Page 112 of Wrong For Me

“I should get going. I left Leo with Violet.”

“Kid can’t talk to your sister for a few minutes?” my dad asks, his voice sharp.

I whirl on him, my temper flaring. “I think he’s dealt with all of you incredibly well, Dad.”

Sam laughs, trying to ease the tension. “I agree. It can’t be easy to come into a scene like this. Your guy seems very nice, Rosie.”

“Thanks, Aunt Sam.” Again, I turn to go, knowing I won’t be able to last much longer without yelling at my dad.

“Wait,” he says, a hand on my shoulder, voice tight with frustration. “You’ve barely said two words to me today.”

I face him, gritting my teeth. I have no idea how I manage to keep my words calm. “I’m very angry at you right now, Dad,” I say in a low voice. “I don’t really want to talk.”

His eyes go wide with surprise. I don’t think I’ve ever admitted to being angry at either of my parents before. I never gave them attitude. We never fought. I’ve always been their perfect, no-trouble daughter.

I don’t feel at all perfect right now.

“What did I do?” he asks.

“I said I don’t want to talk about it now.”

His surprise turns to a smile. “If you’re mad because I wanted to talk to that kid for a few minutes—”

“He’s not a kid, Dad. He’s two years older than me. He’s a doctoral student. That means he teaches classes at the university—huge lectures with hundreds of kids. That’s on top of his own studies. You act like he’s some teenager off the street.”

“I don’t trust him,” he says, sounding childish.

My temper snaps. “Because he wouldn’t sign your NDA? The one you had Gibbs bring him behind my back? The one you tried to bribe him into signing?”

“Wait, what?” Aunt Sam asks. “What NDA?”

“Oh, he didn’t tell you?” My voice drips with bitterness. “He sent his lawyer after Leo the first night we met.”

“Don’t be so dramatic,” my dad says. “I didn’t send him after Leo. I sent himtoLeo.”

I gape at him. “You havegotto be kidding me. You think there’s a difference?”

“Rosie—”

“No, Dad! I can’t believe you would do that! Do you have any idea how embarrassed I was when he told me?”

“Why would you be embarrassed? I was just looking out for you!”

“I can look after myself!”

His eyes flash and he doesn’t need to speak for me to know what he’s thinking.You couldn’t look after yourself last time. Look at all the trouble it caused when you trusted the wrong guy.

My stomach turns. I need to get out of this house.

“Rose,” Cash begins, his voice gentle. I spin to face him.

“Did you know he was going to do that?”

Cash holds up his hands. “I didn’t sweetheart, but—”

“Don’t you sweetheart me,” I snap, and I can see the surprise on his face, too. If I have a no-drama relationship with my parents, that’s nothing on how well I get along with my doting uncles. But I don’t care, not today.

“I’m so tired of the way you all treat me!”