“This is your fault.” Moira pointed to Patrick. “Before this, she never would have defied me. I ought to report you to the archbishop.”
Patrick snorted and held up both hands. “First of all, reporting me to the archbishop wouldn’t do any good. I’ve asked for and received laicization and dispensation from my vows. I’m in love with your daughter, and I’m going to be with her in any capacity that she’ll have me. Even if she won’t marry me.”
Sasha turned to her father. “You’re just going to let her cut me out of your lives?”
Her father’s face reddened. He was ashamed, but he wasn’t going to do anything about it. In that moment, she felt sorry for him. He might have more money than he could ever spend, but he was sitting on a throne built of lies and shame. She wouldn’t live that way anymore.
Despite everything, she still hoped that her mother would see how wrong she was. It was a faint hope, but she didn’t want to be the person who lost that hope. “I think, before anyone says anything that can’t be taken back, you should leave.”
Her mother opened her mouth to speak, but her father took her arm to lead her out.
“I’ll make sure to send you the keys and have the place professionally cleaned.”
Her father nodded and turned away. When they made it out the front door, Sasha turned into Patrick’s arms. Happy that he was there to catch her, because she was now working without a net.
* * *
—
PATRICK COULDN’T BELIEVE THAT she’d chosen him over her family. He’d taken a leap of faith leaving the Church, knowing that he could fall flat on his face if she didn’t really want to be with him. He’d pushed that fear away, knowing that it was the right thing to do even if things didn’t work out.
But things could really work out. She wanted them to work out, and that was half the battle. He promised himself that he wouldn’t do anything to make her regret the decision to choose him over her family. That started when he held her as she cried.
When she stopped, he stepped away to get her fresh coffee, realizing when he was done pouring that he didn’t know how she liked it. She sat down at the counter, and it was just like she was sitting down at the bar at Dooley’s. That bit of familiarity in this completely new situation made him smile.
She looked at him and gave him a weak grin. “Just cream, two tablespoons.”
“It’s so weird that I know how you drink a cocktail but not a cup of coffee.” He set down the cup in front of her and poured his own. He leaned over and kissed her forehead, not knowing if he’d ever be able to get used to that. The freedom of not having to watch what he did and trying to control how he thought was staggering.
“We have plenty of time to learn.” She looked down. “When are we going to move into the apartment above Dooley’s—”
“It’s been vacant for a couple of months. We can move in whenever we want.” He worried for a moment that she might be having doubts after that whole scene with her parents. The way she’d drawn a line in the sand had made him even more ready to start his life with her, but he knew that some of her assurance may have been adrenaline.
“I didn’t mean what I said to them about marriage. You know that, right?”
“We don’t have to make any decisions about that right now.” He’d sort of skipped over the deciding-to-get-married part. He could live without it, but he knew for sure that he wanted her forever. He paused, not wanting to hurt her by making her talk about that terrible scene with her parents but wanting to make sure she knew that he was there for her. “Are you okay?”
She waved a hand but ran it through her hair, pushing it off her red, splotchy, still-gorgeous face. She was wrecked. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t have to be fine with me.” He covered her free hand with his. “You don’t have to be fine.”
“Well, of course I’m not fine,” she wailed. “My family is a mess, and that was the last thing I wanted you to see about me. Especially after you gave your whole life up to be with me.”
Patrick didn’t know what to say to that. He only knew that it broke his heart. He didn’t believe that she’d tried to conceal how she was feeling about what had just happened for nefarious reasons. But this wasn’t going to work if they weren’t going to be real with each other. That’s why his relationship with Ashley hadn’t worked, and he wasn’t willing to sacrifice his relationship with Sasha before it had a chance to really get started.
“So, you’re not fine. What can we do to get you closer to fine?”
“Please don’t sing the Indigo Girls.” Her lips twitched, which was a good sign.
“No singing. Got it.” He nodded.
“You didn’t think I was going to stand up to them for a minute, did you?”
He stopped in his tracks. He didn’t want to say anything, because this was about her and her feelings. But he’d had a sinking feeling in his gut when her parents had issued an ultimatum. He’d doubted for a few moments that she was actually going to choose him. “They’re your family.”
Sasha stood up then and said, “No. Hannah and Jack and Bridget and Matt and . . . you are my family.”
“I come along with an idiot brother and no real-life plan.” Maybe it was time to put all of his fears out on the table. “I feel like I’m not enough for you, that you wanted the guy who was a priest and leader. Now I don’t have that, and I’m afraid that I won’t be enough to make up for losing your family.”
“They didn’t love me unconditionally.” She didn’t hesitate. “You loved me enough to give up your vocation. And yeah, their money has made a whole lot of things possible for me, but that doesn’t mean that I need to live my life exactly the way they want me to for the rest of my life.”
“Is your business going to be okay?” He really didn’t want this to cost her her livelihood. For one thing, she was proud of it. For another, it would be bad if neither of them had jobs.
Sasha waved a hand. “It will be fine. Their accountant is not going to find anything irregular in our books, and I’ve paid my father back with interest. That was just posturing.”
“That’s good.” A relief. “So what do we do now?”
“What do you mean?”
“I haven’t had a free Sunday in years.” His outfit wasn’t the only thing that felt foreign.
Sasha had a wicked smirk when she said, “I guess I’m going to have to introduce you to the concept of brunch.”