He busted in here like a crazy person.
He punched Hollis.
He voided their contract.
He ordered the love of my life to leave. To leave this town, this state. Probably the whole country if he could make it happen.
He saw us having sex.
I don’t know if I can ever forgive him for this intrusion, for having the gall to think he can decide who I’m with.
He swallows thickly but doesn’t move.
“Go,” I seethe, my tone deadly. “You need to leave.”
He backs away.
He doesn’t say he’s sorry. He just … leaves. The door closing softly behind him. It’s at odds with the way he busted in here.
A broken, ragged, sob leaves my throat and I drop to the floor as my tears pour out of me. Hollis kneels on the ground with me, holding me against his strong chest. My tears dampen his skin. He brushes his fingers through my hair murmuring over and over that it’s going to be okay, but he doesn’t sound so sure. I’m not either. How can anything ever be okay again?
34
Hollis
I hold Mia the rest of the night, somehow managing to carry her to the bed. I cover us both with a blanket and she curls against me, pressing her palms flat against my chest as she sobs. Her cries break me. I don’t know what to do or what to say. I don’t think there’s anything I can do. It’s not like this kind of situation happens every day. My heart aches for her, knowing how angry and betrayed she feels by her father right now.
I can’t fucking believe he saw us having sex. Once I can get out of this bed I’m finding those fucking cameras and ripping them apart.
I don’t care about him being angry with me, or saying the contract is over. None of it is important compared to how violated Mia feels. I hate seeing her hurt, suffering. I’d rather take a knife to the gut than to ever witness this again.
Seeing her in pain like this is the worst kind of torture imaginable.
After a while her cries grow softer and she begins to hiccup.
“I’m sorry, Mia. I’m so sorry this happened. I never meant for any of this to happen. I didn’t want … I’d never want to come between you and your dad.”
In a soft voice she says, “He had no right to say what he did. To show up like that, to act like your contract with him was nothing.”
“He’s your dad,” I whisper, looking up at the ceiling. “He wants to protect you.”
“He’s protecting me from all the wrong things,” she seethes. She raises up a bit, looking down at me. I have trouble meeting her eyes. “I know I should’ve told him about us a long time ago, I know he shouldn’t have found out like this, but he would’ve still been mad, no matter what I had done.” Her voice sounds defeated.
She lies back down and grows quiet. Eventually she drifts off to sleep. I hold her tighter than I did before, afraid any second from now she’ll be ripped from my arms.
It’s no less than I deserve.
* * *
I finish explaining to my friends about what happened last night, or early this morning, whichever. It’s not important. They sit in stunned silence looking at me.
“Fuck, man are you okay?” Cannon asks.
“I’m fine.” Looking away I add, “It’s Mia I’m worried about.”
“She’s got to be fucked up over this,” Rush says.
“Yeah, would you mind calling Kira and having her go over and check on her?”