True To You (Taking Chances #2) Read Online Free

do realize how much this means to our mothers, don’t you? This is a decision that also involves our families.”
    “I’m aware of that. I know I should have spoken up earlier. I’ll talk to my parents soon. And I’ll make it clear that I’m the one calling off the wedding,” she concluded with a sigh. She was not looking forward to her mother’s reaction when she broke the news. Was there any chance she could enroll in the federal witness protection program, just in case?
    “Have you thought about this? To go against our parents’ wishes and to call off the wedding would bring great dishonor to them. You wouldn’t want to do that, would you?”
    Melanie raised her eyebrows at his tone of voice. She couldn’t believe he was trying to guilt her into marrying him. If she hadn’t experienced this kind of intimidation before, she might have succumbed to the pressure. But guilt trips were part and parcel of her family life; she could spot one coming a mile away, especially when it came from her mother. With Melvin it was no different, except that she felt confident enough to stand her ground. “I hope you’ll understand and accept my decision.” She gathered her things and stood up to leave. “I need to get ready to start my rounds. We can talk more later, okay?” She gave herself a virtual pat on the back as she walked out of the cafeteria.
    ---
    “I can’t believe you did it!” Sam squealed as she looked over at Melanie sitting in the passenger seat.
    “I can’t believe it either. Aiya 2 , what have I done? I am in so much trouble.”
    “For once, you’re doing something you want instead of just blindly obeying Ma. Now I’m not the only daughter on her blacklist.”
    Melanie frowned. “But she expects that kind of rebellious behavior from you.” She reached over to pull at a lock of bright blue hair sticking out from under Sam’s newsboy cap. “If I did something like this, I’d get disowned. How in the world did you get away with it?”
    “I may have told Ma that dyeing my hair is a requirement of my program.”
    “So, you mean you lied?”
    Sam shrugged casually. “It’s not a total lie. As a graphic design major, I have to look the part of an arrteest . Hey, it was either this or shave half of my head.”
    “Are you still trying to learn French, Yee Ga Je 3 ?” Billie addressed her second eldest sister from the backseat. “Your accent needs a lot of work. It’s très mal .”
    “Ha ha, very funny. You better be tray nice to me. After all, you’re the reason I’m missing the premiere of that new cop show.” Sam lowered the rear view mirror to make eye contact with Billie. “I wish I had my own car, so I could’ve gone straight home from class instead of getting dragged along to your Back to School Night. Why does it have to be tonight of all nights?”
    “Hey, it’s not my fault Ma and Ba can’t go. They never like coming to my school events anyway.”
    “All right, that’s enough, you two,” Melanie interrupted in her best Ga Je voice. She directed her attention to Sam first. “Stop whining. You know you can watch the episode online tomorrow. And be happy I’m letting you drive my car.” Turning to Billie, she continued, “And you know Ma and Ba don’t feel comfortable speaking English, especially with your teachers. They still care very much though about your schoolwork and grades.”
    Billie rolled her eyes. “Argh. You don’t have to remind me.” She lowered her purple framed glasses onto the tip of her nose and spoke with a heavy Chinese accent. “Why you not like Ga Je . She get all A in school. She never waste the time play basketball.”
    Melanie bit her lip to keep herself from laughing at her youngest sister’s perfect imitation of their mother. “ Mui mui 4 , it’s not respectful to talk about Ma like that.”
    “Why did you have to set the bar so high?” Billie sighed. “It’s, like, impossible for us to do all the perfect stuff you do.”
    “Oh,