AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Okay, no tats, but you have to party hard. You can’t have a respectable bachelor party if we’re sober all night.”
He nodded. “As long as we don’t end up in a police station, I’m cool with it.”
I grinned. “No promises.”
I glanced over at Emmy. It was strange, but I was always looking out for her. I was always searching for her, even if we weren’t at the same place. I truly believed I was her dedicated bodyguard. I watched her from across the room. She was the life of the party, laughing and chatting with everyone around her. Her smile was radiant, and her energy was infectious. I couldn’t help but feel drawn to her. Normally, she was so quiet and shy. Whenever we went to parties, she always stuck right by my side. I thought it was a little obnoxious usually, but now I was feeling a little bummed she wasn’t by my side.
I knew I should talk to her, tell her how I felt, but every time I tried to work up the courage, my nerves got the better of me. What if she didn’t feel the same way? What if I made a fool of myself? These thoughts plagued my mind, and I found myself rooted to the spot, unable to move.
As the night wore on, I watched her dance with another man, jealousy burning within me. I wanted to be the one holding her in my arms, feeling her body close to mine. But I knew I had to be patient, wait for the right moment to make my move. Finally, the opportunity presented itself. She was standing alone, sipping her drink, and I knew it was now or never. I downed the rest of my drink for courage. My heart was pounding in my chest as I made my way over to her.
And then she was gone. I watched as she rushed out of the room, heading toward the terrace area. “Well, shit,” I muttered.
I happened to notice her father, red-faced talking to her mother. I didn’t have to guess why Emmy retreated to the terrace. I was torn. If I went out there, I was going to be putting myself right in the middle of family drama. When Joey Limonsatta was involved, that was a bad place to be. He didn’t appreciate anyone meddling in his family business. He would not appreciate me siding with Emmy. In fact, I had been avoiding him all night. I knew he wanted to find me and ask me questions about what she was doing. He would demand I convince her to go home.
My best bet was to escape before he dragged me into the middle. If she dragged me in, it wasn’t a big deal. But if he did, it wasn’t going to be good. My dad still worked for him. I couldn’t.
ChapterTwelve
Emmy
Icouldn’t believe my eyes when I caught a glimpse of my father walking through the crowd. I should have known he would be here. He practically raised Leo. He knew all about the wedding, and knowing my father, he was going to make sure he stayed in his life. Did he know I was going to be at the party? Probably. Was that another reason he showed up?
“If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to powder my nose,” I said to Caroline.
I quickly made my escape from the room. I wanted to leave the party altogether. I’d made an appearance. Wasn’t that enough? I couldn’t run. No way. That would mean my dad won. I was not going to let him push me away from the party. These were my friends. Hell, I was in the damn wedding. I belonged here, not him.
I took a deep breath and walked back into the party. I looked around and saw Luke talking to a couple of men. He glanced over at me. He offered a slight smile and that was all I needed to calm down and get my shit together. I felt rejuvenated and empowered.
I rejoined Caroline and the girls.
“I think your father is coming,” Caroline said quietly.
“Shit,” I muttered.
I could feel my pulse quickening as my father approached. He was walking tall and imposing in his expensive suit. I knew what the conversation was going to be about. I wished more than anything that we could just avoid it. At least avoid it until we weren’t surrounded by people.
“Dad,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
“We need to talk,” he said in his stern voice.
“Not now. This is not the time to do this.”
“If you answered my phone calls, we wouldn’t need to do this here,” he shot back.
“Don’t,” I hissed. “Mom, please, get him out of here.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he shot back. “I’m hosting this party.”
“You’re what?” I asked and looked over at Caroline.
She grimaced. “We’ll give you guys a minute alone.”
She scrambled away with the other women, leaving me to face off against my father. I took a deep breath and faced him.
His eyes were cold and calculating. “It’s time we talked like adults,” he said, already sounding irritated.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” I replied. “I’ve said what I had to say. This really isn’t the time or the place. This is disrespectful to Caroline and Leo. We can talk later.”
