Chapter 80

Did he buy enough presents?

Roman looked back at the back seat full of wrapped presents, the ones he couldn’t fit into the boot.

Fuck. It was too much. Would they think he was trying to buy their affection?

The gate slid open, and it was too late to pull away and dump the presents somewhere. He drove up the driveway with his nerves playing havoc with him and stopped the car next to Evelyn’s.

He could do this. He could meet the parents and tell Evelyn how he felt. Just say it and let the chips fall where they may.

He saw the front door open and realised he had been sitting in the car for a while. When he got out, he saw it was Evelyn who’d come out of the house. She was dressed in a stunning long dress but still had a silly Santa hat on and a glowing red band around her neck that made him think of a collar.

Wrong thoughts to have when he was about to meet her parents for the first time.

He cleared his throat as Evelyn came to stand in front of him.

“Thanks for coming. I know you’re very busy,” she said uncertainly as she wrapped her arms around herself to protect herself from the cold.

“I’m never too busy for you.”

He’d spent a week rearranging his schedule and cancelling meetings. The trip out of the country was on hold. There was too much riding on the day’s outcome.

“I don’t want them to worry. They’ve been happy lately, and after what I did to them the first time, I just want them to feel secure again.”

“I understand. I was the cause of it all. Anything I can do to ease their minds, I’ll do it.”

Evelyn looked at him as if she couldn’t quite believe him. A week ago, he had told her goodbye and then danced for hours with her the same night. He knew she would remain unsure of him until he told her everything.

“I have presents to bring in. Why don’t you go back into the warmth? I won’t be too long.”

He pressed the button to open the boot so he could start unloading.

I’ll help,” Evelyn said.

She was next to him before he could stop her, and the surprised expression on her face told him he had bought too much.

"I didn't know what they'd like," he said defensively.

He saw her try to hide her amusement as she picked up two big Christmas gift bags. And then, on the way back to the house, she stopped at the backseat window. He knew she had noticed the rest.

"Well, I'll take these in, and you can bring the rest of the shop."

And that time, she couldn't stop her giggle. The sound washed over him and brought a smile to his face as it settled his nerves.

Several trips later, he had placed the bags under their giant Christmas tree. Phillip had told him he had sent over the Christmas decorations as he had asked. The tree looked better than his father’s professionally decorated ones because they had probably done that together. He could imagine them doing it over eggnog while listening to Christmas carols as normal families did.

“Roman.”

He looked away from the tree to see Evelyn had come in from the kitchen. She looked nervous now, and his nerves returned.

He’d never had to worry about the families of the women he had been with in the past liking him before. This was a novelty experience. They had every reason to dislike him, especially since they knew where all of this had started.

But if he made it right...

He followed Evelyn to the kitchen, where Christmas carols were playing, and her parents laughed as they prepared the food. Like a perfect family. Something he had never been a part of before.

“There you are.”

Evelyn’s mother came forward as she wiped her hands on a cloth and then pulled him to kiss both his cheeks in greeting.

“Merry Christmas, Roman,” she smiled when she released him.

She looked like an older version of Evelyn, and everything he knew about her from his past investigations told him she was a strong woman who didn’t tolerate bullshit from anyone. Him included.

“Thank you. Merry Christmas to you, too.”

And then her father came forward. He didn’t smile at him as his wife had. His face was stern as he held his hand out for a handshake. And what a firm handshake it was.

“Dad,” Evelyn said.

“What? I’m saying hello,” Evelyn’s dad said, but he released his hand and wheeled himself back.

Yes, they definitely knew what he had done to their precious girl.

Evelyn cleared her throat and then made the introductions. Tessa and Archie Bright. The two people who had raised their girl with such a strong moral campus that she couldn’t accept that he’d paid her to sleep with him.

He would have to work twice as hard to win their affection.

“It smells good in here. What can I help with?” he asked.

They looked surprised he had offered, but Tessa quickly gave him something to do. Evelyn poured him a drink, and he joined in. His nerves decreased the longer he was among them, listening to their banter. He’d never known families could be like that. Would Evelyn be the same if she took him back? Would she make their house a home?

Evelyn had been throwing him looks the whole time, but he couldn’t tell what she was thinking. But when the dinner was finally ready, and they all sat at the table, he could tell things weren’t quite going according to plan yet. Evelyn’s mother included him in all the conversations, and even her father thawed a little.

But Evelyn was getting more distanced the longer he was there.

“I don’t like you.”

Archie’s statement quieted everyone down. Okay, maybe Archie hadn’t thawed as much as he had hoped. Evelyn tensed beside him and looked down at her food.

“Archie,” Tessa said. There was a hint of a warning in her tone.

“No, I need to say this. You saw how much our baby cried,” Archie said to his wife before he addressed him again. “You broke her heart, and then you tried to make up for it by giving her all this. I don’t know what they teach you at your house, but you can’t buy someone’s love. We would have been happy even in our small house without your input. We don’t need your money.”

“I wasn’t trying to buy her love. I was trying to show mine.”

Evelyn made a slight choking sound. And then she placed her napkin on the table and stood up.

“Excuse me,” she murmured before she left the room.

She’d looked hurt by what he had said. He was messing up again somehow. He was losing her.

“I’m not perfect, Mr Bright, but I’m trying,” he said. “I’ll probably do many more stupid things in our relationship, but your daughter owns my heart. I am irrevocably in love with her.”

He excused himself and left the room without waiting for a response. Her parents were not the ones who needed to hear this.

But when he walked into the lounge, he saw a car's headlights as it reversed down the driveway.

Evelyn was running away.