“Mr. Sinclair! Is that why you’ve suddenly appeared in our lives, stealing Sloane from Dean and buying her fancy cars with what’s obviously drug money? Is my daughter pregnant?” Janice is out of her chair now, so I guess we’re fully fucking doing this.
I remove my napkin from my lap and gently pat my mouth, remaining seated and refusing to meet her aggression.
“Sit down, Janice,” Scott says, pulling his wife back into her seat. Now we’re all just looking at each other in a triangle of anger while Sloane puts her elbows on the table and her head in her hands.
“What exactly makes you think I sell drugs, Mrs. Johnson? And please call me Ledger. I’m thirty years old, not seventy.”
Even this was the wrong thing to say, apparently, because Janice lets out a disbelieving squeak and almost bursts my eardrums.
“Thirty?” she screeches. “Sloane Johnson! You told us this man was twenty-three and had just graduated last year! Is anything you’ve told us true?”
Sloane’s forehead is now on the table, completely at a loss for how to proceed. I hate that I’m making her life an ounce more difficult today, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to continue to sit here and listen to these assholes trash the love of my life for one more moment.
“Sloane likely tried to soften the news of our relationship for your sakes when she told you, and assumed taking our age gap out of the equation might make me more palatable to you. I understand why she would do so, but please allow me to dispel any more false, frankly insulting assumptions you may have about me. I will admit that during my difficult teenage and young adult years, I was a nuisance to my parents, and I caused them no small amount of grief, yes including drugs. I hate to say I have indeed done many drugs in my life, but not for years, and I do not nor have I ever sold them.
"As far as Sloane’s car is concerned”—and her house, and her wardrobe and every single damn thing she will ever want for the rest of her life—“I purchased it through my verylegitimate business. I’m not sure how much she’s told you about my family, but my father left us with quite the legacy. While my brother Henry runs the successful company he left behind, the rest of us have used our platforms to create our own businesses to channel our interests.”
I look over to see my girl is starting to calm down. It seems I’m finally saying the right things. “And no, she is not pregnant.”Yet. “I just like to mess with her. You’ve met my mom, Blanche? Well, the first time my mother saw us together, she immediately commented on how beautiful our babies would be, embarrassing poor Sloane.” To my dismay, the condescending words about their daughter seem to lighten the air. “Of course, I think we can all agree what a blessing babies are.”
Mrs. Johnson finally speaks up. “Within the confines of marriage of course.”
“Of course.” I agree with my most innocent smile, squeezing Sloane’s hand under the table to portray my true feelings. I finally feel the tension in the air dissipating, giving me the confidence to continue. “Also, I categorically deny ‘stealing’ Sloane from Dean. He was cheating on her throughout their relationship, as well as doing drugs and committing various other crimes, which I’ve, to date, avoided going to the authorities about but am happy to do so if I see fit.”
Both of Sloane’s parents look at me in disbelief as her mom speaks up. “That just doesn’t sound like Dean. We’ve known the Christensens for years. He and Sloane practically grew up together. In fact, if you want to see, we have darling pictures all the way back to when they were in the nursery at church together. There must be a mistake with your findings. I justrefuse to believe Dean would do those things. He just comes from such goodstock,you know how that is?”
My snob comes out as I internally roll my eyes. Both of their families are upper-middle class at best.
Her dad nods in agreement. “Janice is right. He comes from too good a family to do any of that mess. You know, golf has always been his best sport, but he was a great football player as well. A stand-up quarterback. Took the team to state all three years he started.”
“Unfortunately, Sloane didn’t lose enough weight to cheer until her senior year, and by that time, he was already in college. Can you imagine just how perfectthosepictures would have been?”Janiceinterjects.
I want to take their heads and knock them together like theidiotsthey are, but a glance at my girl, who’s not shaking anymore, reminds me to behave. I ignore her mom’s statement and go in for the kill with her dad. “You know, my brother Henry was a quarterback. Played here years ago.”
I can see the gears turning as her father puts two and two together. “Henry…Sinclair…Your brother isHenry Sinclair?”
“The one and only, sir.”
I watch Scott’s allegiance shift from Dean to me as we spend the remainder of dinner talking about my brother. Janice, however, is just as much against the idea of Sloane and me, maybe now more than ever since her husband seems to have jumped ship.
Her passive-aggressive comments escalate until she flat-out asks me to leave, asking Sloane to see me out. Once we’re outside, I sit back onto my bike while Sloane stands between my legs, gnawing again on her bottom lip.
“I’m sorry, Angel. I know you didn’t want me to make a scene. It took everything in me not to throw you over my shoulder and take you away from those horrible people. They don’t deserve to breathe the same air as you, baby—”
I’m cut off by Sloane’s soft lips on mine once, twice, and a third chaste kiss before she pulls back.
“Thank you,” she whispers, “for toning it back so much.” She wipes her eyes on her sweater sleeve and scoffs. “I know they are a bit much. I wish I had the nerve to stand my ground, but it would just make everything so much worse.”
“Hey.” I press a kiss to her forehead. “Don’t do that to yourself. One day, we’ll talk more about all my shit with my dad, and you’ll see that only beingoldand having years of therapy give you the balls to stand up to awful parents.”
That finally brings a smile to her face. “You’re not old.”
“Yeah, well, tell that to Janice.” I chuckle, and she finally gives a small laugh. “Can you please come back with me?”
She deflates, and I already have my answer. Running a hand through my hair, I try to calm down and see things from her point of view, but now that I’ve actually spent time with these assholes, it’s a lot harder. Her parents suck, but she doesn’t need them anymore. Does she doubt that I would take care of her? Doesn’t she realize she has no need to rely on them for anything?
Before I can ask, the apartment door opens, and Janice is calling out, “Sloane, dear, your favorite cinnamon rolls are coming out of the oven. Come back in and let’s eat them while they’re hot.”
Sloane rolls her eyes and gives me a sad smile. “No, I really have to go back in, butthey’ll be gone soon.”
