“Cara, I?—”
“No,” I told him. “You don’t get to say another word.” I pointed at my parents. “And you need to forget everything he told you because it was all bullshit.”
“It was a misunderstanding,” Riley said calmly.
“Lies!” I shouted.
Yes, I knew who looked like the unstable one, but that was part of Riley’s game. It came in to such sharp focus in that moment. His BS wasn’t new. He’d been pulling it on me for years. He would do everything in his power to throw me off-kilter, then play the aggrieved victim of an unreasonable harpy.
“Let’s go over some facts, shall we?” I asked. “One, you kicked me out of our home—myhome—in July, with less than a week’s notice to find a new place to live. Thank God for my friends you badmouthed all those years, because they were the ones who helped me land on my feet. Then you kept me on the hook for monthly booty calls.”
“Dude, what the hell?” Jake clenched his fists at his sides. “That’s my sister.”
“Wait, go back.” My dad furrowed his brow and glanced between Riley and me. “You kicked my daughter out onto the street?”
I laid my hand on Jake’s shoulder and shook my head at my dad to make them both stand down. This wasmymoment.Myfight.
“It was all a misunderstanding,” Riley repeated. “I’m worried about you, Cara. That guy you’re seeing, that lunatic who zip-tied me to my steering wheel... He’s dangerous.”
My mom widened her eyes. “Zip-ties? That hardly sounds reasonable.”
“And he’s old!” Riley added. “Probably your parents’ age.”
“He’s the perfect age,” I countered. “A grown-ass man, not a man-child. Not that age has anything to do with that.”
“Cara, maybe you shouldn’t be dating Rileyorthis other man,” my mom said.
I stared down both my parents. “This other man is a decorated veteran and a high-ranking officer at the ATF. And he only zip-tied Riley because the asshole put an illegal tracer on my phone and stalked me across two states.”
“I’ve heard enough,” my dad said. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Riley, you are no longer welcome in this house.”
My mom pointed to a black cloth bag on the other side of the entrance hall. “And take your gifts with you. You’re not going to bribe your way back into our good graces.”
“But it’s Christmas Eve.” Riley smiled. He was very pretty when he smiled, and when he showed as many teeth as he was now, it was a sign that he was in full-on charm-offensive mode. “Getting a flight home will be hell. I’ll go to a hotel for now and come back tomorrow when everyone has calmed down,” he looked at me pointedly, “and we can have an adult conversation.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Come back here again and I’ll zip-tie your head to the steering wheel of your rental car and roll you into the street.”
“And I’ll make sure there’s oncoming traffic,” Jake added. He took my hand in solidarity.
It was a little late, but I appreciated it.
“I think Jake and I better walk you to your car,” my dad said.
Riley held up his hands. “No, it’s fine. I’m going. I just hope we can put all this ugliness behind us one day when Cara and I get back together, because we all know she belongs with me.”
I didn’t bother responding because his delusions were no longer my problem. Even if it took a restraining order and firearms training, I wasn’t letting Riley anywhere near my life ever again.
He took his bag and left without a backwards glance. Jake followed him to the front door and watched until he drove away. Then he closed and locked the door.
“Sweetie.” My mom hugged me, then my dad did as well. “We’re so glad you’re here. I’m sorry that happened. We didn’t know the truth. Riley was so convincing.”
“It shouldn’t have mattered.” I stepped back from them. “At the very least, you should have asked for my side of the story before you declared Riley the better human.”
“That’s not what we meant to do, Care Bear,” Dad said. “He’s a good liar, as I’m sure you’re aware.”
I shook my head. They still weren’t getting it. “Here are a few things I’m not sureyou’reaware of. I’m doing great. I have people in my life who have my back. I make enough money to pay my bills. Although youshouldrealize that since I haven’t taken a dime from you since undergrad. And my art makes me happy.” I laid my hand onMother Tree’s box lid. “Especially when it touches other people.”
“Let’s sit down and talk about this,” my mother said. “I’ll make breakfast.”
