Page 42 of The Pucking Kiss

“But what good did it do, son?” his dad’s voice was getting choked up now. “I missed out on some of the best years of your life, all because I didn’t know what to do to get your trust back. I should have been better.”

Bryan patted his dad gently on his shoulder. “I would have kept the grudge with you forever, Dad. But Romai taught me that I should learn to fix things.”

“That Romai girl,” his dad’s face broke out into a wide smile. “You know, you picked a really good one. She seems like she has your best interests at heart. I bet she’s a great girlfriend.”

I felt myself blushing as I listened to their conversation. Especially after last night, it was beginning to feel like the two of us were in a real relationship after all.

“Ah, it’s a bit more complicated than that,” Bryan frowned. “I mean, she isn’t my girlfriend.”

“What?” his dad was confounded. “I thought… but the two of you…”

“No, Dad,” Bryan insisted. “You know I can’t have a girlfriend right now. I’m too focused on sports.”

His words broke my heart and killed any hope inside of me that this would develop into something more.

Here, I had thought things were going so well between us.

Not being able to hear more, I hastily left and locked myself in the bathroom, tears now threatening to spill out of my eyes.

I knew I had no right to be upset. Bryan had never actually told me that he wanted to date me. It was just an arrangement that the two of us had. But my stomach dropped as his words rang out in my ears.

Was I really that bad that he couldn’t consider me for a real relationship?

I had caught real feelings for Bryan, and the longer that I stayed in this fake relationship, the more my feelings were going to get hurt.

Chapter 16

Bryan

“Well,” my dad pursed his lips, diverting his attention back to the grill. “You should really give it a shot. She seems like a nice girl.”

A small smile formed on my lips as I thought about Romai. Over the last few days, we had really grown closer to each other.

“Maybe someday,” I replied, “But the timing has to be right.”

“You sound like quite the heartbreaker,” my dad laughed.

“You know I learned from the best,” I quipped back, being a little more sarcastic than I had intended.

This weekend had been great for my dad and my relationship. But there were still some grievances from the past that I held onto. I guess they would only go away with time.

“Don’t say that,” my dad frowned. “Let’s learn to bury the hatchet. You’ve proven to be the better man than me by coming over here. When I look at you now, I know I should have tried harder with our relationship.”

“I know; I’m not trying to be bitter anymore,” I sighed, remembering what Romai had told me about the importance of having your parents around. “It’s just sometimes…”

“I know, son,” he put a comforting hand on my shoulder. “You don’t have to explain it. But we’ll get through this. Now, I just wish you start getting along with Samantha too….”

“That might be asking too much out of me,” I chuckled, thinking of my annoying stepmother. “But for you, I’ll try.”

“That’s all I can ever ask for.”

After we finished grilling, the food was served on the table. My dad sat down, rubbing his hands eagerly.

“I’m famished! Let’s dig in,” he said as he began plating.

“Where’s Romai?” I asked, looking around. I realized that I hadn’t really seen her all afternoon.

“Oh, I saw her in the living room earlier,” Samantha replied, taking a bite out of the grilled vegetables.

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