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“This room hasn’t been used in a long time; I was surprised to see someone in it.” I realized right about then that she was standing around suitcases and boxes, and the room was apparently either being packed up or unpacked into.
“Oh,” she sounded surprised, but just as polite as any of the serving staff. “I’m sorry, I’m only just moving in now, I didn’t realize. Do…you live here?”
I blinked a few moments, dumbstruck. “No, I’m Todd’s son, Cole, I moved out a few years ago. But you can’t be…you’re not his…?”
“Soon-to-be daughter-in-law.” She gave a little laugh, and I blinked in confusion before I saw it. This must be what Julie Mason had looked like in the days when she was getting some of the biggest roles in Hollywood, but that name was only a vaguely memorable one from my childhood—and I had even less of a clue that she might have a daughter.
“I’m Mackenzie,” she said after a moment more of silence, the two of us looking at each other and taking in our expressions, “and I suppose we’re going to be step-siblings soon!” Another nervous laugh. I realized then that she didn’t have any more idea that Todd had a son than I did about Julie having a daughter.
“Sorry, I just didn’t realize Julie Mason had a daughter.”
“Yeah,” she gave a pitiful little smile, “no one ever does.”
My gut clenched a little, wondering what else my dad had left out when talking to this new family of his.
Suddenly, I realized that I wasn’t looking at the woman who was going to be just part of some step-family. My perplexed eyes softened. I was looking at Chelsea all over again, a delicate, sweet girl with all the hope in the world of this being the wonderful life it was meant to be. This gorgeous young woman didn’t deserve what she and her mother were walking into. She didn’t deserve to be terrorized by my dad like I was. I was too young to realize what was going on back when our own family was falling apart, but Mackenzie, I realized, could be different. I could keep her from having to experience all the pain my dad put us through. I could be an older brother to her. I could protect her.
“Guess so,” I gave a crooked smile back and laughed, rubbing the back of my neck and taking a step into the room. “Hope you like this place, they really didn’t spare any expenses building it. Provides just about anything you could want.”
“Oh, definitely!” she giggled, “So do you still live here, or—oh, no, I asked you that already.” She blushed a light shade of pink, playing with her hair nervously.
“It’s fine.” I laughed it aside, trailing off.
Glancing back out the door, I made sure nobody was eavesdropping before pushing the door almost closed behind me.
“Uhm,” she started, looking puzzled.
“Hey, listen,” I cut her off gently, “Mackenzie, I don’t know how much you’ve heard from my—our—dad, but whatever kind of impression you’re getting from this new marriage…”
I stopped myself. She looked like she wanted to interject something, some gushing about how wonderful this all must seem to her, what a bright new life this was going to look like in comparison to the fading career her mother promised to pass on to her. I wanted to keep going, to warn her off all the bright distractions my dad must have dangled in front of Julie, but I couldn’t bring myself to dash her that harshly. I had to be more careful about this. I had to give her the kind of life I wanted to give Chelsea.
“Just be careful around here, alright?” I settled, “Life can be really tough for the families of high-profile people like my dad and your mom. The media is going to be all over this wedding, you know? And this kind of life, well, all the fame can really go to some people’s heads. It changes people.”
I watched Mackenzie bite her lip, uncertain where I was going with this, but her eyes offered me her rapt attention. I gave her the most reassuring smile I could, stepping forward and putting a hand on her arm and stroking it with my thumb. I didn’t realize just how much taller I was until then, and my hand seemed so huge on her slender arm.
“You just seem like a really sweet girl, Mackenzie, and I don’t want anything around here to spoil that for you. Someone like you deserves a break, I can tell. I dunno how this wedding is going to work out, but I’m going to do everything I can to be there for you through it all. Alright? I’ll look out for you.”
Her eyes looked up at me uncertainly, but I could feel her heart race from the pulse under my hand. She nodded in understanding after a moment, and a sweet smile even crept onto her features. “Thanks, Cole,” she said, sounding secure with my standing there over her. I beamed back. It felt good, feeling like the protector I was supposed to be.
“I’ll see you around,” I told her as I turned away, giving her a reaffirming nod before pushing the door open and heading the rest of the way down the hallway. Some of the staff gave me puzzled or accusatory looks as I strode through the house, but the looks I shot back kept them from saying anything. They weren’t going to screw this up for me, they most definitely weren’t going to let my dad have his way with this family, and above all, nobody in this house was going to stop me from protecting Mackenzie.
But as I hopped down the short stairway outside and headed towards my bike, a pang of fear hit me in the back of my mind. How far will my dad go to sink his claws into this family, though? I can’t be around all the time. I can’t listen in to everything they say, everything they do. What if my dad gets to Mackenzie? What if he turns her against me? Makes her think I’m just some bum trying to take their money?
I knew I couldn’t let that happen, I realized, my heart sinking at my narrowing prospects. There was just no way to keep her safe as long as she was hanging around, starry-eyed in the presence of this influential actor. And he was good at acting; that much was undeniable. As long as she was under his roof, Mackenzie would be vulnerable to his abuse. Vulnerable to his manipulation. To everything that Chelsea and our mom and I had to put up with.
Those drop-dead gorgeous eyes kept peering back up at me in my mind, so trusting and innocent. She’d get caught up in my dad’s web in no time. What if something happened to her? What if Julie walked out on them like my mom walked out on me when she caught Dad cheating, leaving Mackenzie alone with him? What if something happened to Mackenzie?
No, I told myself as I cranked the engine on my motorcycle and peeled out of the driveway and down the road, speeding back to my place, the girl back at her apartment waiting for me long forgotten. I couldn’t let Mackenzie go through all that. I had to get her out of that house. I had to get her to leave. There was no way she’d just walk out of the lap of luxury just like that, though. I was going to make her leave. My heart sank as I realized exactly what I needed to do.
I had to make her so miserable in that house that she’d realize she couldn’t stay there anymore. I had to force her out.
MacKenzie
I stared at my bedroom doorway, dumbstruck. Even though the boy had been gone for hours, there was a weird kind of buzzing feeling left in the air. My entire day had been spent in near-silence, poring over old books and journals I’d kept in middle school. Around two, my mom had returned from shopping and dropped by to offer me a sandwich and a bottle of water. The half-eaten food still sat on its plate on the dresser now. At seven, she reappeared to inform me that she and Todd were heading out to dinner on the Boulevard and would be out for a few hours.
Sensing that I was in an odd mood, she cocked her head to the side and asked gently, “You okay, Sunshine?”
I managed a smile and a nod for her sake. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just a little overwhelmed with unpacking and stuff, you know.”
