She opened her mouth to answer, but this time the lie was harder to tell.
Disappointment crossed Papa’s face, and he shook his head. “You’ll have to excuse me.” He gently shifted her dad off his lap. “I’ve suddenly lost my appetite.”
As he got to his feet, Père took his arm and halted him.
“Don’t go, mon amour. Not like this. I’m sure Chloé was going to tell us about her young man. She was just waiting for a good time. Isn’t that right, mon ange?”
The terms young man and boy were so far removed from how she thought of Ethan that she almost laughed, but she caught herself. Now was not the time for bursts of hilarity, even if she did feel slightly insane.
“Of course. I told you. I just wanted some time to myself before I had to start explaining.” Which was the truth—for the most part. “I was actually going to talk to you about it tonight, until someone else”—she glared over her shoulder at Justin—“beat me to it.”
“Really?” Her papa crossed his arms.
“Yes.” She nodded and rushed over to where the three of them were gathered. “I was, I promise. I was going to ask Père for the weekend off to go on a date.”
“A date that lasts the entire weekend?”
“Papa…” She groaned. “See? This is what I mean. I’m not in school anymore. I’m going to date people. You can’t meet all of them.”
“Says who?”
“Says me.” She shook her fists by her side at his stubbornness, but at the same time realized that was exactly where she got hers from.
“Okay, okay, you two.” Dad stepped between them, putting a hand to Papa’s chest before he looked back to her. “Your papa is just being…cautious. He worries about you. We all do, just like Justin.”
“I know that, and I love you all for it. But I can look after myself, and right now I just want to go on a date and not worry that you four are going to scare them off.”
The them tumbled out by accident again, but luckily for her, no one questioned it.
Her dad let out a deep breath and came over to her, then he took her by the shoulders and stared her down in that fierce momma-bear way he had.
Then, out of nowhere, a wide smile curved his lips. “Is he cute?”
“Robert,” Papa said, and Père chuckled.
“I’d say more…hot than cute.”
“Ooh.” Her dad’s eyes glinted, and he waggled his brows. “Tell me more.”
“Well…” She licked her lips and thought how to describe one of the most beautiful men she’d ever seen, but all she managed was: “He’s perfect.”
Papa grunted. “No man’s perfect.”
“I don’t know, Joel.” Père leaned in to press a kiss to his cheek. “You’re pretty close.”
“Uh huh.”
Dad pushed her hair behind her ear and cradled her cheek. “Well, you seem completely besotted. Just know that you can always talk to me. No matter what.”
She did know that, and she knew that was why he’d been hurt at first. She always told him everything. But this was different. She was still trying to understand it, and she wanted to be able to do that without four pairs of eyes watching her every move.
“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything. It’s just so new still, and we’re seeing how things go.”
“That makes sense.”
“Does it?” Papa chimed in.
“Yes, Joel, it does. Come on, you know you can be a little intimidating. She doesn’t want you to scare this young Ethan away.”
She looked at the scowl on her papa’s face and thought if it were anyone other than Ethan or Zayne, that would be a totally valid thought. But she couldn’t imagine a scenario in which those two were intimidated by anyone—then again, they’d never met her papa.
“I believe you were included in that sentiment, sweetheart. We all were.”
Dad hushed him with a wave of his hand and then eyed her closely. “How about this? Justin and I will help your père at this fancy catering event he agreed to—”
“Oh no.” She grimaced and looked at Père. “That’s this weekend?”
“Oui, but it’s quite okay. I’m sure we can handle it.”
“And you,” her dad continued, “can go on your date.”
Well shit, now she felt bad leaving Père in the lurch. Especially when she’d been the one to convince him to take the gig in the first place.
“I don’t know. That feels kind of—”
“Go, mon ange. Justin can help.”
“Justin might have plans.” Her papa’s cool tone told her he was still not on board with all of this. But she could win him over later. Two out of three, that was all she needed, and she had the votes.
She turned and aimed daggers at the one who had started this whole mess, and luckily for Justin, he was smarter than he looked.
“I’m free, and I’d be happy to help.”
“See?” Dad said, and pulled her in under his arm. “We’re not so scary. Are we?”
She looked past him to Papa, and Dad chuckled.
“Well, most of us.” He filled his empty glass and downed the contents, then led her back to the pasta sauce to stir it. “Now, tell me all about this perfect man of yours. I’ve met a few of those in my day. We’ll compare notes.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
We want her to be ours. We want to keep her.
The only question left is, does she want to be kept?
~ Ethan
“HEY THERE, RED. Wanna go for a ride?”
Chloé eyed the black muscle car humming at the curb of Rise & Grind, and wasn’t sure what looked more dangerous—the car or the sexy-as-sin man sitting behind the wheel.
“I don’t know. Last time I got in a car with you, I had to be carried out of it.”
Zayne chuckled as he ran his eyes down the cropped white shirt she’d worn with her black high-waisted shorts with the silver snap buckles.
“I can’t promise that won’t happen again.”
“In that case…” She ran around the hood of the car and pulled open the door. As she slid inside and Zayne pulled her in for a kiss, she had her answer—the man. The man was much more dangerous than the car.
Chloé moaned as she opened her mouth to grant him access. A low growl of approval rumbled out of Zayne, and when he pulled back to nip at her lip, Chloé whimpered.
“I think someone might’ve missed us this week.”
Chloé sighed and fell back in her seat, drinking in the sight of him in his ripped jeans and hunter-green t-shirt. “It feels like forever since Sunday.”
“Definitely longer than we would’ve liked, but you have a life and job you have to go to, Miss Executive Chef.”
“I suppose.” And yes, that life and job had come a little too close to exposing all her secrets last night. Somehow, she’d managed to buy herself a little more time to work up the courage to tell her fathers the whole truth—and for now she was okay with the fact that they at least had half of it.