Never Letting Go

Chapter 32

"You didn't tell me how things went with the reporter you were speaking to earlier." I place the empty pizza boxes on top of the bin in the kitchen. I walk over to the living room and sit down on the couch next to Luca. "How did it go?"

"It went just how I thought it would go," he begins. He locks his phone and places it down on the coffee table before turning and resting an arm over the back of the couch so he can look at me more directly. "She asked a lot about you, us, and my family. She asked a little about my work but she mainly wanted something on us."

"What did you tell her?"

"Just what I needed to tell her and what she needed to know."

"Like?" I probe.

I want to know what he said to her so I have some idea of what to expect when the article comes out. I don't want to be blindsided again.

"The basics," he answers. "When we first met, how we met, how long we were together before splitting up, how we met again – the usual things they ask."

"Nothing that will surprise me or my family?"

"Not a single thing." He leans in close and places a kiss on my lips. He pulls back enough so he can look at me. I watch him as he draws his lips in, almost like he's hesitating on saying something. It doesn't last long but long enough to have me grow impatient. I place my hands on his thighs and he blinks. "I have to ask something of you."

I draw back, my hands sliding off his thighs as I sit up straight. "Okay."

"Before you run a mile when I say this to you, bare in mind that I didn't plan this one." His eyes lock with mine. "My father wants you to come to dinner tomorrow night." He takes a deep breath then licks his lips. "My mother will be there, too."

I shake my head and get to my feet. "Nope. I don't think so."

"Hey," he reaches for me as he turns, catching my hands before I have a chance to move away, "now under the circumstances, I think it's only fair as I managed to keep myself in one piece when I met all of your family in the one go."

"You just made a dick move and turned up to their house instead of waiting at the end of the road."

I make a move to walk away but Luca's hold on my hands tighten. I let my weight fall to the one side as I stare down at him.

"I was being a gentleman, give me some credit." He says.

"You just seem to like things that end up being dangerous."

"Then I'm guilty as charm."

I pull at my hands for him to let me go and he does so without a fuss. I take a few steps away from him.

"I don't have an issue with seeing your family," I start. I run a hand through my hair. "It's more your mum I have an issue with."

"So does everyone," he defends while getting to his feet. "It's not her as a person but her job. She intimidates people because they think she's trying to work out what they're really thinking."

"She's never liked me, though." My hands fall onto my hips and I pace back and forth. "I mean; she did like me but she never truly accepted me as your girlfriend the last time."

"That's because the way we were going it was getting really serious and she was just looking out for both of us. She didn't want us to go full steam ahead and end up crashing and ruin everything we had."

"We were young, she should have let us do our thing and if we ended up hitting a rough patch, it would have been our job to deal with it."

I'm getting angry and I don't care what I say. I always knew Jane Madden was a horrid woman and it showed whenever I was around her. The way she would speak to me despite having Luca there was like I was filth who wasn't good enough for her only son. She always put on these fake faces depending on who she was around. Her attitude also changed and it made it hard trying to keep up with which version on her you were speaking to.