Page 46

You worried about me, Charming?

Charming:

Not so much you. You’re a survivor. I’d be more concerned about whomever you’re up against. Seriously, though, how bad was it?

Me:

My mom is calming down the situation. And by situation, I mean my father.

Charming:

Is he going to let you see the light of day again?

Me:

I’d like to see him try to stop me.

I add a laughing emoji to my message.

Charming:

Patty told me I should marry you. His exact words were: wife that girl up.

Marry me?He can’t be serious. He’s joking. I think. My heart starts to speed up.

Me:

I’m not wife material. I don’t like being kept or told what to do.

Charming:

That’s what I like most about you.

There’s a knock on the door, and I drop my phone as my mom walks in. “Hey, how is he?” I ask, seeing as I left her to deal with the mess I made with my dad.

“He’ll survive,” she says, rolling her eyes. “But you really need to not do this again, Aurora.”

“I know,” I tell her.

“There is so much in life I want you to experience, enjoy. And you can’t do that if your father locks you away, which he will,” she says, sitting down on the edge of my bed.

“I know,” I repeat.

“Whoever he is, I really hope he’s worth the trouble.”

“I think I might be in love.” I sigh. “I mean, I don’t know. It’s stupid.” I have no idea what it feels like to be in love, but I do know I like Connor a lot. I mean, there’s not really much not to like about him, once you get past the whole Irish thing. I’d be lying if I said his accent wasn’t a turn-on, though.

Also, he’s just as unhinged as I am. Okay, maybe not. But he’s not afraid to fight and he doesn’t back down. What he didat the gas station, how he handled that whole situation, that was fucking hot.

“It’s not stupid, baby, but you need to be careful. And make sure he really is the one before you take on that fight with your father and uncles,” she says. “And brothers.”

“Well, Lorenzo is on the other side of the world. He doesn’t get a say.” I smirk, finally finding a positive outlook on my brother moving to Australia.

“Don’t underestimate what your brother would do for you, Aurora. If you think an ocean would stop him, think again, sweetheart,” Mom says.

“Maybe I’ll just do what you and Papa did, and run off to Vegas and get hitched. Then it’ll be too late. They’ll just have to accept it,” I joke.

“Don’t you dare do that to me, Aurora Valentino. Promise me right now that you will not get married without me there. I’ve had one kid do that, and you’re my only daughter. I need to be there for all of it. And as much as he might be a grouch about it, it will break your father’s heart if he doesn’t get to walk you down the aisle. Promise me you won’t do that to us.” Mom sounds genuinely stressed.