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I rose and slammed my palms on the table hard enough to silence him. “I let you say what you want about me—I’m used to it. I am going to recommend you beverycareful about making the mistake of speaking as you please about Kenz. Do not mistake my willingness to accept your vile abuse for weakness, however, because I will not tolerate you talking about her that way.”
My father’s mouth hung open, his dark eyes wide. Then again, had Ieverspoken to him like that?Nope, never.I’d always hoped somewhere in my head that he’d learn to accept me, that he’d stop hating me for everything I wasn’t, that he’d seeme,so I never wanted to push things to a point we couldn’t come back from.
Yet the moment he’d been ready to throw an insult her way, my protective instincts had reared up, unwilling to let that pass. The reality was that I wasn’t a kid anymore. I wasn’t the mindless teenager he still wanted to view me as.
Especially over the past five years, I’d learned my own strength, that I had skills, that I didn’t need to just accept everything. It seemed it had only taken this to make me willing to show him.
“Thank you for the invite,” I said before holding my hand out to Kenz. “But I refuse to expose Kenz to this sort of behavior. Mother, if you wish to visit again, I’d be happy to do so without Father. Erik, fuck you, and Amy, you look lovely as ever. Goodnight.” I didn’t wait for a response before pulling Kenz after me to the shocked faces behind us.
“Should we just leave like that?” Kenz asked but didn’t pull away from me, allowing me to lead her.
“It’s fine,” I assured her. “My father wouldn’t have been happy no matter how the night ended.”
I swung the front door open myself instead of waiting for anyone to do it for me, the small act of rebellion feeling so damned good.
At least, it did until I nearly ran right into Taylor, who stood on the porch, in our way. That bastard was always one step ahead of me. How many times had he pulled this little move when I’d been a teenager sneaking out?
“I’m leaving,” I told him, tucking Kenz behind me. I wouldn’t expose her to any more ugliness, not on my account.
“Of course, Young Master.” Taylor inclined his head in a small nod. “You know, your father won’t soon forget this.”
“Good. Maybe he won’t force me to visit for a while then.”
Taylor shifted as though to look behind me, to catch eyes with Kenz. “And you, Miss? You have just soiled your chances at his approval.”
Kenz shifted her hand, and I thought she’d pull away. Instead, she moved her hand to hold my other one, my right one, squeezing like she wanted to tell me she had my back no matter what. “If getting his approval meant letting him talk to Vance like that, then I don’t want it.”
“And you are fine with that? He may cut Vance out of his will. He might cause problems for you, since you did humiliate him, and he doesn’t experience that often.”
Kenz shifted from behind me, making it clear she neither expected nor needed me to shield her from the consequences of her own choices. “Trust me, some arrogant politician coming after me is the least of my worries. I have far larger enemies than that. If he doesn’t like what I said, I’d suggest he look at himself instead of trying to lash out against the person who said it.”
I expected Taylor to respond by telling her to be more careful, to warn us both about the dangers my parents could pose, to behave ourselves as we should. Hadn’t he said that often enough to me? I could almost repeat it word by word.
Instead, Taylor smiled, the expression softer than I was used to. “Finally, a woman who deserves to stand by your side.”
I blinked slowly, so thrown that I couldn’t even formulate a response.
Taylor bowed deeply, then stepped aside. “Go on and enjoy your evening. I placed meals in your car already as I suspected you would not get to eat. Please, Young Master, ensure she eats. It is especially important for people with diabetes.”
I nodded, whispering out a weak thank you before pulling Kenz along with me.
“Oh, and Miss Fox?” Taylor’s voice drew us short, and he leaned in to whisper something into her ear.
Kenz’s cheeks flushed, the reaction sparking the jealousy inside me again, so I tugged her to my side then down the stairs, away from Taylor, from this cursed house, from the people inside.
If only I could get control of the feelings inside me that I couldn’t even hope to understand or control.
Kenz
I pulled my seat belt on, my heart racing. Vance put the car into reverse, whipping around the driveway in a way that said he’d done this plenty of times, that he knew the exact dimensions and how to work around them. He spun the tires as he raced down the long path.
The gate was already open when we reached the street, as if the house was just as happy to get rid of us as we were to leave. He pulled the car onto the road and gunned it, the engine loud, as though to remind me he drove one hell of a sports car.
“I’m sorry,” I said, unable to stop myself.
His left hand was tight on the wheel, his right on the shifter. “For what?”
“I probably made things worse between you with your family. I came to try and help you, but I ended up causing you problems.”
