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Emree studies me from her seat. “What are you going to do?”
That’s a loaded question if I’ve ever been asked one. I’m still fuming that my father even approached Emree and that she had to endure threats from him. I make a mental note to talk to Garrett about adding him to their ban list at the bar, which usually consists of patrons who have gotten too out of hand. I want to know that away from me, Em is safe from my father.
Wiping my hands on my jeans, I stand and try to push away the thoughts of all the drama going on in my life. “I’m going to come kiss my girlfriend, and we’re going to go meet our friends for a fun night at the bar. We’ll deal with all the other shit after tonight.”
Without another word, I grab Emree’s hand and pull her up and into me. She gasps in surprise as I press my lips to hers and enjoy her softness in my arms. She relaxes, and I use that to my advantage and run my tongue across her lips. She wraps her arms around my neck and opens, allowing me to deepen the kiss. She moans the moment my tongue mingles with hers.
Pulling back, I rest my forehead against Emree’s. Our ragged breaths are the only sound in the room. “As much as I want to continue this and take you upstairs, we have a few people waiting for us, and I’d love nothing more than to enjoy tonight with our friends and forget about everything with my dad.”
She smiles and runs her nails against my scalp. “Trust me, forgetting about your father is at the top of my to-do list, but I’m worried. How are we going to handle this?”
“Together,” I tell her as I tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. “We’ll figure it out, and when we go against the big, bad dickhead, we’ll win. But the most important thing is that we’re together doing it.”
“I love you,” she whispers with a smile on her face.
“I will always love you, baby.”
We may have a hell of a fight coming up, but the most important part is that I have my girl—the love of my life—by my side. Knowing that she came to me with the ultimatum my father gave her shows me that she is in this for the long haul. Emree is willing to stand beside me in any fight, and that makes me love this beautiful woman even more.
36
EMREE
There have only been two times in my life that I have left Florida. One was for a summer school trip to the caves in Georgia. The second was our spring break a couple months ago to Maddox’s family’s vacation home in South Carolina. Neither of these involved me getting on a plane and flying thousands of feet in the air.
Being so high in the sky has my nerves rattling. My ears have been popping and feel clogged, yet Conrad is sitting beside me as comfortably as ever. He distracted me in the airport before our flight by telling me about all the places he had traveled to. The farthest distance he has ever gone to was Bali for a summer trip between high school and college. I couldn’t even imagine being in this recycled air tank for that long. The seats are uncomfortable and there is a baby crying in the back that sounds like how I feel.
Conrad and I are flying to Boston, Massachusetts, to meet with Mr. Groves. After a week of back-and-forth conversations between the two, Mr. Groves came up with a strategy to set up a meeting with Howard Dugray at his office. The details are somewhat gray to me since a lot of what Mr. Groves said was in lawyer terms, but Conrad seems to know what he needs to do and that makes me less worried.
“Everyone, please fasten your seat belts and put your seats back in the upright position as we prepare for landing,” the flight attendant announces over the speaker. I close my eyes and take deep breaths as I prepare for my first flight touchdown.
The landing is rocky, and I’m pretty sure I cracked a molar clenching my teeth so hard. Conrad is right beside me, holding my hand through it all. Once we are on the ground, I feel more relaxed.
“You did great, baby,” Conrad whispers in my ear as everyone on the plane stands to be the first one out. I smile as he kisses my cheek.
We take a cab to our hotel in the center of the city and check in for the night. The meeting with Mr. Groves is at eight in the morning. We had to take a later flight since we both had classes. Conrad has seemed surprisingly calm about this entire setup, but I’m wondering if he is hiding his emotions for my sake. He tells me that there is no heartbreak with the dynamic between him and his family now, but I can see something in his eyes at times when he doesn’t think someone is watching.
Since it’s late, we decide to have dinner at the hotel instead of exploring Boston. Alice, Conrad’s little sister, lives with their parents while attending her first year at Boston College. Tonight she has a study group session but said she is able to skip it this week to meet us for dinner.
We’re currently seated at a booth in the upscale hotel restaurant, and the hostess makes her way toward us with a beautiful young woman. She’s dressed in a perfectly fitted pair of flared corduroy pants, a black fitted long-sleeved shirt, and black loafers. Her blonde hair is flowing around her in large curls. Conrad’s face lights up with a genuine smile when he sees her.
He gets out of the booth, and the girl, who I assume is Alice, dives into his open arms. Conrad runs his hand down her long, blonde hair as she clutches him as close as possible. Even though I have seen the worst of Conrad’s family, I can’t help but wonder how these two came out as loving as they did.
Pulling apart, Alice wipes under her eyes and smiles up at her brother. “I’m so happy for you that you were able to stand up to him.”
Conrad grips his sister’s shoulders. “You can too, Alice. I’ve told you I’ll help with anything.”
“I know,” she tells him with a soft smile. Turning in my direction, her smile widens. “You must be Emree.”
Nodding, I stand to join them and give her a warm hug. “It’s great to finally meet you. Conrad has told me so much about you and the fun you both had growing up.”
We all take a seat in the booth. Conrad and I go back to where we were sitting, and Alice is across from us. The waitress comes over with the drinks we asked for when we first got here, and Alice orders water.
Conrad asks her about the final semester of her first year of college and if she has enjoyed this experience. Alice’s hands are moving all over the place and her face is expressive as she tells him all about what she has learned and the friends she’s made.
According to what Conrad has told me, Alice was more sheltered than he was. She was never allowed to date, and her father monitored who her friends were. They usually had to be daughters of men Howard knew. Luckily, Conrad was there to help sneak her out to parties or sports games when their dad was out of town. Without him, I feel as though a deep depression would have taken over Alice. Losing him when he went off to college had to have been hard on her.
Our waitress comes by once again, and we order our dinner. This time she leaves a basket of warm bread on the table that I am more than happy to indulge in.
