Page 24 of Beneath the Blindfold

“Give them a minute. You know how traffic can be.”

We sat in the back of the crowded restaurant and nursed drinks while we waited for my parents to arrive. I’d made the call yesterday morning while Dominic hovered over me, ensuring that a decent effort was put in on my part. And I couldn’t fault him for wanting this, but I hated it. My parents were going to disappoint us, and although I wasn’t responsible, I still felt that way by association.

The waiter came by and asked if we wanted to order lunch, but Dominic shook his head and the waiter left.

“You think it’d be rude to order without them?” I asked. Dominic’s expression was pointed, but I shrugged. “Well, I think it’s fucking rude that they can’t tell us they’re running behind.”

I was halfway through my second glass of wine when my phone rang. I glanced at the number and groaned. “One guess who it is.” I swiped to answer the call and tried not to seethe. “Hey, where are you?”

“Payton,” my mother said. “Your father’s in a deposition that’s taking a lot longer than he thought it would. Are you already at the restaurant?”

Was I—?Seriously? “Yeah. You said one o’clock.”

She sighed. “I don’t know when he’s going to be finished, and he’s got to be in court by three. This case has been such a mess, I told him he should have given it to one of the other partners.”

“So you’re not coming.”

From across the table, Dominic’s blue eyes studied me, gauging my response. All he wanted was to meet my parents. We’d flown ten thousand miles from Japan, and they couldn’t make it twenty blocks from my father’s law firm.

“We were looking forward to it,” my mom said, “but it’s been such a busy week. I’m sorry. I feel just awful about it.”

“Yeah?” I was done with this bullshit. “You should feel awful.” I pressed theEnd Callbutton and dropped my phone on the table. Surely my mother was on the other end wondering what had happened. I’d never talked to her like that before, but I’d also never felt more let down by them.

“I’m sorry,” Dominic said.

His unnecessary apology only made me angrier. “You’resorry? For what? Wanting my parents not to be dicks?”

I said it too loud and the couple at the table next to us glanced over.

“No more wine for you.” Dominic gave me a lopsided smile. “You know, it’s easier to talk like that when no one around us speaks English.”

“I told you this would happen.”

He blinked, but his face remained unchanged. “You did.” He flipped open his menu casually. “So, we tried, Payton. We’ll see if they change their attitude when they want to see their grandkids.”

Grandkids.

We both wanted children, and we’d talked about it in the future, but it continued to throw me off balance how settled and comfortable he was with the idea. Sometimes I’d catch myself staring with disbelief at the enormous ring on my finger. I was engaged, I had to remind myself. I’d found another person who willingly wanted to be a part of my life. Shocking.

His carefree demeanor, and the lunch we eventually ordered, diffused some of my anger. It was pointless to get worked up, and I tried to emulate Dominic’s easy mood.

“So, I’ve been thinking,” I said as we finished up our plates. “We both technically won the bet about Evie and Logan.”

Dominic leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “How do you figure that?”

“The no-sex rule. It didn’t get broken.”

A lazy smile grew on his lips. “Fine, devil woman. I’ll have lunch with Joseph, but only because you want us to. Let’s be clear. You did not win that bet.”

“Whatever.” I climbed out of my chair, and was about to tell him I was heading for the restroom, when something caught my eye. Not something, butsomeone.

Holy shit.

He wove through the tables, moving quickly toward me, a blur in an expensive suit. “Payton.”

“What the fuck?” I stared in disbelief.

He grinned, surprised. “Wow, nice language.” His glance went from top to bottom. “And, wow. You look great.”

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