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Now her face is falling. “You remember them, Dad. I went through school with them from first grade. They're nice guys. We're only going to catch up.”
“It's not going to happen, so you may as well forget the idea right now.”
“I don't understand.” Her dark eyes fill with tears. “It's just dinner.”
It's right on the tip of my tongue, the whole thing. The real reason he doesn't want her going out. It has nothing to do with the guys themselves. It has to do with me going out with somebody other than him. I feel it in my bones.
But I can't say it. I can't hurt her like that. It would be so much worse than what she's feeling right now. I can't believe I'm caught between them like this.
She shoots me a pain-filled look that silently begs me to speak up for her.
“It's just dinner,” I whisper. I wouldn't feel comfortable getting in the middle of this even if he had never laid a hand on me. I would still feel like it's not my place.
Is it as obvious to Liz as it is to me that he is deliberately avoiding looking at me? “It's not going to happen, so get the idea out of your head now. Call up those boys and tell them you're not going to dinner tonight or any other night.”
“But why? Why are you being this way? This isn't like you!”
His face goes so red it scares me a little. He looks like he’s about to explode. “Do not tell me how I'm supposed to feel or react, dammit.”
It's like all the air gets sucked out of the room. I've never heard him curse before, not in anger. And not at Liz.
She's in so much pain, so confused, shaking her head a little like she can't believe what she just heard any more than I can.
“I don't understand. Why are you acting like this? What did I do?”
“What did you do?” He runs his hands through his hair before dropping them. “It's not enough that you won't listen to me without questioning everything? Let's start there. I'm still your father, and when I say something, that's it. That's the end of it.”
“But I'm not a kid anymore.”
“Says who?”
“Says the law!” she shouts back. “I'm eighteen years old. I've always done everything you wanted. I never go against you, ever. All I'm asking is for one night out to go to dinner with friends I haven't seen in months, and you're acting like I'm talking about a weekend in Vegas or something.”
“Don’t pretend this is only a matter of seeing friends,” he sneers. “I don't care that you're eighteen. You still live under this roof, which means you obey my rules, and I don’t want you out with those boys or any other boys. Got it?”
Her chin trembles, but she holds her head high. “Fine. Maybe I won't live under this roof anymore.”
This is crazy. I can’t let it go on without trying to help.
“Hey...” I whisper, reaching out to put an arm around her. Why? I have no idea. Maybe if I can get her out of the room, they'll both cool off before either of them says something they can’t take back.
It’s all my fault. I should say something, I really should.
Then again, it's not my fault Nolan can't handle the idea of me going out for a simple dinner. I don't want their relationship to suffer, but it's not like I'm forcing him to act this way, either. This is all him.
She shakes me off, glaring at him. “I'm not a little girl anymore! And you can't stop me from going out with friends.”
“You’re living in my house, and I’m paying all your bills, young lady, while you save up your earnings. I can do anything I want.”
Her face crumples in pain before she runs across the living room and stomps her way up the stairs. We both flinch when her bedroom door slams hard enough to rattle some of the pictures on the walls down here.
He whirls on me, and his eyes are wild. It's completely messed up, but even now, my body reacts to him. My pulse starts to race, and I feel all hot inside. I can't help but wish he would throw me on the floor and force his way inside me.
“You’re not going,” he whispers through clenched teeth, trembling with rage that only heightens the blaze burning in my core.
I can’t let my craving for his touch get in the way now.
“Who says?” I whisper. I can hardly believe myself—and it's obvious from the way his mouth falls open that he can't believe it, either.
