bringing a friend,” her dad says, his face hard as stone.

Mae slyly removes her hand from my arm. “It was a last minute thing. Sorry I didn’t tell you.”

He turns and ushers thepropersuitor past him instead of responding to her, and he gestures toward the guy. The early-thirties guy smiles, flashing incredibly white teeth before taking her hand.

“Hi, I’m Dominic.”

Mae smiles back, and my casual demeanor starts to melt. She takes his hand when he holds his out, and they shake. “Mae. It’s nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure’s mine.”

They’re practically yelling over the singing choir, and I have the urge to lean in close so I can hear them better. The middle-aged woman waves to me, so I wave back, only taking my eyes off Perfect Teeth for a second.

Mae half-turns to me. “This is Victor.”

His smile wavers, but he extends his hand. “How’s it going, man?”

When I squeeze his hand tightly, his smile vanishes. I hold it a couple of seconds longer than necessary, and when I let go, he pulls his hand back and flexes his fingers.

I smirk and nod at him. “Not bad. How about yourself?”

He furrows his brow and turns toward the choir instead of answering me. He doesn’t even give Mae another look.

That was too easy.

Mae turns to me with a question in her eyes, and I shrug. She leans in to speak, so I turn my ear toward her.

“I’m sorry about my dad. He’s really protective.”

“It’s cool,” I say, looking at her and winking, my eyes lifting to Dominic. I smile when I catch his eye.

“So, my dad’s name is Darnell, and beside him is my stepmom, Darcy.” She points over to the little girls. “Those are my sisters, Iris and Ava.”

I nod, and when it seems like she’s finished, I stand up straight and face the choir. I’m not sure why she felt the need to tell me the names of her family members. It isn’t like I’ll ever see them again.

Throughout the service, I have fun poking at Lover-Boy-With-The-Perfect-Teeth, resting my hand on Mae’s knee, tossing him glances, leaning in to whisper unnecessary shit in her ear. She squirms like she’s uncomfortable with it, and her dad throws me more glares than Lover Boy does. I should stop, but I can’t help myself. Call me immature.

After an agonizing amount of time, the service ends, and we walk in a line out of the nave. I slow and put my arm around Mae’s shoulder as soon as we’re out, and she throws me a watch-it glare. I plant a kiss on her forehead and leave my arm where it is.

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