Page 163 of Trust Me

The timer in the kitchen went off, giving him the perfect excuse to leave me there. He met my eyes briefly before he turned and walked away, shoulders sagging.

Well, that wasn’t anger. Disappointment? I wasn’t exactly sure.

Looking at his parents, I swallowed. “If I overstepped, I’m sorry.”

“I already knew,” Teresa replied quietly. “I just figured Dean did too.”

Blake looked at her with wide eyes. After a second, he stood and left the room.

It felt like I’d divided the entire family.

“You knew?” I repeated.

“Dr. Matteo mentioned it during my first week.”

He smiled a little awkwardly. “If I knew it was such a topic of contention, I would’ve left it out entirely.”

“It’s alright. At first, I thought it was strange,” Teresa admitted, refocusing on me. “But then I met you. I see the way you look at Dean, and if my first impression of you is that you stepped over some boundaries to help his family, how can I have a problem with that?”

“You love too hard, don’t you?” Lee asked seriously.

I opened my mouth, then shut it again. Remi would probably agree, but then again, he was the one always searching for love in places he shouldn’t. His sort of desperation was separate from mine, stemming from wounds I couldn’t think about without having to take a steadying breath.

“I knew it might piss him off, but I did it anyway.” With a shrug, I looked over my shoulder toward the kitchen, wishing I could see inside.

“Just give him a minute to breathe.”

“I know. Actually, I’m not all that worried about him. It’s you guys. And Blake,” I added. “I can’t stand the idea of getting between your relationships.”

“Sit,” Teresa instructed gently.

“But—”

“I’m telling you to make yourself at home,” she interrupted, her voice firm.

“I don’t really know how.”

“Then you’ll learn because we’re not letting you get away that easily.”

I looked at Dr. Matteo. “This is hella awkward, isn’t it?”

He breathed a laugh. “You have no idea all the drama I hear in my office every day. But if you don’t mind, it might be better for us to do this dinner another night.”

Teresa seemed grateful for the suggestion. While they said some things to each other, I sat on the couch and went over what I’d say to Dean when we spoke.

Because we would speak. If I was lucky, we’d get through it without any yelling. But I wouldn’t stop him if he needed to do that too.

We’d weather anything together, even the things that made me afraid.