Parker’s grandmother was an absolute hoot.

I had no idea what he was thinking when he’d brought me here, she’d embarrassed him for the past hour-and-a-half non-stop – but I was glad he had.

I was getting to see a side to Parker that possibly no one else ever had. It was soft and sweet and a total contradiction to the image he portrayed to the rest of the world.

I was beginning to think that the whole bad-boy persona was nothing but an act.

There wasn’t much ‘bad-boy’ about him when he was getting grilled about wearing clean underwear and socks every day, and certainly not when Nona stood over him and made him eat all the vegetables he’d pushed to the side of his plate… definitely not when she’d scolded him for not getting a haircut more regularly.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d smiled and laughed so much.

We hadn’t got to talk as much as I would have liked, every few minutes the grey-haired woman would swoop in and fuss over us, but that was okay. I was learning more about Parker than any conversation could tell me anyway.

It was clear as day that he loved this woman more than life itself. He’d explained to me that when he was born, his dad had taken off, never to be seen again, and his mother had passed away a couple of years after. His Nona was actually his mother’s aunty, but she’d raised him as her own.

“Do you miss this? The simplicity of this life?” I asked him as I sipped on my coke.

He glanced around the room and then back to me and sighed. “I miss not being able to take a pretty girl out for a meal without getting hounded by the paps,” he admitted, gesturing at me.

“I don’t know about the pretty part, but isn’t that exactly what’s happening now?” I asked. “We’re not getting hounded.”

He studied me for a moment with a slight smile on his face.

“Not by the paparazzi anyway.” He chuckled as he glanced up at his Nona, she was telling an animated story to one of the older women, and pointing in our direction.

I giggled.

“But I should be able to pick you up, walk down the street holding your hand and take you for a milkshake, or a beer, or whatever the fuck you want.” He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “But that’d be suicide,” he added in a mutter.

“I guess it just goes with the territory, rock star.” I shrugged.

His eyes blazed. “Do you go with the territory, Charlotte?” He reached his hand out and intertwined his fingers in mine.

“I’m not sure,” I admitted quietly, right at the same moment his phone rang.

He frowned and pulled it out of his pocket, still holding onto my hand.

“Shit. It’s my publicist, I gotta take this.”

“Go ahead,” I encouraged, letting go of his fingers and missing the warmth immediately.

Ah crap…

The realization hit me like a slap in the face.

I like Parker Sloan… a lot.

This isn’t good.

I was intently watching Parker stroll across the room, phone to his ear, so I didn’t miss the moment he tensed, his back to me. He slowly turned to look in my direction and I dropped my eyes to fiddle with the napkin in front of me, not wanting to get caught staring.

I peeked up at him after a few beats. He was still on the phone, his mouth moving and his eyes boring holes into me. I couldn’t make myself look away from his hard glare.

What the hell is going on?

“Is that rude boy talking on the phone during your date?” Nona appeared out of nowhere, breaking the tense connection between us.

I dragged my eyes from Parker’s cold stare. “Oh… um… it’s fine,” I stuttered. “I don’t mind.”

Nona slipped into Parker’s seat. “I’m glad he brought you here. I worry about him you know,” she told me as she patted my hand.

I blushed. “I’m glad he brought me here too,” I told her sincerely as I smiled back at her.

I’m not sure he feels the same way anymore…

Parker’s hand landed softly on his grandmother’s shoulder. I looked up at him but he avoided making eye contact.

“I’m sorry, Nona, we have to go.” His voice was curt.

He looked at me for a flash of a second and I got the message loud and clear. We were leaving… now. And somehow it was my fault.

He threw a couple of hundred-dollar bills onto the table when his Nona wasn’t looking, and the action made me like him a little more.

Even if he looks like he could kill me…

Nona fussed over us all the way to the door, seemingly oblivious to the tension building between us.

It wasn’t until she gave me a hug goodbye that I realised I’d been silly to think she hadn’t noticed.

“Don’t let him push you away, sweetie. He’s a stubborn fool and he could use a woman like you to keep him in line,” she whispered in my ear.

“It was so nice to meet you,” I replied as Parker ushered me away.

I kept my fake smile plastered on my face as I made my feet move, awkward silence surrounding us as we walked towards Parker’s car.

I didn’t know what had happened, but I didn’t like it. I’d done nothing wrong, but the energy Parker was projecting was nothing like it had been on our way here, or during our lunch.

Not until he took that call…

My gut told me that it wasn’t going to be good. I knew I’d done nothing to upset him, but the people in my life seemed to have a bad habit of believing the worst of me.

He held open the door for me, still not looking me in the eye, and waved to his Nona as he shut it with a loud thud.

I took two deep, calming breaths and hoped for the best.

He slid into the car, cool as a cucumber and started the engine.

I let the silence go on for fifteen minutes before I lost my temper.

Fuck this…

If he thought I’d done something to deserve his attitude, then he could damn well tell me what it was.

“Are you gonna tell me what the fuck is going on? Or are you just going to ignore me the whole way home?” I snapped, turning to study him.

He exhaled sharply, and just when I thought he wasn’t going to answer, he replied, his voice airily calm. “That was my publicist, Nelly, on the phone. She’s been keeping an eye on our little media situation from last night.”

“And what?” I snapped again. Clearly there was more to it than that.

“And someone figured out who you were… seems they recognised you from a very public scandal a few years back.” His voice was ice cold now.

No, no, no, no, no…

“Okay,” I replied quietly, already feeling the familiar ache in my chest as my eyes began to burn with tears.

“Okay?” His voice rose and I shrank back. “What the fuck is okay about it, Charlotte?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but no words came out.

None of it is fucking okay!

“Stephen Miles,” he hissed under his breath. “You dated Stephen Miles for a year-and-a-half?” he asked it like a question, but it was clear he wasn’t looking for an answer.

I cringed at the mention of his name, and I felt my guards snapping firmly into place.

“And then you fucked him over and demanded he give you money to keep quiet.” He threw the words at me, his tone laced with disgust.

I shrank further back into myself. I didn’t care what he said at this point. This wasn’t a conversation, this was a witch hunt.

He’s an asshole.

Parker was just like all the others. Hannah and the boys were the only ones I could count on then, and they were the only ones I could count on now.

I didn’t reply, and Parker didn’t speak again until we were approaching my building.

I sighed in relief as we reached my street, the tears in my eyes barely held back anymore. I wanted to curl up on my couch and cry until my newly opened wounds were closed up tight again.

I’m pathetic and weak.

We rounded the corner and I saw the pavement outside my building – covered in photographers.

“Was that what you planned for me?” Parker choked out.

Oh hell no.

Shock radiated through my body and I snapped.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I roared at him, all thoughts of being weak forgotten.

Fuck you, Parker Sloan; I’m not that girl anymore.

“Was that my plan for you?” I gaped at him as he pulled the car to a stop. The photographers started clicking, but we were relatively safe behind the dark tints of his Range Rover.

“Let’s not forget that you pursued me.” I jabbed a finger in his direction. “You harassed me, stole from me…” The tears burned my eyes. “You carried me across a bloody dance floor and kissed me in front of a bunch of idiots with cameras for the whole world to see!” I screamed.

His eyes widened.

“You never gave me a fucking choice!” I continued, still yelling in a fit of rage. “I didn’t want this!” I gestured to the vultures that had somehow gotten my address.

He opened his mouth to reply, but I wasn’t having it.

It’s my turn to talk.

“Yes, I dated Stephen,” I admitted, the tears falling now. “And it was the worst eighteen months of my life. He turned me into a shell of my former self, and the day I finally got the courage to walk away from him was the best day of my life.”

“But you took his money,” he hissed, still holding tightly onto the story he’d been told.

“He put that god damn money into my account without my permission.” I scrubbed at the tears falling down my face. “He paid me off to keep quiet about the abuse I endured,” I spat the words at him. “That man emotionally abused me for a year.”

I reached for my bag. “And I didn’t spend a single cent of that hush money.” I turned to open my door, completely done with this conversation.

“Then why didn’t you speak up?”

I answered without looking at him. “Why would I? What would be the point? This celebrity bullshit isn’t a game to me, rock star. I hate the limelight. It turns people into monsters.” I shuddered. “And besides, no one would have believed me over him anyway… you didn’t.”

I opened the door and climbed out into the madness that was now surrounding the vehicle.

“You should have told me!” he yelled after me.

“Fuck you, Parker,” I hissed. “You should have asked me first instead of making assumptions and accusing me.” I slammed the door and shoved my way through the sea of assholes in my way.

I didn’t answer a single one of the calls of my name, not even the one I knew belonged to Parker.