I know the second that my dad and Nion’s phones ring in unison that something has happened, and worry fills the pit of my stomach. Taking a seat on my couch, I see them both answer then watch Nion walk off toward my kitchen while my dad takes a seat next to me. He drops his head, listening to whoever is on the phone.
“Dad.” I lean toward him and place my hand on his shoulder.
“Honey, you need to calm down,” he speaks into the phone, and I know the person on the line is my mom. Turning his head toward me, his eyes lock on mine, and I see sadness, anger, and regret there.
“No.” I stand from the couch. “No.” I cover my mouth, realizing the world now knows all about me. Or they think they do. The same way everyone else thought they knew about me.
“Go pack a bag,” Nion orders, coming into the room. My head flies his way and I take a step back.
“I need to go, honey. I’ll call you back,” Dad says from behind me, and then I feel him get close as he places a hand on my upper back. “What’s this about?” he asks, and Nion looks between us.
“Liam wants Emma with him. He’s got a plane ready to leave as soon as we get to the airport,” he tells my dad. He then looks at me and lifts his chin. “Go pack.”
“She’s not going to him. Are you crazy?”
“I have orders.” He shrugs.
Dad’s brows dart together. “What are you going to do, kidnap her?” he asks.
Nion grins another scary grin. “I hope that’s not necessary, but like I said, Liam wants Emma with him. She’ll be safe at his place in LA until he can get her to his house in Scotland in a week.”
“I’m not going.” I grit my teeth. “I’m not going to LA or Scotland. Sheesh! What the hell is wrong with him? He can’t make me do anything, and we’re not even together anymore!” I practically shout, balling my hands into fists. Then I watch Nion pull his cell out of his pocket and dial.
“Wake up. They’re serving breakfast,” Dad says, leaning over me, and I look around the small private room I’m in and blink. I really thought I would wake up and this whole thing would be a bad dream.
No such luck.
When Nion called Liam and let him know I was refusing to get on a plane, Liam asked to talk to my dad. I wanted to laugh when he did that. I mean, my dad is a little scary, and I’m his baby girl. I expected him to tell Liam where to shove it, only to almost fall on my ass when he somehow convinced my father that it was best we go to Los Angeles to stay with him at his house, which is apparently guarded by eight-foot walls and twenty-four hour surveillance.
“Is mom still meeting us there?” I ask.
He nods, taking a seat on the side of the bed near my feet. “I should have gotten you out of that town a long time ago. I should have followed my gut back then.”
“Dad, please don’t do this.”
“He stalked you and then made it seem like you were the one who was obsessed with him. He told everyone you slept with him, when he dru—”
“I know,” I cut him off, not needing the reminder of what happened. I lived through it, lived with the knowledge that everyone thought I was a whore who was crazy and obsessed with the mayor’s son, when it was the other way around. Not that I knew he was obsessed with me or that he was stalking me. I had no idea, and to this day, I wonder if I could have done anything differently.
Then I remind myself I did nothing wrong. He was the leader of my church youth group. I thought he was a friend. I thought he was someone I could trust.
“I wonder if I should call your uncle and have him make sure Ryan is still in Idaho.”
“It’s been years, Dad.” I move and sit on the side of the bed next to him and rest my head on his shoulder.
“This may set him off. I don’t want him to get wind of this and track you down.”
“He has kids now. You told me that yourself when I moved to London. He has a family.”
“I know.” He rubs his face and guilt assaults me.
“Did you get any sleep?”
“Some. My seat’s not as nice as your room,” he mutters.
I bite my lip, looking around. I didn’t even know planes had rooms on them.
“Could you not have picked a nice, normal guy for your first relationship?” he asks, his lips twitching.
“I didn’t know who he was,” I remind him, and his face goes soft with concern.
“He’s too old for you.”
“You’re twelve years older than Mom, and you started dating when she was eighteen,” I remind him with a smile.
“Do you really like this guy?”
“Yes. No. Yes.” I run my hands through my knotted hair. “I did like him… a lot. But now, I’m not so sure.” I shrug. “I hate that he lied to me.”
“He loves you,” he grumbles, looking annoyed by the fact.
I fight back a smile and lean into his side. “I’m really sorry about all of this.”
“Don’t be. Life has been boring ever since you left home. I needed some excitement. It helps keep me young.”
“I don’t think mom feels the same way.”
He snorts then rolls his eyes. “She may tell you she’s upset, but I heard her clucking away on the phone to her girlfriends, and every one of them is jealous that their daughter isn’t dating Roger Ruck,” he says the name whimsically. “She’s happy as hell to finally have something to brag about.”
“Oh, God.” I cover my face with my hands at the reminder that the whole world now knows about me.
“It will eventually be old news.” He rubs my back.
“I hope you’re right.”
“The only thing I want is to know you’re safe. I don’t want to be on my way to LA any more than you do, but Liam has the power to keep people away from you right now, and that’s what’s important to me.”
Letting out a deep breath, I nod. He may be right, but knowing in just a few short hours I will be coming face-to-face with Liam, I’m not so sure I’m ready. It was one thing telling him over the phone that I can’t be with him, but a totally different thing trying to keep that up while we’re in the same city.