Slight exaggerations of the truth — or outright lies, apparently. There was no dodging that question, and he certainly wasn't going to tell her the whole story of how he'd gotten into this predicament in the first place. Maybe if he spoke very quickly, in English, she'd miss enough to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Of course." Nope. "She is hesitant. They don't trust me to make my own decisions. They never have, really. But I can't go my whole life without deciding anything for fear of what they might think. I don't need their approval to know how I feel. And my parents are poets," he continued, rising from the sofa. "They will never stand in the way of love. The moment they see us together I'm sure their doubts will evaporate in an instant. And if I could take you to Ireland to meet them this very hour, I would. But I cannot make them come to the wedding. Not as things stand currently."

Merlin, he hoped she didn't understand a word of that. He hoped his tone conveyed the lie well enough without any of the incriminating details.

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