Page 241 of Sinister

“Taking care of Petra, of course. We’re going to get married, and we’re going to have our kid. I want nothing more than to be there for them—to spoil them and make sure they are the happiest two people in the entire universe.”

“So, you don’t want to pursue sports at a professional level or something like that?” my father asks.

“No, it’s fine as a hobby. But playing professionally would mean taking time away from Petra, and I would never want to do that. But don’t worry about it; I have a very sizable trust fund that will last lifetimes. For Petra and me, for our child—or children—and for our children’s children. So money won’t be a problem. All I want is to be there for them and ensure Petra can pursue her career in art.”

“You want her to pursue her career, but you don’t want to pursue yours?” my father presses.

“She’s such a talented artist. I would never want to see her talent go to waste. In fact, I’m willing to be a stay-at-home dad if it means she can achieve all her dreams.”

My parents seem very pleased with these answers, even if they’re a little shocked by the vehemence behind them. I mean, to every single question they’re asking, his answer is—Petra.

And I’m just staring at him like, What the hell is going on?

Hobbies? “Petra.”

Plans for the future? “Petra.”

I’m surprised they haven’t asked his favorite color, because he’d probably say “Petra.”

I give him a side-eye, and he notices but only smiles in return. He grabs my hand and places it on the table in full view of everyone.

“I really want nothing else than to love her and be there for her as she deserves. You have a great daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Valentine, and I am the luckiest man in the entire world that I stumbled upon her—and that she decided to give me a chance.”

“Oh, she gave you a chance? Doesn’t that mean you were the one to pursue her?” my father asks with a raised brow.

My mother chimes in, “Oh, yes!”

“I’ve had a crush on her forever,” Sin admits, “but you know Petra; she’s in her own world. It took me a long time to build the courage to speak to her, and even more time to prove to her that I’m earnest.”

“Yeah, that would be Petra,” my mother chuckles, while my father nods in agreement.

The entire sickeningly sweet exchange makes me so mad, I don’t think I’ll be able to keep my poker face for much longer.

In a tense voice, I excuse myself to go to the bathroom, pocketing my phone on the way.

Closing the door behind me, I quickly pull up the messaging app and text Amelia.

Ames, help.

It only takes a few seconds for her to reply.

What’s up?

I quickly give her the rundown of what’s happening.

What do I do, Ames? This is insane.

That boyfriend of yours sounds hella devoted to you.

Don’t you find everything a little too . . . much?

Girl! That sounds so romantic.

I’m not sure we have the same definitions of romantic . . .

As if you weren’t the one who preferred Spike over Angel.

That’s fictional. We’re talking about real life here. And this guy just told my parents he wants to marry me!!! We never spoke about it!