Fool for Love (Believe #2) (37 page)

Garrett freezes up beside me, and I almost regret bringing back the subject of the detective again.

“You’re right. That dog loves you so much that he’d have protected you with everything that he is. Probably as much as I l-” He stops abruptly and I hold my breath, trying to will him with my eyes to finish his sentence.

He looks away from me, losing our connection, and I curse inwardly.

Stupid, stubborn man.

“Aah…Can I get you something to eat? Maybe a drink?” he suddenly asks me.

His eyes are clouded, and I can no longer read him as well as I thought.

“No, thanks. I’m fine,” I reply.

“Good, good. I’ll go..err…call dad now,” he murmurs, avoiding my eyes. In a swift, yet gentle move, he lifts me from his lap and places me further down the couch.

I watch as he goes to hang up his coat. He straightens his hair and then takes out his mobile, and I close my eyes. Resting my head on the armrest, I try not to panic when the fact that I’ll be meeting Garrett’s dad hits me. My eyes spring open, and I look down at my wrinkly clothes before I shoot up from my seat and half walk, half run to the walk-in closet.

“Hang on,” Garrett murmurs behind me and then calls out to me. “Mom says that dad’s home from work already, so we’ll head home to their place and have dinner instead.”

Butterflies swarm in my stomach, and I almost trip into the closet.

Meeting the parents. Yikes!

“Think, Suzy, think,” I mutter as I go through my clothes, discarding everything before me. “What does one wear when she’s almost been assaulted but wants to make a good impression on her boyfriend’s parents?”

“Boyfriend?”

My hands still on a red top, and I close my eyes.

“Sorry,” I squeak. “Just thinking out loud, and I know we’re not
together
-together, but, you know, I’m a bit frazzled, and it might be best to introduce me as your girlfriend to your parents, so they don’t, you know, start asking awkward questions, and well, you really shouldn’t have crept on me like that, and…” I take a deep breath when I hear his steps behind me come closer. He stops, his front touching my back, and my heart picks up speed.

I sigh softly when I feel his lips on my neck, and my skin breaks out in goose bumps from his beard tickling me.

“I kind of like that title,” he whispers, causing mad butterflies to dance the fandango in my tummy.

“Wear something comfortable,” he continues briskly. “My parents are very easy-going people; you don’t have to feel like you have to impress them with your clothes.”

“Right,” I whisper. “Got it.”

“I’m just going to try getting Dad on his cell, give him the facts of what that fucker did to you, so he’s prepared for it. Don’t take too long. We’ll be heading out soon.”

With that, he leaves me alone, and I try to get my breathing under control once more.

I wish that the reason I’m meeting Garrett’s parents tonight was a whole lot more pleasant and normal – but I can’t. All I can do is try to make the most of it and get on with it.

Then, his response to my blabbering mouth strikes home, and I smile wide, overcome with the enormity of the meaning behind them.

This day might have started off like hell, but it’s ending on a high note.

I shake the hearts and flowers that are no doubt floating above my head away, and I continue obsessing over what to wear.

It doesn’t matter what he said. A woman should always make an effort when she’s meeting, for the very first time, a couple who clearly means a whole lot to the man she’s seeing.

Even more so when that couple is his parents.

A
S WE SIT IN
the cab that will take us to Garrett’s childhood home, I stare out the window, contemplating everything that’s happened the last couple of months.

“You’re very quiet,” Garrett murmurs from beside me. I look back at him when he takes my hand, intertwining our fingers.

“I’m just thinking.” I take in the way his thumb runs circles across my skin and give him a small smile.

“About?” he presses me, and I shift in my seat to face him better.

“Just what my life has been like while I’ve been in New York.” I wet my lips and take comfort in the way he looks at me, quietly waiting for me to explain.

“When I first arrived here, I was genuinely lost, Garrett,” I start and then lock eyes with him. “I didn’t know who I was, or what my future looked like, and I was so blinded by the row I had with my parents that I just wanted to escape. You know?”

He nods at me, and I inhale deeply.

“The fact that my sexuality caused such a rift between me and my parents – as well as me finding out about being adopted – has been playing a lot on my mind.”

“That’s to be expected,” he murmurs.

“I know. I mean, I’m sure that any parent is quite surprised when their child comes out, but the way my mother hurt me…” I shake my head, still sad when I think about it. “Well. That’s going to take me a long time to see past. But you know what?”

“What?” he asks me, a small smile playing on his lips.

“I don’t want to lose my parents. Yes, they were horrible for keeping such a huge secret from me; I had a right to know. But…I’m going to call my mother soon. I’m going to try to explain to her why my being bisexual – if she
wants
to put a label on me, that is – doesn’t change the fact that I’m still just
me
.”

I smile wider at him as I come to terms with who I am.

“My sexuality doesn’t define me; and in order to make her see that, I have to stop letting it hold that power over me. I’m still the same person in so many ways: I still love to shop, I still adore romance novels, I still want my own happy-ever-after, and I still think that kissing – kissing
a lot
– makes the world a better place.”

He waggles his eyebrows at me.

“I can’t argue with that last part,” He grins at me, and I beam at him.

“I just hope that I can make her see that I haven’t changed that much, and then I hope that she can accept that.”

He brings our hands to his lips and kisses the inside of my wrist. The sweetness takes my breath away.

“You have a very forgiving soul, Suzy.”

I shrug. “I don’t know if I’d call it that, Garrett. For all their flaws, they’re still my parents. They may not be the warmest people to walk this earth, but they’re my family.”

“What else have you learned since coming to New York City?” he asks me, all serious.

I purse my lips.

“Well…” I hesitate, but then take a deep breath. “Americans have a tendency to be completely over-the-top and dramatic.”

He blinks and then throws his head back, laughing heartily, and I giggle.

“Sorry, but it’s true,” I mutter after we’ve settled down.

“You’re right, though,” he concedes, still chuckling. I turn my head to the cab driver when I hear a muttered, “
Uh, yeah, she is.
” His laughing eyes meet mine in the rear view mirror, and I blush slightly, a bit embarrassed that I completely forgot that this stranger can hear everything that we say.

“What else?” Garrett continues, his voice filled with amusement, and I turn my attention back to him.

“Hmm…Well, you’re loud. Very opinionated; and while you revel in the saying of
‘freedom of speech’
, you should probably hold your tongues sometimes and acknowledge that a difference of opinion is more than acceptable. It’s to be respected.” I scoot closer to him and lower my voice. “But, most of all, I’ve learned that you’re a very warm and welcoming people in the ways that matter the most.”

His eyes warm when I squeeze his hand in mine, and I lean away from him. My smile leaves my lips, and I find the courage to ask him the burning question in my mind.

“Does it bother
you
that I’m also into girls?”

He shakes his head immediately.

“I told you the day we met, Suzy – your sexuality doesn’t matter to me. Your personality, the way your inner light shines through your eyes, and how you see the world – how you see
me
.” He takes a shaky breath, and my heart feels fit to burst. “Forget the labels that society seems to be so fucking good at setting up, and just continue being you – a smart woman who isn’t afraid to show her feelings. Then you’ll find your happily-ever-after one day. The only thing that matters to me is that, right at this moment, you’re
mine
. What matters is that for the time being, you’re with me…”

My heart plummets to the ground when I realise that Garrett still seems to see our relationship as temporary, despite everything he’s said and done today, but I try to hide it from him.

“Hey,” he murmurs softly when I look away from him. I only give him a nod and keep my eyes on my knees, not seeing anything.

“Hey,” he repeats, leaning towards me to cradle my face in his right hand. He presses against my chin, gently tilting my head upwards, and I clench my teeth in order to keep the threatening tears at bay.

Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry.

“Suzy,” he sighs. “I’m…”

“Don’t say you’re sorry, Garrett, please,” I interrupt him as I try to sniffle as discreetly as I can. “I hate that word, sorry; people tend to use it as an excuse to say hurtful things.”

“If you hadn’t interrupted me, you’d know that I wasn’t about to say that,” he admonishes me. There’s an edge to his voice that makes me raise my chin defiantly.

“Now, are you going to listen?” he asks me. I nod, keeping my rising temper at bay.

Temper before tears is always preferable.

“I’m fourteen years older than you, Suzy; I don’t know what you see in me, but all I know is that I need you. No, I
crave
you, and I want to be near your light all the time. Even so…” He lowers his voice. “I’m preparing myself for the day you’ll leave me.”

My eyes widen at the absurdity of his words.

“There’s still so much you don’t know about me – about my past, but – let’s not think about that now.” His lips form a crooked smile, but it can’t wash away the lingering sadness in his beautiful brown eyes.

“Garrett, I –”

“We’re here,” he interrupts me as the cab comes to a stop.

I curse when he opens the door, but hurry to go after him. He’s keeping the door open for me, and a small part of me loves that he can also be a gentleman. But I don’t have time for such lingering thoughts right now.