54. Chapter 54
Chapter 54
After a long silence, the quiet room was suddenly filled with murmurs of “what the fuck?” and “what does that mean?” But the loudest thing I heard was completely nonverbal. It was the hurt and confused look on my Dad’s face as he stood up.
He finally spoke. “Mallori, what is he talking about?”
Hawk flashed an apologetic grimace as I rose from my chair, but I ignored it. I’d deal with his big mouth later. Rounding the table, I took my father’s hands.
“Daddy, please sit down. Don’t give yourself a heart attack.”
“I’m not giving myself a heart attack, but I want to know what the fuck that means.”
“Your heart condition…” I started, imploring him with my eyes to calm down.
“What heart condition?”
I stammered, confused. “Y-you have… Mama told me I shouldn’t tell you anything or upset you because you have…”
His eyes widened, realization hitting him at the same time it did me. The bitch lied. He whirled on her, and I didn’t think I’d ever seen him more angry .
“Karen.” That's all he said, but goddamn . The raw fury in his tone had every eye in the room laser focused on what was happening at what was supposed to be a happy occasion.
She stood, nose haughtily in the air as she carefully placed her napkin on her plate. “You’re on medication, Brian.”
My dad’s face went thermonuclear, and I could tell he was trying not to scream in front of everyone. “I was on a small blood pressure pill for about a year. You know the doctor took me off it after I lost those extra fifteen pounds.”
“Well, have you forgotten your grandfather died of a heart attack?” she retorted, and my gaze bounced back and forth between them, trying to process what the hell was going on. She’d told me for years that Dad had a heart condition.
“Goddammit, Karen! Gramps was ninety-seven years old and he died in a bar while drinking whiskey and smoking a cigarette.”
She deflated a little at that. “I didn’t want Mallori to bother you with… trivial things.”
“Excuse the fuck out of me, but locking her in a room isn’t trivial in my eyes. What possessed you to do that?”
She was silent, and my dad turned to me, his eyes softening around the edges. “Your mother convinced you I had a condition so you wouldn’t tell me what was happening while I was gone?” I nodded, and he shook his head. “Honey, can you tell me when she locked you in your room? Was it really for five weeks?”
Inhaling a deep breath, I blew it out slowly, gathering my strength for this conversation. “It was actually in the studio. Around the time I left school, and yes, it was five weeks. She’d bring me food, and when I wouldn’t agree to apologize, she’d leave and lock the door. ”
His eyes were back on my mother, who looked equal amounts panicked and angry at her actions being brought to light.
“What if there was a goddamn fire, Karen, and she got trapped up on the third floor?”
“I wouldn’t have let that happen. I would have let her out.”
My dad threw up his hands in disgust. “Why the fuck did you lock my daughter in her studio, Karen?”
“Insubordination,” she said, lifting her chin.
“She’s not your subordinate. She. Is. A. Human. Being.”
Forget a heart doctor. My dad was going to need extensive dental work from the way he was clenching his teeth.
“Don’t attack me, Brian Fitz. Mallori is the one who got kicked out of school.” She pointed an accusing finger at me, throwing me under the bus because she probably didn’t think I’d share the entire story. Well, she was fucking wrong.
I glanced behind me to find Hawk’s eyes boring into me. He dipped his chin slightly. It was the tiniest of nods, but I could feel his strength radiating across the table as clearly as if he was holding me in his arms.
Straightening my shoulders, I faced my father. “Because I punched Bernard Moreau in the nose.”
Dad’s brow crinkled in concentration. “That dance guy your mother was always going on about?”
“Yes, he was my professor.” Clenching my hands into fists at my side, I said the words. Words I realized I’d been needing to tell my father for over a year. “I punched him when he tried to force me to give him a blow job. ”
Two beats of silence preceded the explosion in the room. Cam’s chair toppled over as he leaped to his feet and yelled, “What the fuck,” at the same time as my father. Shiloh let out a squeaking noise and buried her hands in her face. Even Uncle Sean, who was usually so jovial, looked like he wanted to throttle my mother.
Hawk was the only one that didn’t react because he already knew the story, but his lips tipped up into a tiny smile that told me he was proud of me.
I was proud of me too.
Cam marched around the table, his blue eyes snapping as he stepped up to my mother. “Get the fuck out of my house,” he growled before glancing at my dad. “Sorry, Uncle Brian. You’re welcome in my house any time, but not her.”
Then he pulled me into his arms, and I pressed my cheek against my cousin’s chest. But I didn’t cry. Not a single tear—because they believed me. No one questioned my story at all, and I loved them for it.
My dad’s voice was low and dangerous. “Go to the car, Karen. I need to say goodbye to my family.” When she started to protest, he barked, “Now!” and I heard her scurry out of the room, high heels tapping on the tiled floor.
Gentle hands tugged at me, and Cam released me so my father could pull me into his arms. “I’m so sorry, honeybunch. I didn’t know.”
“It’s okay, Daddy,” I said, my voice muffled against his sweater. He smelled so good. Like love and home.
“How many times?” When I looked up, he asked again, “How many times has she locked you in your studio? ”
“Um, probably seven or eight, but usually just for a day or two. Never for that long.”
He kissed my forehead over and over. “Still not acceptable. I’m so sorry, baby. If I’d known…”
“You didn’t, so you can’t blame yourself.”
“But I will anyway.” He smoothed a piece of my short hair behind my ear and smiled down at me. “I really like your hair like this, baby. It shows off your pretty face. And donating your hair… that just shows you’re pretty on the inside too.”
“And cue the ugly cry,” I said, tears dripping down my face.
Dad chuckled and gave me one more squeeze. “I’ll come by and see you tomorrow before we head back to Pennsylvania. For now, I have to go deal with my wife.” His face hardened.
“I thought you were flying straight to Miami from here for your cruise.”
He shook his head. “I’m not going on that. I can’t even stand to look at her right now. Can you imagine being stuck on a boat with your mother for seven days?”
“Actually, yes. I went on a dance cruise with her one time.”
Dad held my shoulders and scowled down at me. “No more secrets. I’m your father, and you should be able to share anything with me. I promise I will always stand behind you. Or beside you. Or in front of you, if need be.”
“I love you, Dad.”
“I love you too, sweetheart,” he said. I could feel it in the final embrace he gave me before stalking out the door, calling, “Wish me luck,” over his shoulder .
“I don’t think he’s the one that needs the luck,” Shiloh said, giving me the wide-eyes before pulling me into a hug.
“Yeah, Uncle Brian was pissed,” Cam said.
Uncle Sean took his turn hugging me next. “All you have to do is call me, Mal. If there’s something you don’t want to share with your dad, I’m here for you. I know your Uncle Nolan would be too. As the only niece in the family, we all feel extremely protective of you.”
“I will. Thank you.”
“Oh shit! I forgot about Uncle Nolan,” Cam chimed in. “When he finds out about this, they may find Karen in a shallow grave in the Pennsylvania countryside.”
“Don’t be silly,” Uncle Sean chastised. “Our older brother isn’t that dumb.” Then with a sneaky smile, he added, “He’d tie her body down with cinder blocks and dump her in a very deep body of water.”
Everyone laughed, but to be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure he was joking. “Maybe we should refrain from mentioning this to him,” I suggested. “Just to be sure.”
“Let’s get these dishes cleaned up,” Shiloh said, stacking a handful of plates on her arm like a professional waitress. Cam and Uncle Sean also loaded up their arms, but when I reached for a stack, I was stopped by a hand on my lower back.
As soon as we were alone in the dining room, Hawk wrapped his fingers around mine and whispered, “I’m so sorry, Bee. I didn’t mean to blurt that out. She just pissed me the fuck off.”
Running my hand through his beard, I smiled. “It’s okay. I was ready to kick your ass at first, but…” I shrugged. “I actually feel better now that it’s out in the open.”
“You have an awesome family, baby. Well, except for your mother.” His face scrunched in distaste.
“And I have you,” I told him, standing on my tiptoes to kiss his lips. He dropped his hands to my bottom and hauled me closer.
“You sure do, and when I get you home—”
“What the fuck is going on?”
Oh. Shit.