Truth or Lies? by A. Gomez (book club recommendations txt) 📗

I can, but then my entire family will come here to deliver my clothes and they’ll see me like this. They’ll see us like this.”

“Ha! Don’t be silly, baby, they’ll just see you like this. I’ll be dressed and presentable. They won’t suspect a thing of what we’ve been doing. Besides, your father already knows my intentions and I have his blessing.”

I laid there, eyeing him quizzically. “What are you telling me, Josh?”

“I mean, since I spent six weeks with your parents, we got to know each other really well, and they bombarded me with questions about me, my family, you, my line of work, my future and I have a feeling your father might have had me investigated.” He grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me onto his lap. “Your mother didn’t bother drilling me or trying to catch me in a lie. Probably because she helped me through that shit I went through. She and I just had normal conversations. I really love your mom, by the way. Your dad kind of makes me nervous, though. Lots of fun to be around but still makes me a little nervous.”

“Okaay, so?”

“Sooo… I asked your dad for your hand!” He smiled his boyish grin, giddy as a schoolboy. “And he said yes… with his blessings!”

“You asked my dad for my hand… in marriage?”

“Of course, baby. Is there any other type of asking for your hand?”

I sat there, smirking, my smirk turning into a smile, reaching my eyes. My smile then turned into full-on laughter. Loud guffaws, rolling on the floor laughter. I couldn’t stop. It was just too funny. My parents have the best sense of humor and poor Josh had not a clue. I felt so sorry for him but I couldn’t stop laughing.

“Hey, you’re kind of hurting my feelings.” His boyish grin was gone and a scared little boy’s face took its place.

“I’m sorry, Josh. I don’t mean to laugh.” I tried to control my laughter but I hadn’t laughed like that in a very long time and I was kind of enjoying it. “You’ve just been played by my father and mother.” I turned it down to giggles. “My father knows I won’t marry anyone that’s not a Republican, so that’s why he did and said what he did. Otherwise, he would have told you, ‘you’ve lost your mind, son,’” I said, using my very best twang in a deep voice. “He knows me better than you, obviously, and my mother… well, she just loves everyone, so she just goes along with my dad.” I began to guffaw again, rolling on my side, complaining that my side was hurting.

Josh’s expression turned unreadable… no, not unreadable but pained and lethal. Oh, shit! I was quickly contrite and sat up, composing myself. Isabel, there you go again, acting before thinking.

“Josh?”

He stood up and slowly padded to the sliding doors, his arms across his chest. His shoulders were rising up and down as if he were beginning to sob. I could barely hear him, only the low, soft intake of breaths was audible. Oh, my gosh. I hurt Joshua. I felt the worst kind of pang in my gut. I padded over to him and stood behind him, placing my hand in the middle of his back. I didn’t know how to begin. I didn’t know what to say. But in all fairness, he hadn’t asked me to marry me: he had just asked my dad and automatically assumed I’d say yes. That right there was nuts, not to mention it pissed me off. But I couldn’t think of that right then.

“Josh… I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to hurt you.” I dropped my hand from his back and began to wring my hands. “I do love you… and I’m happiest when I’m with you… but… it is kinda what I’ve always wanted in a man.”

He jumped in the air, turning around like a ballerina and shouted, “Then lucky for you, I a Republican! Ha!”

I gasped, my eyes wide.

He was laughing. Josh was never sobbing but rather laughing when his back was to me. Sneaky devil. “Baby, your mom is the weak link. She was the one who clued me in. I love your mom.” He grabbed me by my upper arms, pulled me to his lips and kissed me hard.

He let go of me abruptly. I heard a faint pinging that was steadily growing louder. “Baby, hold that thought.” He ran to his laptop, put in an earpiece and it looked like he was answering a phone call. Huh, he can get calls through his computer?

“Now? It’s New Year’s Eve and I’m not leaving Isabel,” he said firmly to whoever was on the other end. I curled back up on the sofa next to the fire, kind of pissed that he had a marriage conversation with my parents and not me. “No way am I letting Hawkins come stay with her.” He sounded exasperated, running one hand through his hair. He was quiet for a while, listening to the other person. He gazed at me, his jaw muscles clenching. “Okay, yep, I’ll be there.” He closed his laptop.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes, baby, it’s just work. I need to get to the hospital though, so let’s find you something to wear,” he stated, striding to his bedroom.

“Babe,” I called after him, not wanting to move from that wonderfully cozy spot. “I don’t want to go. I can wait here. I’ll be fine, really. I handled Chang. If Ginger happens to come around, I can handle her.” I was yawning and stretching out on the sofa, trying to figure out how his remote control worked so I could watch TV.

He came out of his room with two pairs of pants, two undershirts, one pair of socks, a smaller jacket and a hat. “Here,” he said, placing them on the