Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 1207

Waldo didn’t buy a word his son said. He shot Billy a look of pure annoyance and sighed, “Why are you scaring your sister? You’re about to settle down yourself, yet you’re still acting like a kid. What if Aurora actually marries into our family? Are you going to upset her so much that she runs off in the middle of the night? If the Robinsons heard about this, do you think they’d ever let their daughter marry you?”

Billy stood there, innocent as could be. But with his parents so quick to blame him for everything, he only said, cool as ice, “Maybe you should ask her what she did. She must be feeling guilty if just seeing me made her run off.”

His parents were ready to scold him again, but his words caught them off guard. They both knew how much Sarah loved to pick fights with her brother. Maybe this time she really pushed him too far.

Even so, Beatty insisted, “Whatever she did, you can’t just scare her like that. It’s late, and it’s dangerous for a girl to run out by herself.”

Billy just let out a cold laugh. “What’s going to happen to her? She’s got bodyguards tailing her, and a boyfriend who’s more than happy to take her in. She’s not about to end up fighting someone for a spot under a bridge.”

Beatty stared at her son for a long moment before finally letting out a sigh. “You’re just jealous she’s got a boyfriend and you don’t. For someone who’s supposed to be her big brother, you’re being really petty.”

Billy was left speechless. Sometimes he honestly wondered if he’d been adopted, the way they played favorites was just unbelievable.

He took a deep breath, pushed down his frustration, and told his parents, “Whether I get a girlfriend or not depends on you two tomorrow. If you mess up this marriage talk, I’m going to make Sarah’s life miserable every day.”

Beatty rolled up her sleeves at that. “What’s wrong with you? If you can’t find a girlfriend, what’s that got to do with Sarah?”

Billy didn’t bother explaining. He squared his shoulders and shot back, “Yeah, I’m unreasonable. That’s what you think anyway, so I might as well prove you right.” Then he turned and headed back to his room without another word.

Waldo and Beatty just stood there, totally at a loss for words.

Beatty gave her husband a frustrated punch on the arm. “Look at your son! He’s almost thirty and he’s just now acting out like a teenager.”

Waldo felt a little wronged, but what could he do? This was his kid, after all. He could only try to comfort his wife, mumbling, “Guess his rebellious phase is just running late…”

They were both confident their daughter was safe, so even though they were still mad at Billy, they decided to get some rest. Meeting the in-laws tomorrow was a big deal, after all.

***

That was all Sarah needed to hear. She instantly perked up. “I’ll do my absolute best!”

Hanging up, she felt totally energized. She jumped out of bed, ready to get washed up and head out, but as soon as her feet touched the floor, a wave of soreness hit her and she almost collapsed. Larry caught her just in time, scooping her into his arms.

He gave her a look that was both amused and exasperated. “Careful, there’s no need to rush.”

Sarah wrapped her arms around his neck and mumbled, “Maybe we should take it easy next time.”

As great as last night had been, she could barely handle it and it was definitely messing with her plans for the day.

Larry just laughed, his voice low and warm. He leaned in, close to her ear. “I wanted to, but my girlfriend is pretty hard to resist. I can’t exactly say no to you.”

“N-next time, I’ll be good,” Sarah stammered, remembering flashes from the night before. Her cheeks turned bright red and Larry couldn’t help but smile, his heart melting at the sight.