“You haven’t even met them, and you’re judging them. I have met them, and let me tell you, if Dad was alive to meet them he would be thrilled. You’ve sat through all those pack interviews and seen all the assholes trying to make her into an Eva Williams clone, and you aren’t even willing to consider it? I’m so disappointed in you.”

My head snapped to my sister. That was the last thing I expected to come out of her mouth.

Mom was staring at her too, and slowly, she looked at me. The good daughter in me wanted to comfort her and tell her everything was okay. But this had been coming for a long time, and there wasn’t anything Eva said which was untrue.

I knew Mom loved me, and I knew in her own way she wanted what was best for me. But her vision of what was best and mine were entirely different.

She didn’t say anything, and we simply stared at each other. There wasn’t an apology coming right now. I knew that. But I couldn’t leave it like this. “Will you at least meet them?”

“I’ll consider it.”

“Great,” Eva said, tossing back her glass of wine. “So glad you’re going to consider meeting the men who are head over heels in love with your daughter. Let’s go, May-may. I don’t feel like salad with a side of snobbery today.”

She was already halfway to the door when I stood to follow her, giving my mom a sad and apologetic smile. But that was the only apology she was going to get from me. We stopped before we left, waiting for Wes and her bodyguard. “You didn’t have to do that, Eva.”

“Yes, I absolutely did. Because it’s been years, and I’m sick of it. I know you are too. You think she’s going to be angry at me because I just made a scene in the middle of the restaurant? No. She’ll still find a way to blame you. And I’m happy to be the one to do it. Even though you would never say it, all of this is my fault.”

I sighed. “No, it’s not.”

“You’re right. It’s not directly my fault. But it is because of me.”

Eva’s car pulled up, but I had to ask her. “It’s gotten worse since dad died, right?”

“Yes. It has.”

When my father was alive, it was the same. I was still placed in a box for the sake of Eva’s career, but it wasn’t nearly so obvious. And the matchmaking didn’t start until after his funeral. The whole thing with Aaron happened while he was alive, but it got worse after he passed.

It was something I needed to think about. Without thinking too much about Dad.