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“Mom, Dad, what are you doing here?”
Mom? Dad? These are Hailey’s parents?
“You’re becoming the talk of the town,” her dad says before offering me a hand in greeting. “Mervin Jones. Nice place you’ve got here.”
“Thanks. Connor Madsen.”
“Oh, we know who you are.” A calculating gleam shines in Mrs. Jones’s eyes. “You’re the boy who tried dating our Hailey back in school. Isn’t it lucky we nipped that in the bud?”
My brows scrunch as Hailey groans beneath her breath. Her hand lands on my thigh under the table and squeezes.
“Mom…”
“What? He deserves to know.”
“I’m sorry. What are we talking about?”
“Both of you were too young to know anything about life or relationships in high school. We expected big things from Hailey, and while this little catering gig isn’t exactly what we envisioned, we can’t deny that you’ve made something of yourself, Hailey. That may not have happened if the two of you dated. And Connor…” The older woman turns to me. “Hailey would have been a distraction. You stopped wasting time with football and got your degree. Turned this old ranch around.”
“It’s very impressive,” Mr. Jones adds. “Hailey didn’t agree with our decision to forbid you guys to date, but all’s well that ends well, right? Now, you’re both successful.”
What the hell?
Shaking my head in disbelief, I glare at the couple. “Excuse me, but are you suggesting that you had any hand in either my or Hailey’s successes? That your meddling in the lives of two eighteen-year-olds somehow course-corrected our trajectories?”
It sounds even more ridiculous when I lay it out like that.
They both splutter in indignation, and Hailey looks like she’s about to jump in to smooth things over when my hand covers hers. She shoots a questioning gaze my way—a silent conversation pinging between us before she relaxes and lets me handle her parents.
“There’s no need for an attitude, son,” Mr. Jones begins with a disapproving frown.
“I’m not your son,” I cut in. “Thank god, too, since I’m well aware of your shortcomings as parents. What you’re not going to do is trespass on my family’s property during a private event and claim your daughter’s talent and skill for yourselves. Hailey didn’t succeed because you kept us apart. She’s not successful because of you; she’s winning despite you. There’s a difference.”
A choked sound comes from Hailey who covers her mouth. Immediately, it draws her parents’ ire.
“You think this is funny, Hailey? Are you going to stand there and let him talk to us that way?”
“He’s only speaking the truth,” she says softly. Then, her shoulders straighten, her hand finds mine, and she continues, “You’ve never truly accepted me for who I am. Connor does. I’m sorry if that doesn’t fit into your narrow view of how I should live my life, but I’m done killing myself trying to bend into an acceptable version for you.”
Her mom splutters. “Excuse me—”
“I think you should leave. Now.” Hailey points toward the gravel road leading out of the ranch, then turns on her heel and walks away with me happily in tow.
CHAPTER NINE
HAILEY
Seeing Connor defend me sets a burst of fireworks off in my veins. Sparks that travel straight to my pussy and have me tugging him into one of the darkened stables away from the lingering Ranch Bash crowd.
“Thank you. You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I did.” He cups my cheeks. “They had no right claiming any part of our success, especially yours. Not with how they treat you.”
“So much for reconciliation, huh?” I feel silly moving back home to patch things up between us when it’s obvious they care more about themselves than me.
“They need to grow the fuck up before they’ll be ready for that, I think.”
Pressing a soft kiss to his lips, I whisper, “You’re probably right.”
