Page 70 of Sheltered
My dad sighed. “Something tells me I’m not going to like the rest of this story.”
I took in a deep breath and blew it out before I decided it was best to just share it all without additional delay. So, that’s what I did. I told my family about how I’d found Rob through the app and how we met in person at The Steel Pub. I went on to share how he’d arrived exceptionally late, wasn’t entirely honest beforehand about the work he did, and what his expectations were if I hoped for us to have any additional dates.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Kevin seethed.
While I knew he wasn’t angry with me, I expected that reaction. My family might have been excited to know I was finally dating someone, but they still wanted the best for me—something that would have been impossible if I’d jumped right into bed with someone I didn’t know a thing about.
“I’m not joking,” I told him. “But that’s where Blaze comes in.”
“I felt exactly the same way I think you all must feel now, listening to this story,” Blaze chimed in.
“You were there?” my dad asked him.
Blaze nodded. “I was. I was already there before Harlow even arrived. I don’t think any of you would be surprised to learn that I noticed her the minute she walked in.”
A proud look washed over my dad’s face, and my mom had stars in her eyes. Despite her dreamy stare and the fact I’d already shared most of this story with her, she asked, “So, what happened then?”
Blaze and I looked at one another, and I gave him a nod, indicating he could share the next part of the story.
“I had a pretty good feeling that Harlow was on a first date, because I’d overheard much of the conversation,” Blaze shared. “It wasn’t difficult to recognize that she wasn’t very comfortable with what was happening, so I stepped in. I pretended to be a friend of hers who was in town only for a short time and was hoping to grab a cup of coffee with her before I had to leave town again. Fortunately, Harlow understood what I was trying to do for her, and she agreed to it. My intention was merely to get her out of that situation, but once we were at the exit to the pub, Harlow insisted on thanking me for stepping in when I did. So, we walked across the street to the diner and grabbed a cup of coffee.”
“And he didn’t even let me buy it for him,” I declared.
Blaze looked at me, smiled, and covered my hand with his.
Following a beat of silence, Kevin asked, “Were you hoping my sister would be willing to date you instead?”
I was about to defend Blaze and insist on just how noble he was, but our server walked up at that moment and forced all of us into silence. She handed out dinner salads to everyone before taking off and leaving us alone again.
And before I could get back to the conversation and respond to my brother, Blaze beat me to the punch. “I’d be lying to you if I said I didn’t think any man who had the privilege of dating a woman as beautiful Harlow would be lucky, but that was not my reason for stepping in.”
“So, what made you do it when you didn’t have to?” Austin questioned him.
Blaze shrugged. “It wasn’t in me to sit there, doing nothing, when that guy was being the way he was. I have two sisters, and I would hope someone would step in for them if they were ever in a situation like that.”
Kevin and Austin both nodded, looks of approval adorning their expressions.
“Thank you for what you did for my daughter,” my dad said, pulling our attention to the opposite end of the table.
“Of course. Though, just as I said to her that night, I really don’t need the thanks. All I wanted was for her to have a way to get away from that guy. Fortunately, it wound up working out well for the both of us afterward, because we had such a nice time talking over coffee.”
“And on the bright side, this all helps everything here tonight,” my mom declared. “Not that any of us would have ever given you a terribly difficult time tonight, but I think it’s safe to say we don’t have any reason to now.”
Everyone laughed, even Blaze. “I’ll admit I’m surprised at how relieved you all seemed to be to meet me.”
“I told him he didn’t have anything to worry about. I insisted you would all think he was great,” I shared.
My dad felt compelled to give Blaze a better explanation for their response to him. “I guess I can understand that it would seem a bit strange for us to welcome you the way we have. But if you look at the reason we’re here tonight, it might give you a bit of insight into my thought process. Obviously, my daughter is my number one concern. But if you’ve been spending time with her, I can only assume you know she’s not done much dating.”
“Yes, I’m aware that’s the case,” Blaze confirmed.
“I’m getting older,” my dad said. “We all are. Even Harlow. And it was beginning to weigh heavily on my mind that she hadn’t met anyone and didn’t seem to have any interest in making it happen, either.”
Feeling compelled to defend myself, I noted, “Kev and Austin aren’t dating anyone right now, either.”
My dad reached his hand out to the one I had resting on the table and gave it a squeeze. “Yes, darling, I know. But your brothers are actively searching. They’re dating. They’ve been dating. You have not.”
I pressed my lips together and sat back.