The Covenant (The Billionairess, #3)

Chapter 3: Father Dearest

After Rose and I left the Playroom, we both showered and began preparing to meet my parents. My parents were one of the few people who knew about my relationship with Rose Delacourt, outside of Lance and Emily. They both agreed to keep it secret. And since my father worked for the government, he knew a thing or two about keeping discreet information discreet. Hence why we would be having dinner at Rose's penthouse instead of out at some resturant. Ros ehaving dinner with her butler and escort was one thing, but having dinner with that butler's family drew in suspcision.

I was nervous. My parents were not distant, necessarily, but I was quite indepedent from them. And ever since moving to the city, it was hard to find time for us all to speak given our competing schedules. And now they were going to meet the love of my life.

I changed into a nicer suit, different from my butler uniform. Rose changed into a nice formal navy dress with black pantyhose and heels. I set about preparing the table for dinner. We had some turkey and mashed potatoes, along with a bottle of wine. Four seat, two on each side of the table.

At around six-thirty, the doorbell rang.

I approached the front door and stopped to adjust my tie. Rose came up beside me and gave my bum a small pinch.

"I'm excited to meet them," she whispered. She ran ahand over my hair. "I want to meet th epeople who made a lovely angel like you."

I smiled, then took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Hey there, Tommy boy!"

The first person to bound into the penthouse was my father, who threw a shoulder around my neck and started giving me a noogie.

"Look at ya, twenty-two and skinny as a stick!"

I forced out a chuckle and waited for my dad to let me go.

"Well, two years isn't that long, dad," I said. "People don't change that much."

My mother approached me next, with a softer touch.

"It's so nice to see you, Thomas," she said as she gave me a hug.

Let me give you a picture of my parents: My mother is a petite woman, with the same dark hair as me. She was dressed in a floral dress and pink cardigan. She was a nice, modest woman who didn't speak much but was sweet when she did.

My father, on the other hand, was very different. He was taller than me by more than a head, all bulk and muscle. He wore a blue suit and tie, and his beard was as gruff as ever. Unlike my mom, he was a loud person, often greeting people with a firm smack on the shoulder, back, or bum if you were a woman.

My parents then turned to my mistress.

"And you must be Rose," my mother said, shaking her hand. "I'm Diane, this is my husband Richard."

"So you're the lovely girl my son's been fawning over," my father said. He flashed Rose one his roguish smiles as he offered his hand. Rose wasn't impressed. She offered a polite smile and simply shook his hand.

"It's so nice to meet you both," she said.

My father's face dropped a bit. Another thing you should know about my father: Despite being married, he liked to throw a bit of flirty charms to any woman he met. Usually it was effective, but Rose was no so easily swayed. He tended to not like it when it didn't work.

Rose brushed my father aside and guided the rest of towards the dining room.

"I hope you'll like what we have tonight," Rose said. "Thomas made an excellent turkey and mashed potato tonight."