Dinner With a Bad Boy by Kathy Lyons Page B

instinctively tensed, sliding in front of Sue in case her mother became violent, but neither of them had the chance. Sue roughly pushed them both apart. "Stop it! Both of you!" she shouted.
    Mitch straightened, intending to say something—what, he had no clue—but something perfect. Something that would show both mother and daughter that he and Sue belonged together. But as he desperately searched for the right words, Mrs. Chen pulled herself together, speaking in Chinese with great dignity while her daughter pulled her arms against her chest in a defensive posture.
    He didn't know what her mother said, but Sue's response was very clear. "Of course I love you, Ma Ma. And my family. But I'm an adult. You must allow me to make my own mistakes."
    "Aha!" cried her mother in English. "You admit it." She pointed her dark red fingernail at Mitch. "He is a mistake."
    For his part, Mitch felt his heart shrivel with cold. Why couldn't she just say the truth? That she loved him and damn the consequences? "Maybe you're right," he said. "Maybe this whole thing is a mistake."
    She shook her head, a single tear slipping free. "I didn't say that."
    Her mother began speaking, but Sue held up her hand, shooting her mother a stern look before turning back to him. "I'm asking you." She took a deep breath. "I'm begging you, Mitch, don't make me choose between you and my family."
    "God, Sue, can't you see how much pain they're causing you?"
    "My name is Su Ling!" she exploded. And when he just stared stupidly at her, she shook her head, her tone and her shoulders dropping in weariness. "Mitch, I'm Chinese. I can't just throw my family away because they're inconvenient."
    He took a step forward. "Stop thinking so much. Go with your gut. It feels right between us, doesn't it? It has to. You said you love me." He watched as she closed her eyes, drawing herself together. Even her posture became firmer.
    Then she opened her eyes, shifting to look at her mother. Inside Mitch began to glow with joy. She was going to tell her mother to butt out. This was her life. And, miracle of miracles, her next words confirmed it.
    "Ma Ma, I do love him." Then she turned to him, and he felt his happiness start to sink. "But I love my family, too. They're a part of me. The man for me will recognize that."
    He shifted his gaze to her mother, seeing the triumphant gleam in her eyes. "And what if your family doesn't accept him?" he challenged. Because from her mother's expression, hell would serve frozen margaritas before that woman accepted him.
    Sue hesitated, shifting her gaze to her mother. "They love me, too. We have to find a way to work it out."
    "Work it out with your family?" he drawled, thinking of his own family—the bitter arguments, the ugly words. Some things, he knew, never ran smoothly.
    "I will not choose between a man and my family." Sue stepped toward him, her heart in her eyes. "If you love me, you'll help me find a way."
    He tasted bitterness as he spoke. "If you loved me, you wouldn't need my help. You'd know that my love..." He took a deep breath. "That our love comes first." He crossed to the door then, intending to leave. That was how he'd ended his last bitter argument with his father—by just walking out. But before he could close the door on the one woman he'd ever truly loved, he had to try one last time. "I make you happy. You know I do."
    She shook her head, the tears flowing freely down her cheeks. "Not if it means I have to break with my parents. Are you truly happy—truly whole—without your family?"
    He didn't answer, knowing he'd been defeated. She would always be tied to her mother's strings, always bound by their choices, not her own. Swallowing his anger along with his regrets, he grabbed his shirt and jacket and walked out.

 
     
     
    Chapter 6

     
    One week later Mitch knew he'd made a mistake. All his life he'd trusted his gut. If he felt pain, then something had to change. So years ago he'd walked out on his parents, and