AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Amanda tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. “Can I ask you one more question? Then I’ll leave you alone.”
“Go ahead. There’s nothing left for me to hide.”
The girl’s cheeks dimpled. She was blushing. “Was the sex as amazing as it looked?”
Nicole couldn’t help but chuckle. “No, it was much better.”
~ ~ ~
Shortly after the flight landed, the passengers disembarked. But determined to be the last to leave the plane, Nicole held back. She was hoping to avoid the crowds as she entered the terminal. It was a wasted effort, though. The moment her foot stepped off the track, cameras started flashing, the whirring of digital lenses filling her ears. The moment of truth had come. The paparazzi were there to capture every embarrassing moment of her reunion with her family.
She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and waiting for the buzzing to stop. She counted to twenty, opened her eyes, and felt ready to face whatever life threw her way.
The paparazzi shouted questions as she walked through the terminal. Her goal: the baggage claim area. She would retrieve her luggage and get the hell out of Dodge.
As she descended the escalator, the first person she saw was her brother, Thad. The second was her sister Lindsey, and then she saw her mom and dad. Her mom stood there, staring with a look of disappointment on her face. Her dad, well, he walked toward her with open arms; his expression was full of unconditional love and understanding.
Completely flabbergasted by his reception, Nicole did the only thing she could possibly do. She fell into his embrace, sobbing out her heartbreak.
Nicholas DeLancey wrapped his arms tight around his baby girl, promising her everything would be all right.
Chapter 7
Nicole was her father’s namesake for good reason. She had inherited his ginger locks, along with his forthright attitude. She was the most like him, although both were too stubborn to admit it.
Nicholas knew he’d been hard on all his kids, especially Nicole. She had the intelligence to do great things with her life, but she was a dreamer—her head constantly in the clouds. When she was a child, she always found more enjoyment talking to her imaginary friends than her siblings. She preferred immersing herself in books than playing with her friends. She worked hard, dreamed harder, and when she bled, she bled hard.
He knew she was bleeding now. He could see it in her eyes when she glanced his way. She thought he was disappointed in her. He was disappointed for her, not in her.
When he first saw the papers, he wanted to board a flight to England to snatch her home. How could she embarrass herself and her family in such a public manner? Then he remembered what it felt like to be in the throes of first love and how the brain was the least used organ in the body.
He’d studied her face in the pictures, noting the utter joy lighting her up from the inside. She must have really loved that man to give herself to him so completely, but now, that joy was gone. He wanted to know why.
He leaned away from her, cupping her jaw, scrutinizing her face. “I think you need a triple shot of Jim Beam and thirty-six hours of sleep.”
She smiled, sniffling and wiping her nose on her sleeve. “That sounds good to me.”
He pointed over her shoulder at Thad. “Get her suitcases. Meet us at the car.” Her brother nodded, moving off.
Nicholas steered the rest of them toward the parking lot with his arm still wrapped around Nicole’s waist.
“Daddy, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t say anything now, Coley. Wait until we’re in the car.”
Her mother mumbled beneath her breath as her sister brought up the rear; all of them were circling her in a protective manner.
The reporters hounded them through the airport, following and shooting questions at them all the way to their car. But the DeLancey’s remained stoic and kept their mouths tightly closed.
As they exited the parking garage and headed down the highway toward home, Nicole huddled in the backseat between her siblings with her head lying on her brother’s shoulder. Her eyes were closed, but she didn’t sleep. Her mind was still circling. Her father’s welcoming attitude and his protectiveness were surprising. She thought he’d blast her in the middle of the airport, uncaring of the photographers and their unwelcome audience.
“How bad is it? Has it been terrible for you since the story broke?” she ventured.
Her mother stiffened instantly, glaring out the window with her lips pinched.
Her father said nothing for a moment, checking his rearview and sideview mirrors. They were being followed. He spoke quietly but firmly. “We’re handling this, but it’s going to get worse before it gets better. Your sister has been propositioned multiple times at school, and your mother has been scolded by the pastor’s wife for raising you without a core value system.”
Nicole gaped at her mother, horrified. “Mama, I’m so sorry.” Her mother prided herself on her good Baptist upbringing.
