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He nods. “Don’t get used to it. But also, would now be a bad time to say I’m terrified of boats?”
He sets me down on my feet. “Wait? You’re afraid of boats?”
His body tenses. “When I was a kid, there was an incident with a pontoon boat with too many people on a windy day. The boat capsized, sending everyone into the water. Since then, I’ve avoided boats.”
I softly cup his cheeks, brushing my thumb over the light stubble wanting to divert his attention back to me. “And you still willingly came onto a boat to be with me?”
The lines on his face soften as his gaze searches mine. “I wasn’t going to lose you.”
I pull him toward me and kiss him. I don’t care who sees. What others will say. I’ve only known this man for a short time, but already he’s done so much more for me than all my previous boyfriends combined.I want everyone to know he’s mine.
Someone behind us clears their throat. I pull away from Ledger and look over my shoulder. My father is glowering, and my mom is standing next to him. I’m not sure if she’s checking Ledger out or judging him.
“This isn’t the time or place for that type of behavior.” My father scolds me like a teenager who got caught making out with her boyfriend. Technically, half of that is true.
I reach down and intertwine my fingers with Ledger’s. “This is my boyfriend, Ledger.”
Ledger reaches his hand out. The cuff of his suit jacket rides up, exposing his tattoos. My father glances down and his lip snarls. If he was trying to hide his disappointment, he didn’t do a very good job. Reluctantly, he lifts his hand and gives Ledger’s a shake. When they break apart, my father discreetly brushes his palm on his suit jacket. I can’t help but roll my eyes at his behavior. This is something I’d expect from children, not a grown adult. But I guess they’ve always made it apparent they don’t like outsiders and Ledger is as outside of their circle as it gets. Then my mom holds out her hand. Ledger takes it and brings it up to his lips and places a soft kiss on the top of her hand. The quietest squeal escapes her throat, followed by a blush I’ve never seen. My father pulls her away and she frowns.
“Olivia. I would like to speak to you.” He glances at Ledger. “In private.”
My grip on Ledger’s hand tightens. “Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of Ledger.”
Ledger bends down and whispers in my ear. “Duchess, it’s okay. I’ll be right here.”
“Are you sure?”
He nods and untangles our fingers. A part of me doesn’t want to go without him because I’m slightly terrified of what my father has to say. With Ledger by my side, I know I would have someone in my corner. Someone who would stand up and fight for me, fight with me, if I needed it.
I reach up on my tippy toes and kiss his cheek and whisper, “If I’m not back in ten minutes, come looking for me.”
The corner of his lips tips up in the shyest of smiles. “I will always look for you.”
My father motions his head for me to follow him. I trail in his footsteps, but glance over my shoulder to Ledger, still in shock that he’s actually here. I turn around and continue following him. We weave in and out of the crowd until he finds a secluded spot at the bow of the ship. He spins around. “What the hell is happening? Didn’t we tell you not to bring him? He doesn’t belong here.”
“Trey gave him his ticket and told him to come here for me. And what’s the big deal? He’s not doing anything wrong.”
“Did you not see the people staring?” He sweeps his hand in the direction of the ballroom. Then his face is inches from mine. “He’s drawing unnecessary attention.”
“If people are staring, that’s their problem. And the only unnecessary attention that was drawn to us was when you came over saying we needed to talk,” I snap back.
He flinches, unsure how to handle my response since I never talk back to him, but he quickly recovers. “I won’t stand for this disrespectful behavior. Did you already forget what I told you? Lose the boyfriend.”
I glance around, eyes wide. “We’re on a boat. Where are we supposed to go?”
“Figure it out. Why can’t you find someone like your sister?” he mutters under his breath.
I scoff. “Where is her boyfriend right now? I haven’t seen him. You talk so highly of him, but have you met him? I know I haven’t. At least Ledger made it a priority to come.”
“He’s a very upstanding gentleman who’s very busy with his job,” my mom says.
All I can do is roll my eyes. It’s ridiculous she believes that. If either of my parents would open their eyes, they would see they’re not happy. Their children are not happy. At least I wasn’t until now.
My father steps up to me. “This isn’t about Tatum’s boyfriend. This is about yours. He’s not the type of guy you should be with. Did you know his mom is in jail for selling drugs? Did you know he’s also spent time in jail? Do you know how that looks on me? On this family?”
“I know all about Ledger’s past. And it’s the past for a reason. We all have one. We just happen to have enough money to make certain things in our past disappear. Like the time Mom drove drunk and crashed into a telephone pole. You went out to pick her up and said you were driving and swerved to miss a deer. Or how about that time when you—”
“That’s enough!” he snarls. “I’ve worked hard to give this family everything and you just want to throw it away for some punk who isn’t going anywhere in life.”
