Chapter Twenty #2
Daddy scoffs. “Right, I bet you say that to all your groupies.”
“No, sir. Dee is not a groupie. Your daughter is the only woman I am, and will ever be, interested in. No one else will compare to her, so I don’t need to stray.
I know my career makes you uneasy, but two of my bandmates are married and have no problems in their relationships.
I can’t imagine it being any different for—”
“So you intend to marry my daughter. Is that what you’re saying?” Daddy questions.
My muscles tense up as I look across at Colt and watch him swallow hard.
“I, ah…”
“You’ve known Deliah for four months, and you’re asking me if you can marry her. Is that what I’m hearing?” Daddy asks, slightly louder.
Colt turns a pale shade of white. “Sir, I um…”
“Do you even love her?” Daddy yells while throwing his napkin on the table.
I look at Colt, who now appears like he’s about to throw up.
“Of course,” Colt says quietly.
“Of course, what? Say it, then. Tell me you’re deeply in love with my daughter.”
I take Colt’s hand under the table. His mouth drops open like he’s trying to speak, but nothing’s coming out.
“You can’t, can you? You can’t say you love Deliah because you don’t. She’s a joy ride until you get your next set of kicks from some other willing female. Good Lord, Deliah, can’t you see he’s using you?”
Colt’s nostrils flare, and my anger has reached boiling point. “Don’t you dare, Daddy! I know Colt loves me. He doesn’t have to admit it out loud to anyone and especially not to you.” Tears threaten on the tips of my lashes, but I refuse to let them fall.
“Deliah, no one will love you the way Joseph loves you. He’s good for you. Not like this… this gutter trash. I mean, he’s from Croydon. I don’t even know what you see in him, Deliah. You’ve become such a disappointment to your mummy and me. We don’t even know who you are anymore.”
“And whose fucking fault is that? You’ve had your nose so far up Joseph’s ass you’ve failed to see anything else.
Hell, Joseph admitted he didn’t love me, but yet, somehow, he’s still good enough?
A loveless marriage is what you think is best for me?
No, Dad, fuck you! I don’t need this shit,” I yell, standing abruptly from the table and slamming my napkin down on the plate.
Colt stands with me while I scowl at my father. If Rutherford Norman notices that I don’t refer to him as Daddy, he doesn’t show it.
“Deliah, we only want what’s best for you, and please watch your language, darling,” Mummy says.
“How do you know that Colt isn’t what’s best for me?” I challenge, resting my hand on my hip.
“Well, your father thinks that Jo—”
“Fuck what Father thinks, and fuck Joseph, too! How’s that for language?” I yell.
Colt places his hand on my back, offering support.
“That’s not very nice, Deliah.”
I turn toward the garden entrance, where Joseph is standing with a bunch of roses.
I can’t help it, I throw my hands up in the air in frustration. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I scream while Colt pulls me to him and tucks me under his arm. Tears that threatened earlier fall freely down my cheeks. “This whole thing was a setup, wasn’t it, Dad?”
Joseph walks up the gazebo steps and moves over to Mummy, handing her a bunch of roses. I roll my eyes. Colt tenses beside me as Joseph walks past him, dressed in his slacks, a polo shirt, and a sweater tied around his neck.
Holy hell, what did I ever see in him? He’s dressed so snobby it’s ridiculous.
“Deliah, my love,” Joseph says and goes to kiss me on the cheek.
I back away and swat, trying to get him away from me. “Dad, I will never forgive you for this,” I exclaim, swiping hot, angry tears from my cheeks.
Colt takes my hand, and I look at him.
What is that look?
Hurt?
Anger?
Fear?
I don’t know, but it’s not a look I like seeing on Colt’s face.
“C’mon, Colt, we’re leaving.” Grabbing his hand, I shake my head at Joseph, who actually looks regretful.
“It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Norman,” Colt calls out as we walk down the stairs and into the rose garden.
“Don’t talk to her, Colt. She’s as much to blame as him for this damn charade,” I say loudly enough so they can hear me.
“Nice music, Ford. Classical Beethoven. Very upmarket,” Joseph babbles.
“Yeah, not like the rubbish that thing plays,” Dad replies, and this time I hear Colt scoff. He’s always been silent when it comes to my father’s degrading comments, but he is obviously over it all.
“We can hear you, arseholes. Oh, and Joseph…”
“Yes, my love?”
“I’ll be coming over to pick up Princess Sophia while I am here in England,” I yell, hearing an audible gasp from Joseph before Colt chuckles. We walk through the archway, then back up the cobblestone path toward the manor.
“Oh my God, Colt. I’m so sorry. That was a complete mess.” I look at him, fearing he’ll tell me exactly that.
Who could blame him after the nonsense that played out like a damn nightmare in full, unedited Technicolor?
“It wasn’t that bad,” he replies, and I exhale, calming instantly.
“Really?”
He stops before the stairs to the manor and turns me to face him.
“No, it was horrible, and I honestly have never been so insulted in all my life, but it’s going to take a hell of a lot more than that to rattle me, Dee.
You got that?” He picks me up and throws me over his shoulder.
I scream and laugh simultaneously while he chuckles, walking up the stairs and inside the manor.
“Colt, what are you doing?” I ask through a fit of laughter.
“Being the typical guy from Croydon, taking his groupie chick for a shag,” he answers.
I hear a gasp and look up to see George standing in the doorway with a tea tray, watching as Colt manhandles me all the way out to the car.
I can’t help but laugh hysterically.
This situation is beyond a joke, but somehow, I see the funny side of it.
“Bye, George, nice to meet you,” Colt says, slapping me on the ass as we pass him.
“Oh, um… goodbye, Mr. Slade. Miss Norman, will you be returning?” George asks, looking at me with a horrified expression.
“No. Oh, and please tell that man in there from me that he’s a complete… arsehole,” I call out as Colt walks us down the stairs of the manor and to his car.
George smirks and nods as Colt cracks up laughing.
Eventually, he sets my feet back on the ground in front of the car and takes my face in his hands, forcing me to look at him. “You know why I can’t say it, don’t you?”
“Huh? Can’t say what?”
“You know… like, how I feel. You know why I can’t say it, right?”
I exhale, knowing that might have gotten to him.
“Colt, I know Macy left you right after you told her you loved her. You’re scared I’m going to do the same thing.
But Colt, I’m not Macy. I am not going to leave you.
But I will also not force you to say something when I know you feel it.
You can say it when you’re ready, and if you’re never ready, I’m fine with that too.
Just know that I know you love me. I know because of the way you hold me and the way you look at me, the way that you sing to me, and the way you make love to me and need me as much as I need you.
I know, Colt. I know you love me. So don’t worry about anything, my stupid, arrogant father said back there. He’s an imbecile and—”
“Did you just say imbecile?” he interrupts.
I giggle and bite my bottom lip. “Yeah, I bloody did.”
“Well, you, Miss Norman, are beginning to sound like a right snob using big words that people like me from Croydon couldn’t possibly understand,” he says with a giant smirk.
I shake my head and wrap my arms around his neck.
He leans down, kissing me punishingly, pushing me back onto the hood of his car.
“Colt. Whatever will they think of you if they see you kissing me on top of a car?” I ask, speaking as poshly as I can muster.
“Well, I don’t know, but imagine what they’d think about this then,” he says, lifting me onto the hood and kissing my neck while gyrating his hips like he’s dry-humping me.
I laugh as I wrap my legs around his waist and pull him closer.
We’re now lying on the car’s hood with him on top of me, making out like there’s no tomorrow.
Eventually, we separate, and Colt pulls me from the car.
I think we have given them a show they won’t soon forget.
Then we get in, driving away from Norman Manor for, hopefully, the last time.