As I pull out of the state park, my phone dings with an incoming message. I don’t bother checking who it is. I’m not ready for reality to rear its ugly head. Instead, I glance at Daisy. She’s still slumped on her seat with one hand shielding her face from view.
I laugh, and she lowers her hand enough to glare.
“There’s nothing funny about what just happened. I’ve never been more humiliated in my life,” she grumbles.
“Well, had he stumbled upon us five minutes later,” I interject. “I think this moment wouldn’t have felt so bad.”
Daisy groans and buries her face in both hands. “I’ll never be able to show my face there again.”
“I doubt it’s your face that he’ll remember.”
That comment earns me a whack on the chest.
“Ow,” I laugh and rub the spot with my fingers. It doesn’t hurt all that much. I take a worse beating out on the field every day, but I have the feeling that she’ll hit me again if she doesn’t think I’ve been properly chastised.
“I blame you for this,” she declares.
A shit-eating grin lights up my face. “I’m curious as to how you arrived at that conclusion since it wasn’t my idea to start stripping off our clothing.”
Her scowl intensifies. If it were possible to smite me on the spot with a single look, that one would do the trick. I’ll tell you what, she’s adorable when she’s all heated up like this. I’m tempted to pull the car over and take her in my arms. I’d like to do a hell of a lot more than that, but obviously, considering what just happened, I’m not about to take any chances on getting busted for making out. Plus, I’m pretty sure that overzealous park ranger killed the mood.
“You’re too damn sexy for your own good,” she mutters.
Ummm, excuse me?
I perk up. “You think I’m sexy?” A silly grin tugs at the corners of my mouth.
“Duh.” She rolls her eyes. “The entire female population at BU thinks you’re sexy.”
The smile fades from my face. “I don’t care what anyone else thinks. Just you.” I hold her gaze for a moment. “You realize that, right?”
She shrugs, looking uncertain.
“There’s just you.” I reach over and nab her fingers, squeezing them tight with my own.
Her gaze drops to our clasped hands. “I’m sure you’re aware of all the options you have.”
“I don’t need options,” I reiterate. “Just you.”
For years I yearned for this kind of physical and emotional closeness with Daisy. And now I have it. With the passing of each day, she becomes more and more important to me. The last thing I want is for her to doubt my feelings.
For the first time since we’ve left the park, her lips lift into a smile. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For the picnic,” she says softly. “It’s one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me.”
“I’m glad you liked it. A rush of pleasure zips through me and explodes like a firework. Maybe I’m not to the point of telling her exactly how I feel, but that doesn’t mean the emotions aren’t there growing uncomfortably in my chest.
A blush warms her cheeks. “Well, up to a certain point, I did.”
I shrug and release an exaggerated breath. “I can’t help it if you find me so irresistible that you tried jumping my bones in public.”
Her face crumples. “We are never discussing this again,” she groans and points a finger in my direction. “I’m serious, Carter. Don’t ever bring it up! As far as I’m concerned, it never happened.”
“Oh, it happened, baby,” I chuckle. “You should have seen the look on your face when that guy yelled. Those pretty titties were bouncing all over the place.”
She hits me again and I laugh harder. My phone dings with another text and I ignore it. When it goes off for a third time, my heart sinks.
She tenses and her eyes narrow. “Seems like someone is trying to get a hold of you.”
It sucks that Daisy doesn’t trust me.
“Whatever it is can wait.” I just want a little more time with her.
It takes a few minutes for the doubt clouding her face to fade.
After a beat of silence, she asks, “Are you serious about telling Noah? Because we don’t have to say anything if you’re not ready.”
I glance at Daisy, but she’s turned away from me, staring out the passenger side window. Longing and desire rush through me, filling me unexpectedly to the brim. What I feel for Daisy isn’t just physical. There are so many unexpected layers. Ones that beg to be explored. I’ve spent years trying to keep this girl at a firm distance. It didn’t work, and I can’t do it any longer. I want her. And I refuse to hide this relationship as if I’m ashamed of it. I want everyone to know that Daisy Thompson is with me.
“I want this out in the open,” I say. “You deserve better than us sneaking around.”
Her lips curve as she sucks in a shaky breath and pushes it out again. “Okay.”
A comfortable silence settles over us. I keep her fingers ensconced in mine, never wanting to let them go. That feeling, it’s new as well. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
My cell rings, jolting me out of my thoughts. A couple of texts I can ignore. A phone call, I can’t. I’m almost afraid to look at the screen. Already I know who it is.
One glance confirms my suspicions and sends my heart plummeting.
I answer the call. “Hey.”
Even though I’m doing everything in my power to keep my voice casual, it comes out sounding whipcord tight. Anxiety bubbles beneath the surface, ready to break through at any moment. My eyes stay locked on the stretch of country road ahead of me.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
Mom cries on the other end. I can’t make out the specific words because they’re all jumbled together. But deciphering them isn’t necessary. I know what the problem is.
“Calm down and tell me what happened.” I shoot Daisy an uneasy glance, unable to pretend that she isn’t sitting next to me, listening to every word.
Her gaze is locked on mine. The heat of her eyes burns a hole in my flesh. My shoulders fall. There’s no avoiding the inevitable.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I sigh and disconnect the call.
I gnaw my lower lip and contemplate my options. I need to get home ASAP, but I don’t want to take Daisy with me. The thought of her being anywhere near my dad makes me sick to my stomach. I want to drop her off at campus and then head to my parent’s house but that will tack on more than an hour and a half.
Fuck!
What am I supposed to do?
I chance another look in her direction. Daisy has fallen silent. I expected to be bombarded with questions, but she hasn’t fired off one. I shift uneasily knowing that I need to say something. Not the truth, but something that will explain what she heard from my end of the conversation. I’m relieved that she isn’t giving me the fifth degree, but her silence is unnerving.
“Sorry about the interruption,” I force myself to say.
“It’s fine, Carter. But it sounds like there’s a problem.” Her voice rises at the end of the sentence, making it more of a question.
I blow out a breath, latching onto her generic statement like a lifeline. “Yes,” I parrot in relief, “a problem.” My father is nothing if not a problem.
My grip tightens around the steering wheel until my knuckles turn bone white.
What the hell is he doing at the house?
He isn’t supposed to be there.
Mom filed for divorce along with a restraining order. He was served both last week, which pissed him off to no end. I went with her myself to the local police station to file the restraining order. He’s a piece of shit that needs to disappear from our lives.
As the tires eat up the pavement and bring us closer to school, Daisy remains quiet. Every so often, I feel the weight of her gaze resting on me. When she reaches out and threads her fingers through mine, it takes everything I have inside to tamp down the truth. I want to keep her as far from this dysfunction as I can. I’m embarrassed by the situation. Embarrassed that this is what I come from.
That this is who I am.
More than that, I fucking hate that there’s the slightest chance I could turn out to be anything like my father. It makes me sick to my stomach to know that the very same DNA that makes Philip Prescott a monster, courses through my veins as well.
It’s those thoughts that keep me up at night. It’s the reason why I keep such a tight rein on my temper. Why I don’t allow myself to get out of control. On the football field, rage is not the driving force. It’s teamwork and strategy. Everything about the game is precision and control.
If the sport of football were about violence, I wouldn’t play.
The sudden peal of my cell phone jars the silence and startles us both.
I didn’t think it was possible, but my heart sinks further. I don’t have to glance at the screen to know it’s Mom and that she’s frightened because Dad is at the house and refuses to leave.
I take a deep breath and hit the green button. Mom’s frantic voice makes me realize that there isn’t time to drop Daisy off and backtrack to my parent’s house. It’ll take too damn long. If I head over now, I can be there in less than ten minutes.
In the end, there isn’t a decision to be made.
“Do you mind if we stop by my parent’s house? It shouldn’t take long,” I add, hoping it’s the truth.
I watch as she tries to puzzle together all the pieces laid out in front of her. Again, I brace myself for questions, but she surprises me by remaining quiet. She has no idea how grateful I am for her silence. I press my foot down on the accelerator and the Mustang picks up speed.
Less than eight minutes later and we pull into the drive.
“This is where you live?” Shock and awe thread its way through her voice as she gapes at the house.
“Yeah.”
I’m tempted to tell her that looks are deceiving, but most people don’t believe that. They see a huge ass mansion and the high-end cars parked in the five-stall garage and assume your life is perfect. But there’s not enough money in the fucking world to make the situation with my father bearable.
I cut the engine and turn to Daisy. “I need you to wait in the car, okay?”
Hurt flashes in her eyes. “You…don’t want me to come inside?”
I hate that I’m causing her to doubt us or my feelings for her. But still, I shake my head. I can’t have her there with me. I have no idea what kind of shitstorm I’m walking into and I want her as far from it as possible.
“Please,” I say, desperation filling my voice. “Just sit tight and wait for me.”
With a bit of luck, I’ll be able to talk some sense into Dad and convince him to leave before we have to have him physically removed from the property for violating the restraining order. I cringe at the idea of that happening and Daisy witnessing it.
With her eyes locked on the stone structure, she whispers, “You don’t want me to meet your family?”
“It’ll have to be some other time.” I force myself to remain calm even though I’m antsy to get inside and get the situation sorted out. “Now isn’t good.”
She gives a tight shrug and relents. “Okay.”
The breath whooshes from my lungs. “Don’t leave the car.”
It’s a relief when Daisy jerks her head into a nod. She’s one less thing for me to worry about in a situation where I have zero control over anything. With a final look in her direction, I jog toward the house and slip inside the front door. As soon as I do, Dad’s booming voice echoes throughout the first floor.
How the hell did he even get in here?
The first thing we did after serving him the paperwork was call a locksmith to change the locks. We also upgraded the security system.
I follow the raised voices that are coming from the kitchen. It takes a moment to realize that Dad is slurring his words. He’s not a man who gets wasted and then turns into a mean drunk. He’s an asshole all the time, drinking just makes it ten times worse.
“You worthless fucking whore!” he bellows.
The sound of glass shattering makes me flinch as I step into the kitchen.
“How dare you throw me out of my own house? The house I bought and paid for!” He thumps his chest with his fist. “Me!”
Mom’s wide eyes lock on mine. She’s never been one for confrontation. Being controlled and beaten down over the last twenty years has only made it worse. She’s a shell of the former woman she used to be.
It breaks my heart to see her like this. Reduced to a mouse when she used to be a lion. Filing for divorce is the first step to taking her life back. I won’t allow him to suck her back into his abusive dysfunction again.
Dad follows the direction of Mom’s gaze and swings around to face me. His cheeks are stained red and his eyes are wild with rage. “You!” He stabs a finger in my direction. “You ungrateful little shit! This is your doing, isn’t it? You talked her into this.”
“She deserves better than you,” I say.
His lips peel away from his teeth into a feral snarl as he emits a low growl and charges at me. I brace for impact. Five strides are all it takes to eat up the distance between us. Both hands hit my chest and knock me back a step.
“I should have kicked your ass out a long time ago,” he sneers, emphasizing the sentiment by shoving me again. “You think you’re so fucking special just because you’re being drafted by the NFL? Well, let me set you straight, you’re nothing! And you will always be nothing!” He throws an irate look at his wife. “Just like your useless cunt of a mother.”
The ugliness of his words makes me see red. I don’t give a crap what he says about me. He can call me every goddamn name in the book.
Hell, he already has.
But to call her that?
“I’d like to know what team will pick you up with two broken arms.” Just as he bites out the words, he lunges and grabs my left arm, giving it a vicious twist.
What the fuck is wrong with this guy?
Most fathers would be filled with pride if their kid had the prospects that I do.
But not him.
Before he can do any real damage, I twist away and slip out of his grasp. Normally, I hate when he gets shitfaced, but not this time. It allows me to evade him more easily. He’s unsteady on his feet and stumbles when I shove him away.
“You little fucker!” Spittle flies from his mouth as he takes a swing. I duck and he staggers to the side with the momentum of his arm.
I’m so focused on my father, anticipating his next move, that I barely hear the gasp. I glance away from the man weaving in front of me to see Daisy standing frozen in the doorway. Her eyes are wide with horror and both hands are pressed against her mouth as she watches the scene unfold. Any color filling her cheeks has been leeched away.
The moment our eyes collide, everything around me ceases to exist.
I don’t want her anywhere near this miserable excuse for a human being. Just as I step in her direction, Dad’s fist connects with my jaw. The impact sends me staggering back a step.
Both Daisy and Mom scream.
As much as I want to remove Daisy from the situation, I can’t. Instead of throwing a punch at my father, I close the distance and wrap my arms around his body in a bear hug. It would be so satisfying to beat the piss out of him, but I refuse to stoop to his level. Then I would be no better than he is.
And I am not my father.
With forced calmness, I meet my mother’s eyes. “Call the police.”
She freezes. I hate that this is even a decision for her. After everything Dad has put her through, it shouldn’t be.
“Mom,” I bite out. “Call the police and tell them that your husband, Philip Prescott, has violated the restraining order against him.”
She nods and explodes into action.
My command renews Dad’s energy. He screams and blusters, struggling like a trapped animal. But he’s drunk. His movements are sloppy and no match for my strength. As much as I want to forget that Daisy is here, I’m acutely aware of her presence. I don’t think I’ve ever been more humiliated in my life.
I can’t bring myself to look at her.
I’m about to order her back to the car, when I catch a movement from the corner of my eye. I turn my head and watch as Daisy lays a hand on Mom’s arm, gently pulling her in for a hug.
My heart cracks wide open as my mom clings to Daisy.
The words perched on my lips die as I watch the two women who mean everything to me embrace.
