AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"He invested in my label. It's why I have been able to grow so rapidly. He's a silent partner. He didn't want Dad to know after their history, and I didn't want you guys to know I couldn't do it on my own. So, you see why this has to stay between us."
I stare back, a bit lost for words; it's just not what I was expecting her to say. I really had no idea what she has been going through. And I feel like the worst sister ever for not seeing it and being the one to help her. But Brandon did, and it warms my heart. He's not the awful person my dad makes him out to be.
"Lunch, girls," Mom calls from across the pool.
"Be there in a sec," Amelia calls back.
She gives me a look, waiting to hear what I have to say.
"Your secret is safe with me. But there isn't or never was anything between you guys? He just helped you out, from the kindness of his heart?"
"That's right. He saw me struggling and wanted to help because he could. I know Dad has his theories about him, but Brandon’s a damn good guy with a big heart. You picked a good one, Cassie. And I hope the two of you can make it work." I smile, knowing she’s right and feeling happy someone else can finally see what I do.
"Thank you for telling me. Hey, if you ever need a hand with the kids or anything, I'm happy to help. I can't imagine what it's like to be in your shoes. But I'm here for you whenever you need me."
She pulls me into an embrace, holding me tight, like it’s her who really needs the hug, so I squeeze her back. "Thank you," she mutters, close to tears again.
Lunchisacolorfulexplosion of salad, cheese dips, and cold meats. Mom has outdone herself and fusses over us like she feels the need to make up for the void my father is causing. We fill our plates and chat amongst ourselves. I tell them about the winter showcase I'm running and the cheer girls winning, and Jasmine and Axel tell us about their plans to take Hannah on a holiday over the winter break, but most of the conversation centers around Andy and Brad’s honeymoon to Australia.
It's nice being around my family again. Here I can relax and let my personality shine, but I can't help but wonder if it's always going to feel not quite right for me sitting around this family table from now on. Andy has Brad, Jasmine has Axel and his daughter Hannah, and Amelia has her kids, Ruby and Connor, but the man I want at family events like this isn't welcome, and it hurts. And as for Dad, he hasn't even come to the table. Mom is trying to pretend that everything is normal, but it's far from it. He has been camped out in his study since before I got here.
Before I head back to Brandon's, I decide to pay Dad a visit. I've had enough of his pettiness, and I don't like the yucky feeling I have in my stomach every time I think about the last time I saw him. I don't want to keep fighting with him. It needs to end, and if he can't be the adult here, I will. I tap at the door and take a deep breath while I wait, feeling like a little girl again.
"Come in," calls his deep voice.
So, I push open the door. He’s sitting behind a heavy mahogany desk with papers stacked high at the side like he has piles of work to do, when we all know he hasn't produced a movie or looked over a script for years. I take a peek at them, but these papers don't look like scripts, more like investment statements. These days he spends most of his time out on our property looking after his horses. "I think we need to talk," I say, sounding more confident than I feel.
"We do." He motions for me to sit in the leather chair in front of him, so I do.
He watches me, and it’s funny because on the outside, he’s still the same man I grew up with, but something has shifted now, and it makes him look different to me. Less like my dad and more like just another human. "You didn't need to miss lunch because of me."
"I didn't do it to avoid you, Cassandra. I'm embarrassed because of my own behavior. I've let you down."
I stare back at him, confused. I was kinda expecting to come in here and have another fight. But he’s remorseful. Embarrassed?
"A father's job is to protect his kids, you understand that, right?"
"Of course I do." I sigh, so sick of hearing that word. Protection. Anyone would think I was some one-of-a-kind expensive jewel belonging to royalty the way they all want to guard me.
"That's all I was trying to do." His sad eyes meet mine.
"I get that, but I didn't need protecting from Brandon when I was seventeen, and I certainly don't now. You have brought me up to be a strong woman who knows what she wants. You gave me all the skills to cope with the world, and now you have to trust me to know what to do."
"Cassandra, when you were seventeen, you had no idea about the world around you. You lived with your head in the clouds. Your only focus was your dancing and getting into that school. You couldn't have seen danger if it was right in front of you, and you didn't."
"I wasn't completely naïve," I argue.
"You had no idea what you were getting yourself into, and when it all came crashing down around you, that was the first time in your life you had to deal with the reality of failure. I was trying to save you from that, trying to make sure you followed your dreams. We all knew how important it was for you to go to New York to dance."
He's right, I had worked toward that dream since I was a little girl, and it was the only thing I wanted. To be a prima ballerina and dance on the stage at the Lincoln Center. "It was important to me. I wanted it more than anything."
"Then I need you to keep that in mind when I tell you what I need to say next."
I get a sinking feeling, knowing whatever it is I'm not going to like it. "Okay," I whisper.
"It was a well-known fact the Brandon Lewis was bad news. He might have been a damn good football player, but he was wasting his talents with the likes of the Rivera brothers. He was always up to no good, and I wasn't having some lowlife thug ruin your chances. You had worked too hard to get to the level you’d achieved. You were a star, everyone said so, and I wanted you to live out your dreams just as much as you wanted them." His eyes desperately search my face.
I can feel the panic rise through my body, the sweat breaking out just by the way he’s looking at me. "What did you do?" I stutter out.
