by Eden O'Neill
He pushed out a breath. “It’s going to take all night to get where we need to go,” he said, his perfect jaw working. “So you’re going to need to pack a bag.”
Two
December
“December, why is Royal Prinze downstairs?”
Dad got back home before expected. He’d been gone since before the weekend, work. “And why does it look like you’re packing?”
This had him moving inside my room, and when he closed the door I turned, the middle-aged man who was my father steaming from the tops of his ears. He’d been pretty laid-back since I had gotten home. Hadn’t gotten on me about anything recently.
Perhaps, this had been too much, him seeing me pack. Because that’s what I was doing, packing for a road trip. I shrugged a shoulder. “Maybe because I am? Packing?”
“And why would you be doing that?” He folded his arms, not even out of his suit yet. He must have seen Royal waiting on the couch for me and come right up here. He and Rosanna were down there, the woman not too pleased when I told her I was leaving too. The difference was she couldn’t do anything about it. She wasn’t my dad, and instead of arguing with me, she sat with Royal, the two sipping tea she’d made him right about now. My dad honed in on me. “Where are you going? You’re leaving somewhere with him?”
I nodded, letting go of my stuff, and Hershey raised her head. She’d been watching me pack things into my duffel on the bed. I threaded a hand through my thick wavy hair. “Yeah, and we’re going on a road trip.” I couldn’t give him more details than that because I didn’t have any. I placed my hands on the bed. “We’ll be back soon.”
Dad visibly shifted red, his face filling up and everything. “You’ll be back soon?” He threw a hand out. “And I, as your dad, am just supposed to be okay with that?”
He was going to have to be. I was eighteen and could do anything I wanted it. That decision ultimately might cause me to have to leave his house, but I was prepared for that. I had been before when he basically kicked me out of his life emotionally.
I took a pair of jeans from the bed and tucked them into my bag. My dad watched on, seemingly at a loss for words, but when I crossed in front of him to get to my dresser, he shook his head. “You’re going out of town with that boy? I thought you were seeing the Mallick kid.”
I cringed. I supposed dear ole Dad really was in tune with the social activities in town. I’d never told him I’d been “seeing” Ramses, but I guess the pair of us had been really good at fooling everyone. After Christmas break, Ramses and I had gotten into a fake relationship to spy on Royal and the Court, only for me to ultimately get information about my sister and the circumstances surrounding her death from Royal himself. I was about to get more of those answers, something this road trip would do. I pushed my sleeves up. “That’s over.”
“Over.” Dad came around the bed, directing a finger at me. “Because of that.”
I placed my hand over the necklace, the Court ring I knew to be there. It was a sign of what Royal and I were. Though I didn’t want to get into all that with my dad, his accusations were true. I shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Maybe,” he’d parroted again, but this time his eyes were wild. His presence stopped me for a moment, his visible anger filling the room. His nostrils flared. “Out of all the boys in this town, anyone, you’re doing this with him? The kid your sister got wrapped up with?”
So now, his true colors appeared. He’d acted so nonchalant in the past when Royal had been here, like he hadn’t cared.
But of course he did. I saw that now and maybe just because of Royal’s father. I knew Dad worked for him in some type of capacity and maybe a friendship between his boss’s kid and me was fine, but this? Nah, this was too close to home. This was too close to Paige. I moved my jaw. “That’s none of your business.”
“Actually, it is my business. You’re my daughter—”
“And now, you’re taking ownership of that?” This frazzled him, his brow lifting. I huffed. “What happened to the dad who shoved me off on Aunt Celeste. Rosanna? Huh? What happened to him?”
Because he’d done that and to Aunt Celeste more than once. She herself had gone radio silent with me since I got back because she knew I was mad at her too. They’d both screwed me over, deserved each other.
Dad’s perfectly styled hair tousled when he wrestled with it. “I’m not debating this with you. You’re my daughter and you’re going to unpack that bag right now.” I continued to pack, and he pulled the bag. “I mean it, December. Now, quit acting like a child.”
At this point, Hershey was between us, my chocolate Labrador retriever puppy. She was looking like a preteen puppy now more with her size, and she came over to me. I held her. “No offense, Dad, but I’m eighteen. I can do whatever I want and I have before. Now, you can take my stuff, my bag, but I’m still going.”
“But why with him? Why have anything to do with—” He stopped, but not because of anything I did. He just stopped on his own. He dampened his lips. “I’m not okay with this. Please.”
He’d never asked anything of me, at least not like this. He’d never said “please” before. Like it was a request and an option.
My bag slid from his hands. “I just want you to be okay. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. Now, you’re right. I can’t stop you. But I want you to.”
I watched that move across his eyes, eyes that had never failed to judge or discipline me. None of that was there now, only a father asking his daughter something. Because I couldn’t abide by the request, I tugged my bag over, zipping it. “I’ll be back soon.”
My next move was to take Hershey. I packed some stuff for her too. I’d left her behind too much in the past and Royal said it’d be okay. I also had no resources I wanted to ask to take her. I was indebted to my dad’s housekeeper, Rosanna, for a lifetime for not only taking Hershey in when I had no one else, but me as well.
I started to pick my pup up, but Dad approached.
He raised hands. “I can hold on to her. A dog wouldn’t be good on the road.”
He’d said this so nonchalantly, and though I’d seen him bond with Hershey rapidly over the passing months, I’d be hard-pressed to say him wanting to watch over her didn’t come with an ulterior motive. If he had her, I’d have to come back. If he had her, I would come back, and he knew that.
I wetted my lips. “She needs to be feed and watered every day. Played with?” These things were obvious, but he was always gone, always working. I had hesitance I should even be putting out these instructions. I should take my puppy and say to hell with all this.
But then Hershey went over to Dad. She knew him and was letting him take her. He picked her up, rubbing her head. “I know. I had a dog as a boy.”
That surprised me, very surprising about him. I supposed he was a kid once though. I picked up my bag, tossing it over my shoulder. My next move was to pet Hershey, which I did before leaving. I took the stairs in quick time, and Royal stood up the moment I came into the living room. Rosanna was there too, but she held back anything she wanted to say. She simply took Royal’s and her dishes, her smile faint on me before removing herself from the room and the situation. I felt bad I was clearly causing her worry as well, not my intent. I was trying to do something after leaving this room, this town. I needed to know some things.
Those things all remained concealed with the person Rosanna left in this room, Royal when he approached my dad and me. He’d changed out of his suit, in a simple pair of jeans and a T-shirt that formed tight over his biceps and shoulders. We’d stopped at his house for some things too, and he rubbed his hands, staring over my shoulder at my dad. “Mr. Lindquist. Hello, sir.”
Dad appeared at my side with my puppy in his arms. He placed Hershey down, and right away, she padded over to Royal. The large boy instantly dropped to a knee, always a fan of her. He made her do her dog smile when he ran his large hands all over her head and face. Her affection caused him to smile too, and he had such a nice o
ne of those. He really didn’t do that a lot, more pain I saw through his eyes than anything. He’d been through a lot, most of which I probably would never know. He kept a lot of himself away, even now after we’d gotten together.
Dad and I were silent, watching as Royal played with the dog that always saw something in him. Hershey loved him, even before I knew I did.
Dad shoved his hands in his suit pockets. “So, December tells me you’re going on some kind of road trip? You know it’s a school night, Royal.”
Royal rose, and coming to my side, he folded a hand behind my arm. “Yes, sir. I do. Trip shouldn’t take very long. We’re going to Corrington Meadows.”
“Corrington Meadows?”
Dirty blond hair crossed over his eyes with his nod. “Yes. Going to pay our respects. For Paige, you know?”
I physically had to keep my breath from expelling. He hadn’t told me we were going there, and honestly, at first listen, I hadn’t made the connection.
We’re going to pay our respects…
My sister had been found in Corrington Meadows. She’d been found there, and that’s how all this began. All too soon, I felt Royal’s hand brace my arm, tucking me back into him. He was holding me tight, keeping me close…
So obviously to keep me upright.
In his own daze, this went unnoticed by my dad, the man playing over the information himself behind his eyes. With this new info, I just knew he’d resist. He’d fight even more on top of his issues with Royal.
Dad dampened his lips, but broke out of his haze at a nudge to his shin. Hershey was trying to get his attention, nudging him. Getting on her hind legs, she pressed paws to his leg, and my dad hunkered down, picking her up. Dad’s jaw tightened. “So if I make a call to the school… forty-eight hours would be good for a trip?”
I stared up, to his eyes. He was serious, and just as much as he stood there before us.
Removing his hand from my arm, Royal placed his together. “I believe that would be appropriate. If it takes any longer…”
“I’ll text,” I came in with.
Dad swallowed. “You’ll call.”
“I’ll call.” The least I could do with him being so cool about this, taking Hershey.
With a nod, Dad cleared the doorframe for us, and Royal, the gentleman he was, took my bag off my shoulder. He gave Hershey a little pat, and after I did too, the pair of us passed my dad. Dad followed us into the foyer, watching on as Royal opened the door for me.
“Make sure you take care of her, Royal.”
Royal turned at the door, lifting his chin. “Will do, sir. I’ll take real good care. I promise.” Royal started to go but faced Dad again after stepping a foot outside. “That’s a nice ride you have out there. Is it new?”
I hadn’t noticed Dad pull up in anything different but when I gazed outside to the driveway a sparkling blue Aston Martin was parked next to Royal’s sleek Audi. It must have been new. I’d never seen it.
Dad cradled Hershey. “It is new, but it’s going back. It’s a gift, but I’m not accepting it.”
Must have been a good friend to give him something so nice. I faced Dad and noticed he exchanged a glanced with Royal, but Royal didn’t give much acknowledgment to it. Instead, Royal asked me if I was ready, and since I was, I started to follow him out. Dad touched my arm, but before I could speak on that, he slid something out of his pocket and into the purse on my arm.
“For protection,” he said. “Use it if you need to.”
Royal had stopped at the base of the house’s steps, but I didn’t think he’d heard Dad. Royal was waiting there, idle with my bag in his hands, and I looked at my dad. “I’ll be fine. You don’t need to worry.”
My words didn’t do anything really to console him, and I saw that just as easily as the worry on his face. He was letting me go with this boy he didn’t trust, but that didn’t mean he liked it.
Three
December
“Your dad really cares about you.”
I brought my gaze up from the pepper spray Dad had not so discretely put in my bag. I pulled it out. “I guess this means he cares.”
This had Royal smiling, like seriously grinning. Reaching over, he threaded long fingers with mine. He kissed the back of my hand. “I promise not to give you a reason to use that.”
I knew he wouldn’t give me one, the only reason I showed him. I could take Royal Prinze, let him come at me, and I’d come right back. I had before.
Smiling a little myself, I put the pepper spray back in my purse. Settling in, I took Royal’s hand and placed it with mine onto my lap, more at peace than I should be considering where we were going. I hadn’t gone with my dad to identify my sister’s body last fall. He’d done that all on his own.
“Why are we going there?” I asked. “Corrington Meadows? You didn’t tell me that.”
He played with my fingers as he navigated the road. We’d been driving for a while, the world dark on a highway lined with cornfields on both sides. This was the beauty of living in the Midwest, natural landscape always around. He frowned at the road. “That’s just where we have to go for this. What we’re about to do.”
“Which is?”
A tongue ran over his full lips. He faced me. “This isn’t something I can really explain to you. I could but…” His gaze shifted to the road, his eyes creasing hard. “I think it’s best we go there and you find out everything that way. Believe me. I wish we were going anywhere else.”
The terror rising inside me, I sat up. “But why? Royal…”
Gold lashes flashed in my direction, and because he most likely saw the panic in my eyes, he kissed the back of my hand again. Without words, he let go and reached behind the seats, pulling out a blanket. After working it around me, he pushed an arm around my shoulders, bringing me into his chest while he drove.
“Just sleep, okay?” he requested, bringing me closer and kissing the top of my head. He gazed back on the road. “Give yourself just one more night, one more before everything changes.”
How could everything change even more than it already had? The prospect of that embedded more fear, and lifting the arm rest, I settled in under Royal’s arm. I’d try to sleep. But I had a feeling that wouldn’t be any easier than anything else I had to deal with since coming to Maywood Heights.
*
“Dad says you’re out of town?” Aunt Celeste referring to my dad as anything other than a phrase laced with disdain was new. She usually referred to my dad as “Rowan” or my father.
Turning in the hallway, I stared into the diner. Royal stopped us for breakfast after a quick night in a motel. I’d pretty much woken up there, most likely carried, as eventually I had fallen asleep in the car.
The beautiful boy I traveled with currently sat at our table, drinking a cup of coffee and only that. He’d turned down food completely, pretty much just watching me eat.
Like he knew he was being thought about, Royal panned toward me, his smile small as he lifted a hand in my direction. He looked delicious in his T-shirt and jeans, always did.
I pushed hair behind my ear, putting my back to him. The call came to my phone after leaving the bathroom. “Yeah, we’re in Corrington Meadows.”
When my aunt called, I’d been surprised with my desire to pick up. Maybe I’d just needed some semblance of strength. I’d yet to know what I would be shown today.
“That’s what he said,” Aunt Celeste said, the clang and chatter of the diner full steam ahead. Corrington Meadows managed to be an even smaller town than Maywood Heights, nothing but small shops and farmland. It was like a mini version of the town I knew, even more sleepy. The diner was the busiest I’d seen the town at all since arriving here. Aunt C. breathed heavy into the phone. “Well, come back soon, safe. I plan to come into town and see you soon.”
I stared at my worn Converse. “Yeah? Why?”
“Just to see you, love. I can’t get there right away. Have to make some arrangements at work, but your dad t
old me any time is fine. He’s agreed to put me up.”
That sounded exactly like World War III in the making and nothing my dad would normally agree to. Maybe he was worried about me or something, how weird he’d been acting before I left…
I folded my arms. “I don’t need you to do that.”
“Have you ever thought and wondered that maybe the visit isn’t for you but for me? God, December. I’ve lost your mom and your sister. Lost them way too soon.”
The guilt raged inside, hammered within that I wasn’t the only one in this world grieving. I’d been so mad at both her and my dad I hadn’t thought to wonder about how she felt.
“I’m all alone out here, you know?” she continued. “I miss you and since I don’t have a lot of time with you before whatever you decide to do after graduation… yeah, I’m coming to see you.”
I figured she’d be all gung ho about wanting to start her life. That’s why she’d wanted to shove me off on my father. I heard them both talking about it the day of my sister’s funeral, both of them wanting to rid themselves of me. I shrugged. “I guess I thought you’d want the time on your own.”
Silence on the other end, and I heard her sigh.
“If I’m being honest, I can’t tell you what you heard that day,” she stated and sounded like she was moving around the house. “I can’t tell you what was said because I don’t remember. There were a lot of emotions that day, and I’m sure I said things that—”
“Well, I remember, Aunt C.” I shut my eyes, a whisper in my voice. I remembered what she said all too well. I remembered not being wanted and even more when I’d been forced to go out on my own. Another heavy breath. “I remember every word. That’s why I left.”
“I know, and I’m so sorry about that. I’m not perfect, December. I made a mistake, and I own up to that.”
“Is that the reason you’re coming over?” I asked, wiping a stupid tear. “Forgiveness?”