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“Scarlett,” my mom said. “Put your phone away. We’re having a family meeting. I told Axel you’d meet him at the dance in a bit.”

I’d waited years for this moment. I wasn’t waiting another second. I shook my head and started walking through the living room. I needed to talk to Axel right now.

“Scarlett, wait,” my mom said. “I said we’re having a family meeting. Your father...”

I spun around. “I have nothing to say to Dad.”

My dad sighed. “Please just sit down...”

“You know, I thought we’d gotten closer over the past few weeks after Jacob broke up with me. I thought you had my back. But you were lying about everything. You don’t care about me at all.”

“Pumpkin, please let me explain.”

“Explain what, Dad? That it was your fault that I thought Axel didn’t like me for years? You made me wear glasses, when no one else did. I had to wear school uniform skirts down to my freaking knees. You tried to make me into an ugly troll. And you threatened a little boy! You’re manipulative. And controlling. And...”

“I know, okay?!”

I stared at him. Was he actually agreeing with me?

He slowly stood up. “I’ve been manipulative and controlling and unfair. But you’re my baby. I was just trying to protect you. I’m so sorry, pumpkin.”

I shook my head. “Saying sorry doesn’t undo everything you did, Dad.”

“I was kind of joking when I told Axel that stuff you saw in the video. But when he came to me a few months later and asked me if I’d reconsider, I knew he’d taken it seriously. I could have taken it back. But I...” He took a deep breath. “I didn’t. And I’m sorry for that. Truly, but...”

“There are no buts, Dad! What the hell?!”

Liam laughed. “Butts.”

I stared at him. Was he high right now? Why was Liam never in trouble?!

“But I didn’t think Axel would be a good choice for you. I think maybe there was some truth in what your mother said. Not that I’m in love with your Aunt Brooklyn. I’m not.”

“Well that’s good,” Liam said.

“But I’ve always had a soft spot for Jacob. And your Uncle Tyler is my friend. I really thought I left all that stuff in the past. But maybe it poured out a bit onto Axel.”

“You think?” my mom said.

My dad turned to my mom. “I’m sorry, Penny. You know I was just trying to keep Scarlett safe.”

My mom sighed. “I know.”

I didn’t like seeing them fight. And it seemed like they’d calmed down a bit. But I couldn’t help but ask, even if it would stir up a few more things. “Dad, did you really propose to Aunt Brooklyn? And mom did you really sleep with Uncle Tyler?”

My mom grabbed a book that was sitting next to her. She held it out to me. “I know I said you needed to wait until you were 18 to read this. But I think your father and I can both agree that maybe we shouldn’t be throwing around random age restrictions on things.”

I grabbed the copy of her first book in The Hunted series. She hadn’t answered my questions. And that made it seem like my mom had slept with Uncle Tyler and my dad had proposed to Aunt Brooklyn. Now I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read the book. No, scratch that. I definitely did. I couldn’t believe Sophie had read them years ago. When did my mom first say I couldn’t read them yet? When I was like...eleven?

“For the record,” my dad said. “I do still stand by that being legal before you get engaged thing. You are far too young for that.”

“What your father is trying to say is that we’ll support you no matter what,” my mom clarified. Even though that’s not at all what my dad had just said.

My dad slowly nodded. “Just...think hard about that, okay? And I didn’t make you keep wearing glasses and not letting you alter your skirts to turn you into an ugly troll. I just didn’t think you needed to change anything because you’re perfect exactly the way you are.”

I felt tears welling in the corners of my eyes again. Yes, my dad had behaved terribly. But this wasn’t all on him. He wasn’t the villain in my story.

I should have told Axel at that party in sixth grade that I didn’t want him to give his first kiss to someone else. And I should have made the first move ever since then. I’d just been too scared of rejection. If I’d known he felt even half as much for me as I felt for him, I would have.