Page 168 of Devious Obsession
I tense up.
He releases me quickly and steps back. Mom is just releasing Steele from her embrace, too, and we all take our seats. Me across from Mom, Steele on my left across from his father.
Steele picks up my hand by my fingers and sets them both on the table. Showing off the glittering diamond on my finger.
“Aspen and I are getting married,” Steele announces.
Neither of them look fucking surprised.
I narrow my eyes at my mom, and she has the good grace to look guilty.
“Well. Your uncle may have been, um, keeping tabs on you. For me,” she adds. “Not that we didn’t trust you, Steele, but… well.”
Ridiculous.
Ridiculous.
It’s so ridiculous, it’s almost funny.
No, actually, itisfucking funny. I cover my mouth to try and hide my giggle. But as soon as the first one slips out, the whole dam breaks. And suddenly I’m laughing so hard I can’t breathe. Tears fill my eyes, and I snort. Then laugh harder.
Steele is laughing, too.
Because we started this train wreck of a relationship withspying. Steele’s dad asking me to look after his son, and the vitriol that followed. Of course they wouldn’t trust us to follow through on that—they hardly trust us at all.
Eventually, my giggles subside. Steele still has a hold of my hand, although he releases it so I can snap out my napkin and dab at my eyes.
“You guys are messed up,” I tell them. “We’re adults.”
Stephen inclines his chin. “We just want what’s best for our children.”
“Yeah… but you don’t try to guide us into better decisions or trust us to tell you. You just watch from the sidelines until we fall on our asses. And then you try to punish us for it.” I eye Steele, deciding not to bring up the whole drugging thing. It’s water under the bridge between us, even if it might still be a sore spot between his father and me. And that counselor who I ditched.Whoops.
He’s nodding along. “Dad, you were so willing to dismiss Aspen after I sent you that video. But the whole thing was fake. I spiked her drink with a hallucinogenic and filmed it to discredit her. And you fell for it. Not only that, but you tried to get her to leave CPU and derailed her whole career… for what?”
I’m just surprised Steele admitted it. But maybe he’s willing to shed light on his own devious nature if it shows just how ineffective our parents’ meddling has been.
Shame fills Stephen’s expression, and his attention flips from Steele to me. “My son is right. I used you as a tool, Aspen, and I’m sorry for that. The night with your father proved just how badly I was fucking things up between us. I shouldn’t have done that—and I’ll rectify it immediately.”
“No need,” Steele murmurs. “I took care of it. I love Aspen. I knew her before I found out she was the daughter of the woman you married. I knew we were going to be together when I first laid eyes on her. That’s why we went to Mom, and she gave us her ring.”
For the first time, Stephen goes completely still. His gaze lands on the ring, and his lips flatten. There’s a second where I think he might go toward anger, but instead… his whole face softens.
“I’m so fucking proud of you,” he says to his son. “And for the record, I support your decision to pursue hockey as a career. I don’t know if I understand it, exactly. It’s still a violent sport. But you’re good at it, and you seem happy. That’s what should’ve been most important to me all along.”
Oh, great. Today just seems to be the day for tears, because my vision goes blurry for the thousandth time.
“I’m sure your mother would say the same,” he adds.
And I’m crying.
Steele wordlessly pulls me onto his lap. I automatically tuck my face in his neck, and he strokes my hair.
“She’s had a long day,” he offers as way of explanation. He tells them about my second audition. And how his mother was today—because I guess some days are worse than others, and we got a good one.
I stay there until our food is ordered. Then, shyly, I slip off his lap and clean myself up in the ladies’ room. By the time I’m done, most of my makeup is gone. But you know what?
Good riddance.
