Defiant Princess (Boys of Oak Park Prep 2)

“I know.” He ran a hand over the back of his neck, looking almost embarrassed. “I just wanted to be here in case you needed anything.”

“You’ve just been hanging out in the parking lot?”

“No. Not the whole time.” Then he grinned again. “Okay, most of the time.”

“Why didn’t you come inside?”

He shrugged, stepping forward. “I dunno. I didn’t want to intrude. It’s your family. I know things are… messed up, and I didn’t want to make it worse.” His hands brushed over my shoulders before gliding up my neck to cup my face lightly. “I’m trying, Legs. I really am. I just—don’t know what to do all the time. Is it okay that I stayed?”

I pressed my lips together, trying not to let it show on my face how much his gesture meant.

It was stupid, in a way. I had money now; I could’ve easily afforded a ride back to school. Or he could’ve driven to campus and come back for me later if he really wanted to chauffeur me.

But the fact that he’d been here the whole time, lending support in the best way he knew how, right outside the doors if I needed him… It made warmth bloom in my chest that I couldn’t snuff out no matter how hard I tried.

“Yeah,” I murmured, gazing up into his bright eyes, trying not to lean into his touch. His palms were warm and large and slightly calloused, and he smelled like citrus and sunshine.

“Good.” He took one step closer to me, his hands sliding up to thread through my hair. Then he took a deep breath, pulling himself back as if it took extreme effort. “Let’s get you home.”

He led me to his car, which he’d parked in an extended stay lot, and held the door for me as I slid inside. He drove slower on the way back to campus, which only made me realize how fast he’d been going earlier in the day.

“How’s your grandpa?” He glanced over at me.

“Okay, I think. Stable. I’ll go back tomorrow and see him again.” I hesitated, wondering if I should even mention it, then added, “My grandma showed up.”

“Yeah.” His lips pursed. “I figured she would.”

“She still hates me.”

“Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “I wondered about that.”

“Did you guys know?” I asked softly, staring into the side view mirror at the streetlights disappearing behind us. “That she’d be the most mad about me cursing out the family name? ’Cause I really think she was. The other videos and pictures of me upset her. But it was that clip from my birthday that sent her over the edge. Did you know?”

Finn sighed, letting the soft sound of the radio fill the car for a second before answering. “Mason knew. Or at least, he had an idea. The Hildebrands have always been like that, I guess. It was an easy thi

ng to exploit.”

I drummed my fingers against the door. “So you’re the reason my grandma hates me.”

“Yeah.” He dropped his chin, defeat heavy in his voice. “I guess so.”

We lapsed into silence, and I leaned back against the headrest, closing my eyes.

Finn was wrong. He wasn’t the reason my grandma hated me. None of the Princes were. What they’d done was awful and unforgivable, but they hadn’t made Jacqueline hate me. They’d paved the path for her, but she had walked it.

She could’ve listened.

She could’ve let me explain.

She could’ve shown me a scrap of human decency, even if she was furious at me.

But she hadn’t. She’d let her indignation and rage boil over and had shoved me out of her life.

“I’m sorry, Legs.” Finn shook his head. “We should never have fucked with your family. My family is… well, they’re not perfect, but I love them. We shouldn’t have gotten between you and yours.”

Twisting a strand of hair around my fingers, I blew out a breath. “Why does Mason hate my family so much?”

I almost wasn’t expecting an answer. I knew Mason despised the Hildebrands, but I’d never been able to figure out why. It hadn’t been anything I’d done to him, I knew that.