"What's going on in here?" Willow appears at the door. She sees my nieces and nephews and races up to me. "Oh my God, they're so cute!"
"This is Abi and this is Hannah," I say, as they stand beside me. "And this is Miles."
He blows her a kiss. He does that with everyone he meets. It's a new thing. I don't know where he learned it.
"Aww. That's so sweet."
"He's popular with the ladies," Garret jokes.
Willow turns around and sees him, and from the look on her face, you'd think she just saw her teen idol. Maybe he was.
"That's my brother, Garret, and his wife, Jade, and my other nephew, Ethan."
They say hi, but Ethan turns away from Willow, laying his head on Garret's shoulder.
"Ethan's on the shy side, aren't you, buddy?" Garret looks at Ethan, then back at Willow.
She's staring at him, not saying anything.
"We met the other day," Garret says, trying to figure out why she's staring. "You went in the wrong room."
"Yeah. I remember." She looks at Jade. "Your kids are adorable."
"Thanks. But we have to feed them soon or they won't be so adorable."
"Yeah, we should get going," Garret says.
"It was nice meeting you," Willow says as she walks back out to the hall.
Abi and Hannah hold my hands as we leave and tell me all about what happened last week at school. As we're walking to Garret's SUV, I spot Preston. He's with some guy and they're coming toward us.
"Lilly." Preston plasters on a big fake smile. "Going out with the family this morning?"
"Yes," I say, annoyed that he stopped. His friend walks off but Preston stands there so I quickly introduce him to everyone.
Garret's glaring at him. He can see right through Preston's fake smile. We both grew up surrounded by rich people who faked being nice. I used to think Preston wasn't like that, but he was just putting on an act.
"How do you know Lilly?" Garret asks Preston.
"We've been going out. She didn't tell you?"
"No, she didn't mention it." Garret glances at me, then back at Preston.
"Well, the secret's out." He gives me a smug grin. "I have to be going. Enjoy your brunch." He walks off.
How did he know we're going to brunch? Or did he just guess that because it's something people do on Sunday morning?
"Jade." Garret nods at her to go ahead with the kids, so she does, but he's still holding Ethan. Once she's gone, he says, "You're dating that guy?"
"No. I went out with him a few times. That's it."
He holds Ethan's head against his shoulder and covers his ear. "That guy is an ass. I can tell from that smirk on his face. Why the hell would you go out with him?"
"Because at first he seemed really nice. And he's the type of guy I'm supposed to date."
"According to who? Katherine? Did she tell you to only date guys like that?"
"No, but you and Dad expect—" I stop. "I don't want to get into this right now."
"Too late. Finish what you were saying. Dad and I what?"
I wait for some girls to walk past us, then say, "Preston is the type of guy you and Dad would approve of. He's smart. Rich. From a good family. But...I didn't like him."
"Daddy." Ethan points to the SUV, where Jade is standing with the kids. "Go!"
"Yeah. Just a minute." He hoists him up. "Lilly, Dad and I never told you who to date. You've always dated whoever you wanted. I thought you liked the rich, preppy type. I thought that's why you kept dating those guys."
"I only dated them because they asked me out. And I thought you and Dad didn't complain about them because they were the type of guys you wanted me to date."
"You've been dating for two years and you're just telling me this now?"
"Daddy, go!" Ethan is squirming and crying. He's hungry.
"We need to get to the restaurant," Garret says. "Come on." We walk to the car. "So you were out with that guy last night?"
"No." I cringe, wishing I hadn't said that.
Garret stops. "You were out with some other guy? How many freaking guys have you been out with? You've only been here two weeks."
"It was a first date. And this guy isn't like Preston." I continue walking. "Garret, I'm not talking about guys with you."
"Then you're talking to Jade." We're at his SUV now and he loads Ethan in the carseat, then joins Jade in the front seat.
As he backs out of the parking space, he sighs and shakes his head. He's such a dad. I feel like one of his kids. He needs to stop worrying about me.
"What's wrong?" Jade asks.
"We'll talk about it later." He glances at me in the rearview mirror.
We have brunch in a restaurant downtown that Jade and Garret used to go to when they went to college here. They love that I go to Camsburg because it gives them an excuse to come here and relive their college memories.
When we're back at my room, Garret says, "I'm going to take the kids outside for a few minutes. They need to run around and burn off some energy before sitting in the car for an hour."
"Okay." Jade sits on my bed. "I'll wait here."
They planned this. It must've been when I went to the bathroom. Garret wants Jade to get information from me.
Jade starts in as soon as he leaves with the kids. "So...did you do anything fun last night?"
"I know Garret put you up to this."
"Come sit down." She pats the spot next to her.
I sit beside her. "You need to tell him that I'm not a little girl anymore. He doesn't have to know everything that's going on in my life."
"Lilly, you know we're not the typical family. We have to be careful. When you have a lot of money, it attracts bad people. I'm not saying the guys who go to school here are bad, but sometimes good people do bad things if enough money is involved."
"So you're saying I can't trust anyone?"
"No, but..." I see her mind working, like she's trying to find just the right words.
"Just say it, Jade."
"It's just that you're a really sweet girl. You always see the good in people. You tend to overlook the bad. That's all great, but sometimes people take advantage of that."
I'm not going to admit she's right, but she is. That's why I kept giving Preston a chance. I wanted to believe he was a good guy so I kept making excuses for his behavior.
"You've been sheltered your whole life," Jade says. "Your dad has kept bad people away from you. But now you're on your own and it's up to you to see people for who they are. Not just guys, but your girlfriends too."
"If someone asked me for money, I would just tell them no."
"They may not be out to get your money but to benefit from your name. Being seen with a Kensington has rewards. Or they might be trying to get close to your dad."
"He's already told me this stuff. So has Garret."
"Then I'm saying it again because I don't want you to get hurt."
"I won't," I say, anger in my voice.
"Lilly, I don't want to upset you. And I don't want you to end up like I used to be. When I was your age I had so many trust issues that I didn't have any friends. I want you to be happy and have fun at college. But I also want you to be careful."
"Got it. Are we done?"
She laughs. "No. I haven't heard about this guy yet. Tell me about him."
"You promise you won't tell Garret?"
"I can't tell him anything?"
"You can tell him the guy's name. That's it."
"Fine, but if you keep dating this guy, you have to let us meet him. And not like months from now, but soon. Now tell me. When did you meet him?"
"My first day here. After you guys left, I went outside and hit him with the door. Knocked a box right out of his hands."
Jade starts laughing. "That sounds exactly like something I would do. When I first met Garret, I was walking down the hall with my head down and literally ran right into him. Almost knocked him over. So what happened after you hit the guy with the door?"<
br />
"I didn't talk to him again until orientation. They made us build a pyramid and I fell and he helped me."
"Did you get hurt?" she asks in her mom tone.
"Just a bruise. I'm fine now. Anyway, he's an art major so we have all the same classes, except he's in a different English class. His name is Reed."
"Reed." She nods. "I like it. It sounds like a hot guy on a soap opera."
"He's really hot, but don't tell Garret I said that."
"I won't. So what does he look like?"
"Dark brown hair. Dark eyes. He surfs a lot so he has a surfer's body.
Jade smiles. "Nice."
"He has a tattoo, but it's really small and on his wrist. He designed it himself. He's a really good artist. He even designs album covers. And he's so sweet. He holds my hand when we cross the street. And he brought me fruit punch and licorice."
"This guy sounds great. Why don't you want to tell Garret about him? Or your dad?"
"Because I'm worried they won't accept him. Reed's not rich and he comes from a bad home. His mom's in rehab and his dad is never around."
"Lilly." She holds my shoulders. "Did you hear yourself? You just described me. I grew up poor with no dad and a drug-addicted, alcoholic mom. And your brother still went out with me. And ended up marrying me."
"I guess, but when you met Garret, your mom was gone. Reed's mom is still a big part of his life. And a Kensington dating a guy whose mom is in rehab? I don't want to end up in the tabloids like Garret did."
"That won't happen. And if it did, your dad would—" She sits back.
"My dad would what?"
"He'd take care of it."
"He didn't back when Garret was in the news. They made Garret look really bad and—"
"That was different. There were—" She bites her lip. She's not telling me something. "Garret's situation was different. The point is, your dad would never let negative stories come out about you."
"But how could he stop it?"
"He has a lot of influence with the media." She bites her lip again, like she regrets telling me that. "So anyway, Reed's mom is an alcoholic?"
"Yeah. It sounds like she's a mess. She can't get a job so Reed takes care of her. He pays her bills."
"How does he have money for that?"
"His dad gave him money for college but he's been using it to help his mom. Now he's working here on campus, trying to replace the money."
Jade's quiet.
"What is it?" I ask her.
"This guy needs money."
"He's not using me for money. I swear. He's not like that. He hasn't let me pay for anything since we've been hanging out."
She looks concerned. Maybe I should be too. But I'm not, because I know Reed's not after me for my money. I've been wrong in the past about guys, but I'm not wrong about Reed. I know I'm not.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"So what have you and Reed been doing?" Jade asks.
"Mostly talking. And we spent yesterday at the beach, drawing all day. Last night we went to a coffee shop. I also hung out with him at a party but he doesn't drink so we sat outside and talked."
"He's in college and doesn't drink? This guy sounds like me." Jade didn't drink in college. She didn't want to turn out like her mom. I'm guessing that's why Reed doesn't drink either. "I need to meet this guy."
"Not yet. Some other time. I'm not ready for Garret to question him to death."
She laughs. "He won't. Just make sure I'm around. I'll keep him in line." She gets up and looks out the window where Garret's playing with the kids.
"Jade?"
She turns back. "Yeah?"
"I really like Reed. I like him more than anyone I've ever dated."
She smiles. "Why do you like him so much?"
"There's just something about him. I'm really comfortable around him. I feel like I can tell him anything. And when we kissed—I shouldn't tell you this. You'll tell Garret."
"No I won't. And besides, Garret knows you've kissed guys. He just doesn't let himself think that it's gone farther than that." Jade knows I'm a virgin, but she also knows I've done more than kiss a guy. I tell her almost everything. "So what were you saying about this kiss?"
"It was the best kiss I've ever had. I didn't know you could feel that much from a kiss."
"I didn't either until—well, never mind."
She means until she kissed Garret. It's one of those details about their lives I'd rather not know, just like Garret doesn't want to know about me being with guys. It's too much information.
"I'm happy for you," Jade says. "You have to call and give me updates. Call during the day when Garret's not eavesdropping. Speaking of him, I better check and make sure he didn't lose one of the kids."
I laugh and hop off the bed. "You should put tracking devices on the twins."
We go outside and find Hannah running around chasing the twins, while Abi sits quietly under a tree. She's like me that way. An observer. She can just sit and watch and not be part of the action.
When Abi sees Jade, she jumps up and runs over to her. "Mom, can I stay here with Aunt Lilly?"
"We have to go so Aunt Lilly can do her homework."
"I have homework too."
"But you need to do yours at home."
"Or we could all stay," Garret says, lifting up both boys at once and carrying them like footballs under his arms. They giggle.
"Garret." Jade's using her secret message tone, but I know what it means. Garret only wants to stay here to keep me from hanging out with Reed. Jade's tone is telling him they need to go. If it weren't for Jade, Garret would set up a tent outside my dorm and watch my every move.
"Fine, we'll go." He sets the boys down and gives me a hug. "Have a good week."
It takes another ten minutes for the kids to say goodbye because Abi and Hannah don't want to leave. They're even more attached to me now than they used to be. When I lived at home, I was still almost an hour away from them, but for some reason that wasn't the same as me living here.
Once they're gone, I text Reed to let him know I'm coming over. He doesn't text back but I continue on to his room. I knock a few times before he answers.
"Hi." I give him a hug.
He hugs me back but doesn't say anything.
"Is something wrong?" I can't read his expression. "Is it your mom?"
"No." He goes and sits on his bed. "Preston came by here earlier."
"Why would Preston come over here?"
"He wanted me to know some things."
"What things?"
"Things about you. And your family."
So that's why Reed is acting this way.
Why would Preston do that? To get back at me for turning him down? Is he really that childish?
"Preston shouldn't have done that. You should've told him to leave."
"He wasn't here long. Just long enough to tell me I don't belong with someone like you."
"That's not for him to decide. He's just jealous that I'm with you instead of him." I shake my head. "I can't believe he did that."
"So why didn't you tell me your dad is a billionaire?"
"I did tell you, when I told you my last name."
"You knew I had no idea who he was."
"I thought maybe you'd look it up online."
"Well, I didn't. I assumed you'd tell me something like that. So why didn't you?"
"Because it doesn't matter. My dad is rich. Big deal."
"He's more than rich." Reed hasn't raised his voice but he sounds angry. "He's a billionaire, and according to Preston, your dad is also really well-known."
"Just in the business world. I told you that. I told you he's on TV all the time. Why are you mad about this?"
"I'm not mad. I just need you to be honest with me." His eyes fix on mine. "Is this thing between you and me going to end as soon as another rich guy like Preston comes along?"
"No! Why would you say that?"
"Because you kept going out with that asshole ev
en though he treated you like shit. Was it just because he has money? Or because he's the type of guy you're supposed to date? If that's the case, then we might as well not even continue this."
His comments make tears well up in my eyes. I never cry, and I won't let Reed see me cry. I get off the bed and race to the door.
"Lilly, wait!" He stops me. "I want to talk about this."
"Why? You've already drawn your own conclusions. Or you're listening to Preston, which is even worse."
"No! That's not what I'm doing." He lifts my face up to his. "I'm asking because..." His voice softens. "Because I just met you and I already like you so much that it's gonna hurt like hell if this ends. And if I get even deeper into this, it'll hurt that much more." He takes a breath. "And what will hurt even worse is seeing you go back to someone like Preston. Someone who doesn't even care about you."
His words are so unexpected that I don't know what to say. I didn't know Reed felt this way about me. I wipe my eyes before any tears can fall.
"Lilly, I only asked you those questions because I'm trying to understand. I don't know that world. I've never been around rich, powerful people. I just know that they usually don't go out with people like me."
"That's not—" I was going to say it wasn't true, but I stopped because that would be a lie, and if Reed is being truthful, then so should I. "You're right. Rich people usually date other rich people. But my family isn't that way. My stepmom, Rachel, wasn't rich when she met my dad. And my sister-in-law, Jade, grew up really poor and still married my brother."
"Then why did you date Preston?"
"Because it's all I know. He's just like the guys I dated in high school. And...I hate to admit this, but a part of me was trying to please my mom. I'm always trying to please her, hoping she'll accept me and stop putting me down." I pause. "As for Preston not treating me well, I put up with it because I kept making excuses for why he acted that way. I know I shouldn't do that, but I've always been that way. When I was little, I used to make excuses for why my mom treated me the way she did. I'd tell myself I did something to make her mad or that I didn't try hard enough. I still do that, not just with my mom, but with anyone. I didn't even realize I was doing that with Preston, which is why I kept going out with him."
Lilly: A Kensington Family Novel Page 13