Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 98255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
“You’ve got a sister, right?”
“Yeah, but we were never close. My mom liked to take Isabella to the shops and spend time with her. My sister was the one who got shown off. Me, I was always left at home.”
Grant tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
“Isabella and I were not close. I don’t know if we ever will be.”
He couldn’t help but think about his brother. He and Bull weren’t close. Were they? Not really close. He always had his brother’s back, but that was it.
“Do you want to be close to her?” Grant asked.
“Sometimes I think it would be nice. Like knowing she’s pregnant. I’d love to be an aunt, spoiling her and stuff, but our mom had already started to take control.” Aria sighed. “So I guess it will never happen.”
“Bull and I don’t always see eye to eye. He thinks he knows best because he’s older than me. It pisses me off at times.”
Aria reached out and put a hand on his knee. “I have Lidia.”
Grant took her hand, locking their fingers together, and then bringing her hand to his mouth to kiss her knuckles.
“And now you have me,” he said.
“And you have me.”
He smiled. He just couldn’t help it. It felt good to have her.
After another ten minutes, he found the restaurant. It was a fancy place, even though it appeared to be in the middle of nowhere. The parking lot was close to bursting. Grant found a space, parked the car, and turned off the ignition. There were a lot of small fairy lights illuminating the building.
“Have you been here before?” he asked, hearing Aria’s sudden inhale.
“No, have you?”
“Babe, up until a few months ago, I wore the Chaos and Carnage leather cut, and trust me, I wouldn’t have come here. This is not my scene.” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Come on, we can do this.”
She chuckled.
Grant let her go long enough to climb out of the car and round the vehicle to her side. She was already in the process of getting out. Taking her hand within his, he clicked the lock on his keys, and then with Aria at his side, they walked into the restaurant.
The maître d’ at the front asked for their name and Aria gave him her sister and her husband’s name.
Grant had a quick glance around the restaurant. This was not his kind of place at all. Very quiet. Soft music played.
The maître d’ left the main desk and walked them over to a table, with four people sitting there. He also noticed there was only one single chair at the table. No one had set him a place.
Grant spotted the mother instantly. She took one long look at Aria, stared up and down, and he knew instantly she wasn’t happy with the figure-hugging dress Grant had convinced her to wear. She’d insisted on wearing a cardigan over her shoulders.
Instantly, he was angry.
The older man was her father, then he spotted the husband that Aria had told him was called Michael. Then his gaze landed on her sister, and fuck, piss, shit, fuck, cock, of all the people in the world, why did it have to be fucking her? He didn’t know her name. Hadn’t known her name. This was Aria’s sister.
Even she looked taken aback to see him. Good. Great. This wasn’t going to be a fun fucking Thanksgiving.
“Aria, you made it,” her mother said.
“Yeah, I did tell you I was bringing a plus one.”
“Your boyfriend?” this came from Michael.
“The only one,” Grant said. “Grant Reynolds.” He held out his hand and Michael took it. He was impressed that Michael had a firm handshake.
Next he shook hands with Aria’s father. When it came to the mother, he took her hand and even as he hated it, he kissed her knuckles. “Charmed,” he said.
“Would it be possible to have a chair brought and another placement at the table?” Aria asked.
“Certainly,” the maître d’ said, offering her a smile.
Grant clocked the bastard eyeing up her ass. He also noticed a couple of other men checking out his woman. Grant stepped behind her. He was the only one who would be checking out his woman’s ass. Pulling out the chair, he helped her sit and then thanked the maître d’.
A couple of waitresses had stopped by the table to bring the necessary cutlery.
Well, this wasn’t a great first impression from her family.
“I’m so sorry,” Michael said. “Joan said that Aria’s plus one wouldn’t be coming.”
Grant could only assume Joan was the fucking mother.
“No problem at all,” Aria said. “Easily fixed.”
“Reynolds, why do I know that name?” her father asked.
“He owns the mechanic shop in town, honey,” Joan said.
“Oh. Oh.”
Grant smiled. “Actually, I don’t own. My brother does.”
Aria was not wrong about her parents. They couldn’t stand him just on his name alone. This was going to be fun.