I wiggled my eyebrows in Michelle’s direction, and she just blushed.
“Don’t keep her out too late,” I said in my best over-protective-parent voice.
Bryant saluted me. “I’ll have her back by midnight.
I pointed my finger in his direction and narrowed my eyes. “You better, mister.”
Cayden grabbed my hand and nudged for me to move. “Let’s get you back,” he said as he grabbed his glasses from the table and then winked at Bryant and Michelle.
I waved goodbye as Cayden dragged me off. When we got to his car, he pulled open my door and waited for me to slip into my seat before he shut it. Then he climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine. A few seconds later, we were on the road.
Heading to Dad’s house.
Yay.
I stifled a groan as I tipped my head back onto the seat. I took in a few deep breaths, trying to calm my nerves. This wasn’t going to be a fun conversation. At least, not based on the over fifty texts he’d sent me asking where I was. I could literally feel his rage through his emojis and exclamation points.
“You’re going to do great,” Cayden said. “I think you and your dad need to have this conversation. Get everything out in the open.” Cayden reached over and engulfed my hand with his.
I nodded, trying to let his confidence and enthusiasm rub off on me. I felt completely vulnerable and raw at the thought of going into Dad’s house and letting my walls down. I’d put those walls there for a reason. They protected me.
What was going to happen if I took them down? Would I survive?
I didn’t have time to work through my feelings and thoughts before Cayden pulled into Dad’s driveway. He turned, giving me an encouraging smile. It wasn’t working.
“You’ll do great. Text me after.”
I took in a deep breath and nodded. “Yep,” I said, emphasizing the “p.”
I pulled on the door handle and stepped out. After waving at Cayden, I shut the door and made my way up the walkway to Dad’s front door.
Here goes nothing.
Chapter Sixteen
Dad’s house was surprisingly quiet when I opened the door and slipped inside. The kitchen light was on, illuminating part of the hallway. I hesitated as I strained my ears to hear any movement.
The low murmur of voices mixed with the light clinking of metal on porcelain told me Dad was still up. It sounded like he was endlessly stirring sugar and milk into his coffee.
The soft, feminine voice made me shudder. Trinity was here. Of course.
Why did I think that, somehow, Dad would come to his senses and boot her from our life?
Taking a deep breath, I tried again to still my nerves. That wasn’t what I was supposed to be focused on. Cayden wanted me to make amends with Dad, so I was going to. Attacking Dad’s fiancée probably wasn’t the best way of doing that.
After I let my breath out, I slipped off my shoes and made my way to the kitchen. I stood there for a moment, observing Dad and Trinity. They were sitting at the table, and Trinity was reaching forward to grasp Dad’s hand.
Dad looked older. Tired. His shoulders slumped, and for the first time, I noticed the dark circles under his eyes.
Had I done that to him? Was he stressed because of me?
Guilt and frustration settled in my gut. Here I stood, convinced I was the only person in our relationship who was hurting—I hadn’t figured Dad might feel the same way.
Wow. Daughter of the year over here.
I must have made a noise, because suddenly both Dad and Trinity’s gaze landed on me. Trinity smiled while Dad scowled.
Well, there was no question how Dad felt about me disappearing all day. He was mad.
“Where have you been, young lady?” Dad asked, slipping his hand from Trinity’s and leaning back in his chair. He folded his arms, and I wondered if it was supposed to be a show of authority.
“Chad,” Trinity hissed as she shot him a glance.
It almost seemed like she was defending me or something. Which was stupid. That’s not what she was here to do. She was here to take what little of Dad I still had away from me.
I shook my head. I needed to focus on fixing my relationship with Dad. I’d promised Cayden, and I was going to follow through.
Pushing down my first instinct to fight back, I nodded and stepped into the room, my head bowed in contrition. “I’m sorry, Dad,” I said. I pulled my lips down so he knew that I meant what I said. “I was upset, and running away wasn’t the solution.”
Dad’s stern expression softened as he stared at me. Then he sighed, a big, shoulder-sagging sigh. “I’m sorry, too,” he said as he leaned forward on his elbows. “Trinity helped me see how what I said this morning probably wasn’t the best thing.” He pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger while closing his eyes.
I nodded. “I know. You were just looking out for me.”
Dad peeked over at me, and I could see the concern in his eyes. “Cayden, he just—”
“Chad,” Trinity said, her voice low and commanding. Dad stopped talking to glance over at her. “That’s not what needs to be addressed right now.”
Dad studied her for a moment before he pursed his lips and nodded. Then he took in a deep breath through his nose. “We don’t have to talk about that right now. I just want to say that I’m glad you’re home and I’d love to spend some time with you tomorrow.”
I tried not to fall over. He wanted to spend time with me? Did he really just say that?
Ever since I got here, it had been a quick hello in the morning and a goodnight at bed. The fact that he wanted to make time for me was…weird.
Strangest punishment I’d ever had.
“That’s it? My consequence is more time with you?” Was it wrong that I was excited?
Dad gave me a smile. “I guess I realized that we are both to blame. And if I want things to get better, then I need to start now.” He pushed away from the table and walked over to me. After a stiff hug, he pulled back. “I love you, Scarlett. I want to fix our relationship.”
Of course my eyes would fill up with tears at that exact moment. I wanted to be strong, not a sappy, blubbering mess.
So I just nodded—a bit too fast—and said, “I want that too.”
Dad smiled, his genuine, open smile. Not the one that said, I’m really uncomfortable right now. And I liked that. It meant he cared, that what he said was true. Maybe this could be the start of an amazing fresh beginning.
Fixing my relationship with Dad while growing my relationship with Cayden—it felt almost too good to be true. Maybe Michelle was right. Maybe this was going to be the best summer ever.
Just as her chant rushed through my mind, the front door opened, and Michelle came in. We all turned to watch her walk—no, more like float—into the house. She looked so relaxed, so blissfully happy as she passed by the kitchen and headed toward my room.
She didn’t even look over to acknowledge us.
“Well, Michelle looks happy,” Dad said.
I nodded, glancing back at him. “She is. I think she’s falling in love.” Just as the four-letter word left my lips, a smile followed. The memory of Cayden telling me he loved me floated to the front of my mind.
Dad cleared his throat, snapping me back to reality. “Well, I’m happy for Michelle.”
I tucked my hair behind my ear and nodded. “Yeah, me too.” If only I could tell Dad that I loved Cayden. How amazing would that be?
But from the way the vein in his neck was growing by the second, I could tell that was the last thing he wanted to hear. Maybe he’d sensed a change in me when I mentioned love. Did he assume I felt the same about Cayden?
His reaction had me worried that no matter how much we worked on our relationship, he wasn’t ever going to accept Cayden. That he was always going to think of Cayden as a delinquent.
Worry rose up inside of me and I had to muscle it down. I needed to stay focused. First, I needed to work on Dad
and me. Then, I could try to change what he thought of Cayden.
Baby steps.
I clapped my hands and rubbed them together as I smiled over at Dad. “So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?”
Trinity stood up from the table and made her way over to Dad. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “We were thinking Le Patisserie for scones and tea and then the beach?”
I glanced between Dad and Trinity. “I thought this was a father-daughter thing.”
Dad furrowed his brow, and Trinity began to nod—probably a bit to vigorously.
“You’re right—” she said, just as Dad said, “Don’t be silly.”
They looked at each other, and judging by the stern expression on Trinity’s face, she wanted him to back off. Dad held her gaze for a moment before he glanced over at me.
“I guess, it can be just you and me for the first one.” He leaned forward. “But I want you two to spend some time together. After all, Trinity is joining our family.”
I hated the frustration that rose up inside of me at the mention of him marrying Trinity. To be honest, she seemed like a good person. Maybe a bit nosy, but I could tell she was trying. And, honestly, that was kind of nice.
She cared enough to make an effort. I had to give her props for that.
So, I pushed my frustration with Trinity to the very back of my mind and give her a smile. After all, if I wanted Dad to give Cayden a chance, maybe I should do the same with Trinity.
It wasn’t like she’d done anything to hurt me on purpose. She was just walking into an already broken and dysfunctional relationship. Maybe I could be a little nicer to her.
“So, tomorrow?” I asked, pointing at Dad. A wave of exhaustion rushed over me, and all I could think about was going to bed.
Dad nodded. “Yep. I’ll have to go into the office for a bit, but I’ll be back to pick you up around ten. Think you’ll be up in time?”
I smiled. “Yeah. I think I can make it work.”
After a quick goodnight, I slipped out of the kitchen and padded down the hallway to my room. Once inside, I found Michelle lying on her bed with her knees crossed, staring up at the ceiling.
“I feel like woodland creatures should be serenading you right now,” I said after I shut the door. I flopped down next to her on the bed and rested my hands on my stomach as I thought about everything that’d happened today.
From Dad’s rant to Cayden telling me he loved me, and then Dad saying he wanted to spend time with me, to fix our relationship. For a moment, the feeling of completion rose up inside of me.
If Dad was telling the truth and finally wanted to be a part of my life, and if Cayden was telling me the truth when he said he loved me, then I was pretty sure my life had peaked.
Besides getting into an ivy-league college, I couldn’t imagine myself needing much more. Everything that I’d feared and pushed down was now rapidly becoming my reality. It felt scary to admit that to myself.
But it was true.
“How was Bryant?” I asked after Michelle sighed. I glanced over at her to see that her eyes were closed.
“Perfect.”
I laughed as I flipped to my side, resting my head on my hand. “Wow.”
She giggled as she met my gaze. “What?”
I shrugged. I guess the icing on the cake was the fact that my best friend was happy. That she’d found her prince charming like I’d found mine.
“I’m just happy for you. Bryant seems like a great guy. I’m really happy you two hit it off.”
Michelle flipped to her side so she was facing me. “He wants to bring me to brunch tomorrow.” She raised up her hand quickly. “I mean, if that’s okay with you.”
I laughed as I pushed her hand down. “Of course. I’m actually going to spend the day with my dad.”
Michelle’s jaw dropped. “What? Really?” Then she leaned over and wrapped her arm around my shoulders in a sort of half-hug. “I’m so happy for you, Scar! That’s amazing.” Then she narrowed her eyes. “And about time. I was about to have words with your dad.”
I nodded, grateful that I had a best friend who looked out for me. “Thanks. Now, if only I could get him to sign off on Cayden, everything would be perfect.”
Michelle flipped over onto her back. “It’ll take some time, but I’m sure your dad will come around. Cayden’s a sweetheart, and maybe, through you, he’ll see that.”
I rolled onto my back as well. Silence fell around us as we both stared at the white painted ceiling.
My mind was racing, but I was too exhausted to try and make sense of it. All I knew was I was tired and that I had a long day of relationship mending tomorrow.
I wanted to text Cayden, so I shifted and pulled my phone from my back pocket.
Me: Talked to Dad. Spending the day together tomorrow. Operation Get Dad to Like You is officially underway.
I waited for a few seconds before my phone chimed. Michelle glanced over at me.
“Who was that?”
I glanced at the name. “Cayden.”
“Ooo,” she said as she shifted and flopped off the bed. “I’ll leave you two alone, then.” She padded over to the bathroom and turned the shower on.
I focused back on Cayden’s text.
Cayden: I’m proud of you. I think this is great.
My lips tipped up into a smile as I read his words. I loved how he was so encouraging of my relationship with my dad. It really meant a lot that he cared.
Me: Thanks. I’ll call you tomorrow?
Cayden: Yep.
Me: Goodnight
Cayden: Night.
A few seconds passed before my phone chimed again.
Cayden: Love you, Scar.
My heart picked up speed as my whole body flushed with warmth. He loved me. My fingers couldn’t fly fast enough.
Me: I love you, too.
When he didn’t respond, I stood and made my way over to my bed. I set my phone on the nightstand before slipping under the covers. My body felt heavy and ready for sleep.
And with the day ahead of me, I was going to need a lot of sleep. After all, my relationship with Cayden was dependent on Dad.
This was going to take some work.
Chapter Seventeen
By 9:45 the next morning I was sitting at the bar in the kitchen, tapping my fingers on the countertop.
Michelle was already gone. Bryant came to pick her up promptly at 9:30. I tried not to be jealous as she squealed and rushed out of the house. Bryant promised to have her back by one, to which I told him he’d better—in my best parental voice.
But, once they were gone, I was very much alone.
I glanced down at my phone. Only two minutes had passed.
Anxiety rose up inside of me, and I tried to muscle it down. There was no reason to worry. Dad still had thirteen—er, twelve—minutes to get here. Last night he’d said, ten o’clock. Why was I panicking when it wasn’t even ten yet?
A nagging memory tugged at the back of my mind. This kind of thing had happened all the time in the past. Dad would always make promises and fail to keep them. Something else always got in the way.
I cleared my throat and shook my head. Nope. I wasn’t going to think like that. Not today. Dad was coming. He had to.
He promised.
Desperate to distract myself, I turned on my phone and started scrolling through social media. Friends were posting pictures of their vacations. Some looked exciting. Some looked terrifying.
Just as I scrolled past a picture, I stopped, and my entire body went cold.
There was a picture linking to an article. And who was the star of that photo? Cayden.
Except, he wasn’t alone. Tommy was with him and so were the cops. Both Cayden and Tommy had their hands cuffed behind them, and they were being shoved in the back of a squad car.
My mind raced as I pressed on the photo. After a few seconds, the article pulled up.
“Hollywood Heartthrobs at it Again” in big, bold lett
ers.
I skimmed the article. No need to anguish over every word. I already knew what it said.
Cayden had been partying with his friend. They took things too far and they got arrested.
Hurt and angry, I clicked off my phone and set it, screen down, in front of me. I stared at my phone case as the headline of the article rolled through my mind over and over again.
The guy in the photo, being bent in half to get into the back of a cop car was not the guy who held me in his arms yesterday.
And what was he doing with Tommy?
And why did he have to get in trouble today of all days?
Why didn’t he say anything to me yesterday when I texted him?
Did he not care?
My mind was swirling with so many questions that a stress headache began to tug at my skull. All the reasons why I’d built up my walls over all those years came rushing back to me. People hurt you. People disappointed you. When you let them inside, that’s when you were vulnerable.
Why had I been such a fool?
My phone rang, causing me to jump. I grabbed it and my heart leapt in my chest.
Dad.
Had he seen the article? Did he know?
“Dad?” I asked after swiping the phone on.
“Scarlett?”
“Yeah, I’m here.” I pushed off the barstool and began to pace in the kitchen.
“Hey, so I’m not going to be able to make it this afternoon. Something came up with work.”
I closed my eyes as tears formed on my lids. I knew exactly what that something was. “Cayden?”
There was a pause. “Yes.”
Frustration. Anger. Betrayal. All of those emotions ricocheted through my body. Why would he do this? Didn’t he know that this was the day Dad and I were going to try to fix things? Hadn’t Cayden been the one to encourage me to face my sordid past? Had I gotten it all wrong?
My head felt light, and my whole body was numb with frustration.
“I’ve got some legal matters to look into.” Dad’s voice drifted off as if he were ticking those matters off in his mind. “Can I get a raincheck?”
I nodded, my voice too broken to speak. But, after remembering that Dad couldn’t see me, I mustered a weak, “Yes.” Dad apologized and we said our goodbyes.
Rule #6: You Can't Fall for Your Fake Summer Fling: A Standalone Sweet High School Romance (The Rules of Love) Page 12