Her voice is low as she steps toward Sloane, still seated beside me. “You. Little. Slut. Or are you a whore? He certainly seems to be paying you enough between the house and the car. I knew you would spread your legs before you were married, but for thisgodless deviant?I’ve never been so disappointed to call you my daughter!”
Janice is screaming by the end of her outburst, and when I see her raise her hand as if to backhand Sloane, my calm snaps back into place, and I decide we’redone here.
Stepping in front of Sloane, I block Janice’s slap with my forearm. “Do. Not.Ever.Raise your hand. Againstmy wife.”
In the drawn-out, tense stillness that follows, Janice stares me down as I block her from even looking at Sloane. My mother manages to herd everyone else out, leaving us alone with the Johnsons.
Finally, Janice turns and crosses the room to stand beside Scott.
“You haveruinedour daughter. She was such a good girl, and I don’t know howyoumanaged to pull her away from God and defile her,” her mother says, glaring at Sloane as if she doesn’t even recognize her.
I pull Sloane to her feet and hold her face in both of my hands. “I love you, Angel,” I murmur, giving her a small kiss and trying to see any hint of how she’s feeling in her eyes. She’s obviously sad, but her tears have seemingly dried up from earlier, and her glint of determination makes me grin. “That’s my girl,” I whisper.
Standing proudly in her beautiful dress, she breaks her silence. “Give me my rings back, please, Ledger. I feel naked without them.”
“My pleasure, baby.” I slide mine on first, then retrieve hers from my jacket pocket and reverently place them back on her finger with a kiss. I move to stand behind her, where I belong, with one hand on her hip.Unless she’s in danger. Then I’ll be in front of her, shielding her from the world.
“Mom. Dad. I’m sorry that Dean’s crass announcement is how you found out that I’m married. It’s not how we had planned to tell you, and I hope you can see the kind of person he is, to try and ruin a lovely evening.”
She takes a deep breath, and I amso fucking proudof my girl. I give her hip a little squeeze, and she continues.
“I’m not discussing any intimate details with you, but I love Ledger and I am by far the happiest I’ve ever been. This is my life, and I choose him. This is where I’ll be.” She sags slightly back into my chest, and I give her a kiss on the temple. It’s been a long-ass day, and I know how much energy it takes to stand up to your parents like this.
Surprisingly, Scott is the first to speak. “Sloane, I don’t understand how you could do this. We’ve given you everything you needed, and this is how you repay us? This isn’t you.”
“He’s obviously using you, sweetie,” Janice continues. “There must be some ulterior motive here. Men who have money like this don’t just dote on women for nothing. All of this is going to come right back around and bite you, I’m afraid.”
My wife is tired, so it’s my turn to try, one last time, to make these awful people understand.
“This is the last time you’re going to be welcomed into our home if you are so blind to your daughter’s brilliance that you feel the need to continue to insult her. She is a kind, generous, intelligent young woman who clearly tries to please you but is doomed to fail. You both fail to see her for who she is, but I don’t. She’s perfect. She helps me see the good in the world, the joy in little things, and the multitude of ways to be happy as a human. If you would stop putting her down for failing to meet your asinine expectations, you would see that. I will not apologize for taking care of her. She’s meant to be mine, and the years of life I’ve had without her were joyless but not wasted because I have everything I need now to make sure she has whatever she wants.”
I keep my eyes on her and try to make sure she can see how much I mean every word.
Finally breaking eye contact with Sloane, I turn back to the Johnsons. “My wife is a wonderful woman who has utterly captivated me, and I hope both of you open your eyes and get to meet her one day.”
With one more kiss to the top of Sloane’s head, I decide to reveal what I really hope is the last surprise of the evening.
“As far as anything coming back around to bite her, let me reassure you on that matter. There's no version of reality in which I would ever grow tired of Sloane, but if she decides she’s had enough of me, we have no prenuptial agreement. She has plenty of properties and portfolios already in her name, and she’s a millionaire in her own right as of the transactions I finished up earlier this week.”
Sloane gasps next to me, and I give her a smirk. “Sorry, baby. I knew if I told you, you’d try to stop me.”
“Ledger! I don’t want half of your money! We aren’t getting divorced!” she hisses, and her cheeks are already flushed the pretty shade of pink that I love so much.
“I know we aren’t, baby,” I whisper. “I would track you down wherever you tried to go, regardless. But this way, if you decide to, you’ll have enough starting capital to make the chase interesting. And now it isn’t half of my money, it’s just yours.”
I straighten back up and grin again at the Johnsons. “But if she does divorce me, she can have half of the half I have left, and we would still both be millionaires.”
Sloane pinches the bridge of her nose. “I had no idea you had that much money, you know.”
“I do know. It’s so cute when you’re exasperated with me. Have I ever told you that?”
A scoff from Janice reminds me westillaren’t alone in our house.
“I think both Mrs. Sinclair and I have said everything we have to say for the evening. If you’ll excuse us, we’re very much looking forward to our first Christmas as a family.”
Thankfully, they seem chastised enough, or maybe just dazed enough, to realize I’m not asking them to leave. I’m telling them to get the fuck out. My mother appears and takes charge of leading them out the door and hopefullyout of our fucking lives. At least for a while.
I pull Sloane into my arms and use a finger under her chin to bring her gorgeous green eyes to mine. She looks a little tired, but the spark I saw earlier, when she so beautifully put her parents in their place, is still there.
