When the group was finished congratulating him, I moved closer. “Just a steppingstone, Father?”
“To what? I haven’t become governor yet.” Everyone thought he was so funny.
“And what do you hope to achieve by trying to destroy the shifters?”
“I’m not trying to destroy them, Christine. I just want them to know their place. They’re animals. That’s it. They shouldn’t be allowed the opportunity to become our teachers and politicians. God knows I wouldn’t want one being my doctor and especially not doing surgery on me or anyone in my family. I’m going to protect humans, which includes your soon-to-be husband.”
All eyes appeared to be on me. I honestly don’t know why I’d bothered coming. “Well, we need to be going, Dad. Danny has a surgery in the morning so we can’t stay. Enjoy your party.” I was trying to be polite, ignoring the pangs of anguish and disgust I felt with myself. I’d managed to guilt Danny into lying about what he did for a living.
I took a sip of my cognac, savoring the rich smooth flavor, but not even two thousand dollars a bottle French cognac could ease my nerves.
Or my anger.
I’d become my parents and it unnerved the hell out of me.
So did the fact the entire group was enjoying themselves and I was more incensed than I’d been in probably my entire life.
That’s why without thinking the consequences through, I opened my mouth and spewed.
“Let me tell you something, Father. You always told me the measure of a man was all about what he had in the bank and what he did for a living. And for the longest time, I believed you. As if there couldn’t be any decent men out there for me. You led me to believe you actually gave a damn about my welfare, but that was one big fat lie, wasn’t it?”
The silence was exactly what I was going for. You could hear a pin drop. But of course, my father was too self-righteous to answer.
With Danny shaking his head, I winked and mimed two words, ‘Trust me.’ I spun around, slapping my hands on my hips. “I’m tired of playing your games any longer, Daddy.”
“What are you talking about?” he finally asked, his entire face scrunching together in fake confusion. “What games do you play, daughter? You brought your fiancé home to meet your family. Right? That’s all this is. I just want you to be with a good man, a decent man.”
“Fine, Dad. Do you see that man standing behind me, Dad? How about you, Mother? Danny Wright is an amazing man. He’s kind and thoughtful. He’s funny and articulate. He makes me laugh and forget about the horrors of this world. He’s romantic, so much so that he makes me swoon. Just like I always wanted. He’s the real deal and very good for me. But here’s the thing. He’s not a surgeon. He only told you what you wanted to hear because that’s how much he cares about me.”
“Christine,” Danny said from behind me.
“No, they need to hear this. He’s a Zamboni operator at the TDH Ice Plex where the Tampa Bay Gators practice.” I hesitated to confess the only place where I’d allowed myself to feel peace,but I was finished with hiding from anyone any longer. “And it’s where I go to skate every week.”
“What?” Dad was confounded.
My mother moved to the front. “You can’t skate.”
“Apparently, I can. And it makes me happy. Do you know what else makes me happy? Danny. He was so cute with the machine, trying to skate in rhythm with the Zamboni. And you know why? Because he can’t skate and wanted to meet me. That’s what a real man does, Dad. He goes out of his way to try and meet the girl.”
“Christine,” Danny said again, a strange shift in his tone.
“But don’t worry, Dad. I’m not here to ask for my trust fund. You can give it to Delaney as a wedding present. Sadly, they’re two people who know nothing about each other and even though I haven’t known Danny for very long, I knew he wouldn’t lie to me. He’s the one man I can count on, the real deal. Have a good election.”
I felt vindicated and very much alive.
It was the first time I’d truly opened up about my feelings and I was very happy with myself. Even if it had taken far too long to get here.
My father had the audacity to clap, as if this was all a joke. “Well, I’m glad to see you two on the same page. I would hate for your… marriage to get off on the wrong foot. Especially since given my announcement tomorrow, everything about your life and the people in it will be scrutinized.”
“Is that supposed to scare me, Daddy? It doesn’t. I have no skeletons in the closet. I wonder if you can say the same.”Ordinarily my father would get very angry at my lack of respect, but he was smirking.
Why was he smirking?
I slipped my arm through Danny’s, surprised at the expression on his face. I couldn’t wait to meet his family. From what he’d told me, they were very normal. Wait a minute. We weren’t a couple. We were pretending.
“Christine. I need to tell you something,” Danny said with a far more serious tone than I was used to.
“Christine,” my father said from behind me, which I ignored. “You should listen to him.”
