Tempting Me: A Bad Boy Romance by Roxy Sinclaire, Natasha Tanner

to Theresa’s. My father may have worked a lot but I know he loves me and just wants what is best for me. Poor Theresa had nothing but a string of her mom’s boyfriends as father figures and many of them sound like they were abusive. I am ashamed for how I have taken my life for granted. I can’t even be mad at Xavier. If I had bothered to take a second and think about what I want instead of just doing what everyone wants me to do, Xavier and I wouldn’t be engaged in the first place.
    I’m graduating from college in a week and instead of looking for a career and an apartment that I pay for instead of my parents, I have been going to wedding cake tastings and diving blindly into a life I don’t want.
    I’m glad I came home with Theresa. For the first time, I see things with a fresh perspective. I am calling off the wedding and I am going to stand on my own two feet. I won’t take my family’s money anymore and though they will be mad at first, I know they will still love me. It’s about time I find out who I am and what I want out of life.

 
    Chapter 7
    Aria
     
    I steel myself for the call I have to make. I know I need to do it now, before I lose my courage. Theresa is still asleep so I crawl out the window onto the fire escape and take a deep, calming breath.
    “Mom.”
    “Aria, where on earth are you? The bridal shop called and said you didn’t show up for the final fitting. Do you have any idea how many young girls would give their first born for a custom dress from Pnina Tornai?”
    The blood freezes in my veins when I hear my mom’s voice. All I can think of is how much money my family has spent on this wedding. There is the dress, the church, the reception hall, and the caterers. Not to mention the humiliation of the wedding being cancelled a few days before it’s supposed to happen.
    I know I can tell her. It’s like pulling off a bandage; a really big, extra sticky bandage.
    “Mom, stop talking. I’m calling the wedding off because Xavier cheated on me and I don’t love him. I’m not going to marry him.”
    For the first time in her life, my mother is speechless.
    “I’ve decided to stay in the city and get a job. I’m going to be independent for the first time in my life. I love you, mom, but this is something I have to do.”
    “Aria, don’t over react. I’m sure Xavier was just sowing some oats before settling down with you. And the idea of you staying in the city by yourself is out of the question. I never should have let you go there for college in the first place. I knew living in the city would be nothing but a bad influence. But I thought if Xavier was there with you, it would be alright.”
    “I’m hanging up now,” I tell her. “I’ll call back later after you’ve had time to digest everything.” I put down the phone before she can say any more.
    Xavier has sent me about twenty texts since I caught him with Ella. They aren’t apologies so much as missives that I need to grow up and come to my senses. Why does everyone keep telling me I need to grow up?
    The reality of my situation is finally dawning on me. I am supposed to move out of my apartment after I get back from the honeymoon. Much of my stuff is already packed. Will my parents let me stay there until I can get some money saved? My phone rings and the caller ID shows it’s my father. If I can take a guess, I’m about to have the answer to my question.
    He doesn’t bother to say hello. Instead, he lays it all out on the table with a swiftness and severity that leaves me as speechless as my mother was with me.
    “You have just over one week until the wedding. If you don’t marry Xavier as planned, you leave us with no choice but to cut you off. Your credit cards will be cancelled, your apartment closed up, and your trust put on hold. I’m sorry to be so firm with you Aria, but I will not let you throw away your future because you are upset that Xavier isn’t a prince out of a fairy tale. We will see you in a