CHAPTER ELEVEN
Addy was in hell. She knew it was hell because she was on fire. Not out of embarrassment either—it was anger that consumed her.
She’d arrived at her parents’ home, the five-thousand-square-foot ranch spread out over an entire hillside, exactly on time. But according to her mother, they had been waiting and waiting for her to arrive.
Then, after Addy had apologized for being late, which she hadn’t been, her mother’s eyes raked her up and down. She gave a smirk that told Addy her mother wasn’t pleased with her hair, which was up in a tight bun at the nape of her neck, or the outfit and shoes she’d worn.
As she followed her mother farther into the immaculate house, through the massive living room, down the two steps into the great room, Addy wondered if she’d ever thought of the space as her father’s. She couldn’t hear a whisper of him in this place she knew like the back of her hand.
The man was just a visitor and acted as such. Her mother had never made anyone other than herself comfortable in the large house.
Sure, it was gorgeous and deserved to be on the cover of a magazine. But Addy thought of it as tainted. Any home this clean seemed spoiled to her these days.
Sure, she liked knowing where everything was, but there were small things she did in her own space that countered her upbringing. She didn’t organize the food in her cabinets. She actually used her towels and didn’t just put them out for show. The list went on. Even in her small space, she made sure to go against her mother’s training.
“We were beginning to wonder if you’d forgotten about tonight.” Her mother perched on the edge of the sofa, then crossed her ankles like she was in front of the queen.
“No.” Addy plopped down on the sofa. She knew it drove her mother nuts, but since she’d already been accused of being tardy, she didn’t care. She hid a smile as her mother’s eyes narrowed at the move. “According to my iPhone, I’m right on time.” She held up her phone and showed her mother her phone screen, which showed exactly one minute past five.
“Well.” Her mother’s eyes darted everywhere except for her phone. “We’re disappointed that we had to come back to town because of these nasty rumors you’ve spread. I don’t know what makes you think . . .”
Addy stood up slowly, causing her mother to stop talking.
“I?” Addy repeated her mother’s words over and over in her mind until they finally registered. “I spread?” She swallowed and felt a sharp tug in her heart. “I didn’t spread any rumors.”
“No?” Her mother shook her head as her father looked on from the only armchair she let be “his.”
Addy had barely noticed the man. Actually she’d been avoiding looking in his direction. Just knowing what he’d done . . . She blocked that thought from her mind.
Her parents were older than most of her friends’ parents. It had been her excuse as to why they hadn’t been like everyone else’s parents. Her father was pushing his mid-sixties, her mother just two years behind him.
Darla was her age . . . Twenty-three. Her skin felt like it was crawling, and she rubbed her arms.
“No!” Addy knew the raised voice would get her another glare from her mother. “I was the one who stood there, in the middle of the grocery store, and listened to his harlot explain how she’s pregnant with my father’s baby. A woman my age, almost three times younger than him.” She turned to her father and pointed her finger at him. “Are you going to sit there like this woman’s puppet and deny that you have slept with Darla?”
Her father just shook his head and began clearing his throat. He’d always been thin, but in the past few years, he’d turned frail. His wiry frame was looking more fragile than ever before.
“Your father has done no such thing. That woman and you have clearly concocted this entire scheme to get money from us.” Her mother crossed her hands over her lap and straightened her shoulders. “Well, we brought you here tonight to inform you that your diabolical scheme won’t work. We’ve taken measures to protect us—and our assets—from you.”
“Measures?” Addy stood still, feeling her head spin at her parents’ stupidity. “What measures?”
“We’ve gone to our lawyer and blocked you from inheriting a thing from us.”
“Okay.” She felt like laughing. “Good, I suppose. More for Dad’s new child.”
Her mother plowed right through that statement as if Addy hadn’t even spoken. “No matter what rumors you spread, you’ll never see another dime from us.”
“I haven’t taken a dime of yours for almost two years. What makes you think I’d want anything now?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Her mother’s head wagged slightly. “You’re living in that tiny trailer, moving around the world with those . . . drifters. Who knows what kind of drugs you’re on? Or worse, what kind of diseases you’ve gotten from your shenanigans. Not to mention the talk that is going around about you and those McGowan boys. I never did like those boys. They’ve spent most of their lives running wild in this town.” Her mother shifted slightly, a look on her face like she’d just passed by a dump. “It’s a shame that you don’t care about your reputation anymore.”
Addy burst out laughing. When she could finally talk, she took a deep breath.
“First, I’m not the one who should be tested.” She turned to her father. “Seriously, the rumor last year was Darla has a nasty case of herpes.” She watched her father’s eyes fill with worry as he crossed his legs. Then she looked at her mother. “I don’t now, and haven’t ever, used drugs of any kind.” She didn’t know why she was defending herself. “Second, believe it or not, I’m still a virgin.” She took a step closer, but her mother’s expression did not waver. “I wouldn’t take another penny from you if my life depended on it.”
Her parents trailed her as she stomped back to the front door. She stopped with her hand on the doorknob. “Last, what I do or don’t do with any of the McGowans is none of your business.” Her eyes turned toward her father. “If I were you, I’d get as far away from that”—she nodded toward her mother, who stood with her arms crossed—“as fast as I could. She’s nothing more than a cancerous cell, spreading to take everybody else down with her.”
Addy opened the door. “I have no parents.”
She slammed the front door behind her and smiled when she heard glass break as one of her mother’s many perfectly placed pictures fell off the wall.
Addy drove back into town completely and totally pissed. Her entire body shook as the nasty encounter looped in her mind.
She considered dropping by the Wet Spot and laying some of her anger on Darla, but then thought better of it and pulled into the parking lot of the diner instead. She didn’t want to end up in a jail cell that night and prove her parents right.
The Dancing Moose was full for a Tuesday night. When she walked in, she ignored all the stares and the whispers about her father’s indiscretions and headed to the farthest, darkest booth.
She ordered a large chocolate shake, the biggest burger they had with cheese, and an entire serving of onion rings.
Comfort food, she thought as she dug into her shake. She didn’t need parents. Didn’t need anyone.
She closed her eyes and rested her head back as the cold shake slid down her throat and hit her stomach. When was that burger going to get here?
Her mind replayed the scene at her parents’ house several times. Then, for some reason, Addy remembered all the times her mother had mentioned the McGowan boys while she was growing up.
Her mother had never liked the boys—she’d constantly complained about them, how they were running around town, sleeping with everyone. Addy had been warned so many times to steer clear of the three of them that it had sunk in.
She closed her eyes and felt her heart plummet. Maybe her earlier indifference to Trent was really her mother’s doing?
Then again, her mother didn’t really get along well with anyone in town. Sure, she was nice to some folks, but she had always steered clear of others, such as Rea and Gail. Addy was grateful that her mother didn’t know that Brian, Rea’s son, was part of her group.
Almost an hour later, soothed, at least temporarily, by the greasy comfort, she drove back to her place.
She’d been in her trailer less than fifteen minutes before there was a knock on her door. Her mind still roiled from her ordeal.
When she opened the door, Trent stood outside, looking up at her. The anger she had for her mother bubbled to the surface again, and she realized that no matter what she’d believed about this man in the past, she wasn’t going to let it affect her now.
Before she got a chance to say anything, he joined her inside and pulled the door shut behind them as his mouth covered hers.
Okay, so it wasn’t the smartest thing to do. He knew his mother had been right, Addy deserved gentle. But he wasn’t feeling gentle right now. Instead, he was filled with an intense urge to prove to the world that he was alive.
And she was the means of proving it. He carried her, her legs wrapped around him, until the back of her knees hit the front of her massive bed.
“Trent,” she said between kisses.
“Let me stay.” It almost came out as a plea. “I really need you, need this.”
“I overheard someone talking about your uncle,” she said, breaking free of him.
The mention of his family made him pull away. “Damn.” He rubbed his hands over his face. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s perfectly . . .” She stopped talking when he gave her a look. “Sorry.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry to hear about your uncle. Is he okay?”
“Yeah. We stuck around as long as we could at the hospital until they kicked us out.”
She nodded.
“Where did you hear about it?” he asked, moving over and sitting down at her little table. He wasn’t in the mood to get a crick in his neck from stooping.
“At the diner. I went there for dinner.”
His gaze caught hers. “I thought you had plans?”
She took a deep breath. “I did, but instead of sitting down for a nice family dinner, my parents only wanted to inform me that they’ve cut me off.”
He stood up and went to her, taking her shoulders in his hands. “I’m sorry.”
She shook her head. He was thankful he didn’t see tears in her eyes, because he didn’t think he could deal with seeing her hurt.
“Don’t be. I’m not. It was bound to happen sooner or later.”
“What? Them cutting you off?” He nudged her over until they sat on the edge of the bed together. She nodded. “Why?”
“The story in our family is that my mother comes from old oil money. My father as well.”
He nodded. “Yeah, everyone around here knows about the Collinses. They helped rebuild Haven when they were the first to strike oil.”
“Well, both of them were always . . . privileged.” Addy exhaled. “Especially my mother. I never knew either of their families, but she’s always kept very tight reins on her money. Even my father had to ask her for anything. A few years back, when I left school, they threatened that if I didn’t fall in line, I’d be cut off.” She shrugged.
“And you’ve pursued your dreams anyway?”
She nodded, and he reached up and cupped her face in his hands. “Good for you.”
She chuckled. “So I live in this tiny trailer that I bought with my college fund and make barely enough to survive each year doing the exact opposite of what my parents wanted.”
“Is that why you do it?”
“No, but it helps.” She smiled up at him. “I love what I do. What about you?”
“Now I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else than here.” He leaned closer and kissed her. Her lips were intoxicating. She had a fuller top lip that he enjoyed sucking on until he felt her melt next to him.
“Trent,” she said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “Tonight, my mother accused me of . . .” She stopped, remembering her mother’s words and the hurt it caused her. Then her eyes met his, and she realized just being with him caused the pain in her head and heart to subside. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that I want you to stay with me tonight. I want you to make love to me.” Addy leaned up and kissed him again.
“Are you sure?” he asked. He’d cooled down a lot listening to her problems. After his mind had taken over, he’d realized she did deserve better.
She tugged him until he was next to her on the bed, then pulled his head back down to hers and kissed him until his thoughts of leaving vanished.
He took his time, forced himself to go slow. He inched her clothes from her body, making sure to enjoy every part of her that he exposed.
The soft sounds she made almost drove him crazy, but he kept himself in check. Her hips moved as he pulled her soft slacks off.
When he exposed dark-red silk panties that matched the bra she was wearing, he felt himself grow harder than he could remember ever being.
He leaned up on his knees and looked down at her.
His hands had freed her hair from the tight bun. Now it was fanned out on the bed as she looked up at him with her blue eyes.
She reached up and yanked off his shirt, then ran her fingertips over every inch of his chest and arms.
“I’ve dreamed about you for as long as I can remember,” she said, her cheeks turning a slight shade of pink. “Even before I knew . . .” She shook her head.
“What?” he asked, nudging her legs wider as he played with those soft, cherry-red panties.
Her eyes met his. “Before I knew what sex was. I dreamed of touching you.”
He smiled. “You know what it is now.” He hooked a finger under her panties, but she stopped him by putting her hand over his.
“Not yet,” she said. “But after tonight I will.”