He was silent.
“It was a direct question. We answer direct questions honestly, as best we can. Didn’t you remind me of that earlier?”
Smartass. “Fine.” His grip on the steering wheel tightened. “I’m thinking about how weird it is that I’m finally getting to meet your mother.”
“What do you mean?”
“I kept offering to visit her with you back then, but you made up one excuse after another as to why it wasn’t possible. And now, years later, I’m going to get to know her.”
“I didn’t…those weren’t excuses, I…”
The corners of his mouth lifted. “Yeah, keep on stammering. That’s convincing.”
Frustrated, she exhaled. “Okay, you want honesty? I never introduced you to my mother back then because she didn’t know you existed. She still doesn’t.”
His neck stiffened. “You didn’t tell her about me? Even though we were together for months?”
“No.”
“Wow.” His jaw hardened. Why was he surprised? And why did itbotherhim?
“Oh, come on! You only told your dad about me because he practically caught us making out.”
“Yeah, but I don’t tell my dad anything. You’re close to your mom.”
“You’re close to your sister!”
“And I told her about you, Hazel,” he said quietly.
“No, you didn’t.”
“Of course I did.” Right after their first kiss.
“Time out!” she cried.
He stared at her in disbelief. “That wasn’t mean of me.”
“Yes, it was. You’re lying. And lying is mean,” she said sharply.
He snorted. “I’m not lying. I guess I’ve always been better at relationships than you.”
“Is the air thin up there?” Hazel asked flatly. “Up on your high horse?”
No, mostly it was filled with Hazel’s floral scent, which hadn’t changed in ten damn years. “I’m so rich, I buy extra oxygen.”
Hazel let out a dry laugh. “You know, I’m glad I didn’t tell Mom about you. It makes things easier.”
No. She was kidding herself. Nothing was easy.
And, hell…she hadn’t even mentioned him to her mother.
They drove in silence for the last ten minutes, and for that, Gareth was grateful. He needed some distance from Hazel. Well, as much distance as you could get in a car. And since they weren’t talking, he had plenty of time to watch Hazel’s nervousness grow with every mile they got closer to her parents’ house. When he finally parked on the street in front of a row of small, one-story cottages with tranquil front yards, she shifted restlessly in the seat.
“It’s small, I know,” she mumbled.
Surprised, he glanced at her as he turned off the engine. “I didn’t say anything.”
“She wouldn’t accept anything bigger. She wasn’t used to it. My mom didn’t want to have to clean so much. I told her I’d pay for a cleaner, but she wouldn’t hear of it. She wouldn’t even let me pay for it! So, yes…that’s why it’s small.”
