Page 110 of Screwed
She stared at him, then closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his chest. “I feel like I’ve been so stupid.”
“No, darlin’. Never stupid. I said it before—what happens in our lives and how we deal with it makes us who we are. And right now, you and I are the people we were meant to be, and this is when we were meant to be together.”
He felt wetness on her face against his skin and tilted her chin up to kiss her mouth.
“Right?”
“Yes. Right. You are so right.”
Epilogue
One week later
Sunday dinner at the Sutherlands’. Yippee.
Cash stood in front of the mirror in his bedroom and grimaced. “You sure I don’t need to wear a suit and tie?” he called to Callie.
She laughed from the vanity between his bedroom and the en suite bathroom. “No, you do not need to wear a suit and tie. You can wear whatever you want.”
“You know, I don’t think this is a good time to tell them about us.”
Callie’s head popped out, and she frowned at him. “We have to tell them. They have to know that things are seriously over for me and Beau.”
He and Beau had salvaged their partnership, and they both agreed that if the Sutherlands didn’t want to give them the job for the refinery, it would suck big donkey balls, but they’d survive that, too. They’d had a serious conversation about possible cutbacks and layoffs if that happened, and although they didn’t want to go there, they’d do what they had to do to ensure their business survived.
“That looks nice,” Callie said, nodding at his gray plaid shirt and black pants.
“Okay, thanks.” He shrugged. Meeting the girlfriend’s parents was never easy, but in this case, it was a little more complicated. It was the Sutherlands.
Callie disappeared, then walked out a moment later.
“Damn, you look pretty.” He studied her dress, white with pink and gray flowers, the bodice hugging her slender torso, the skirt flaring out to her knees. Tiny straps showed off her toned shoulders.
Her cheeks went pink, and her eyelashes fluttered. “Thank you.”
He set his hands on her shoulders and kissed her cheek. “I’d kiss your mouth, but you already have such pretty pink lip gloss on. I’ll mess you up later,” he promised, moving his lips to just in front of her ear.
She smiled. “I hope so.”
They arrived at Josh and Audrey’s River Oaks home before anyone else, Callie having told her mother she’d be there a bit early as there was something she needed to talk to them about. Callie opened the front door and stepped into the spacious foyer, calling out, “Hello! Mama? We’re here.”
Audrey Sutherland appeared from a room on the left, carrying a glass of wine. “Hello, Callie.” Her gaze shifted and landed on Cash. “And Cash. Hello.” Her false eyelashes fluttered, but her smile was gracious.
“Hi, Mrs. Sutherland.”
Callie and her mom exchanged air kisses, and then Mrs. Sutherland did the same with him. “Call me Audrey, Cash.”
“Yes, ma’am. Audrey.” He flashed a smile at her.
“Come in. I was just having a glass of wine.” She led the way into an opulent yet comfortable-looking den.
“Where’s Daddy?”
“Oh, he’s still in his office working on something. On a Sunday. You know what he’s like.” Audrey waved a hand.
“I’ll go find him.” Callie tapped out of the room in her heels.
Cash’s body tightened. Fuck. He was alone with Callie’s mom. He wasn’t afraid of her. Nope, not at all. He relaxed his shoulders and smiled at her again.
