"Old and amazing, apparently," he quipped, a hint of mischief in his voice. "I am so glad she thought I could have such a beautiful daughter like you."
"You're trying to turn this into a compliment? She called you..." I stopped, shaking my head. "I'm not even talking to you about this."
"Why?" he asked, his tone suddenly serious. "Are you embarrassed by this? Does it bother you?"
He wasn’t joking anymore. He was looking at me with genuine interest as if the answer mattered more than anything. The weight of his gaze, the way he needed to know, made me pause. More than anything, I didn’t want to hurt him with my response.
I sat there, staring at him, trying to gather my thoughts. His question wasn’t something I could dismiss with a shrug or a half-hearted answer. I needed to think about
