Behind The Proposal novel Chapter 41

"Excuse me?" Tom walked in and dumped his plate on the table and glared at her mother.

"Well, what else are we supposed to think?" Mary shrugged. "You're never here."

Tom narrowed his eyes and planted his hands on his hips as he glared at her. "I work bloody hard to provide what I can for my family. And I'm completely loyal and faithful to my wife and I always will be."

Gulping, Sophie just sat there in stunned silence, digesting his words. He really did care about her. He cared about their marriage. That was a good thing right? Maybe she'd just read something that just wasn't there this past week? Maybe he truly had just been busy and not avoiding her?

"That's what they all say," her mother dismissed easily.

Sophie jumped up, hoping to placate him. "Tom, just leave it," she whispered, tugging on his arm.

"No, not this time," he shook his head as he stared at her all wide-eyed and furious. Her mother went back to eating her lunch as if the conversation had never happened.

"Please?" she pleaded.

He sighed heavily and turned to look directly at her mother. "I'll leave it, only because Sophie asked me to, but if I hear one more negative comment, I'll personally remove you from this house."

Her mother glanced up briefly but didn't even dignify his threat with a response.

They ate in silence and Sophie retreated back into herself for the rest of the meal. As soon as she could, she used the excuse of cleaning up to escape their presence and the unbearable tension in the room.

Sophie only wished that the tension had left with her parents, but she still felt like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Tom was still distant, and she knew he was stewing on what had been said. He shut himself in the study for the remainder of the afternoon, not even joining her and Jasmine for dinner.

At least Sophie had a reason to avoid him for a couple of hours while she bathed Jasmine and got her to bed. But then as soon as she walked out of her daughter's room, he was there in the kitchen, waiting for her, a scowl on his handsome face. "You know what she said was ridiculous, don't you?"

"They're my family. I can't just turn my back on them," she dismissed with the shake of her head.

He scoffed. "They know you won't and they're counting on that."

She stood back from him, crossing her arms across her chest as she glared at him. "What would you have me do? Walk away from them?"

"They walk all over you, they don't support anything you do, and they feed you lies and put you down constantly. And you don't seem to care."

"Of course I care," she shrieked. "Do you think I'd just allow it if there were some other way? There isn't. If I want my family, I have to do it this way. They won't have me any other way."

"Don't you see how wrong that is?" he shouted, despite his better judgment. He hadn't wanted to argue with her, but his blood was boiling.