Chapter Nine
Evie
There are moments in your life you never want to forget—like prom, signing your first contract, getting the keys to your first house, or hearing your man say he loves you for the first time.
And then there are moments where you wish the floor would literally open up and swallow you just so you don't have to remember them.
This is one of the latter.
"Dad!" I gasp, staring in shock as Kingston frantically tries to cover me up. But it's already too late for that. There is no hiding what we were just doing. My house smells like sex. I'm naked from the waist down. Kingston's dick is still out.
"I, uh…Jesus Christ." My dad swipes a hand over his eyes like he can unsee what he's just seen. He's speechless for the first time in his life, his expression wavering between shock and horror. "I'm just going to…go anywhere that isn't here right now."
I whimper, mortified.
"Give us five minutes, sir," Kingston murmurs, sounding far calmer than I feel.
"Yep," my dad says, already striding out of the room.
I don't know where he goes. I can't look at him ever again. He basically just caught us fucking. This is worse than the time I walked in on him and my mom!
"You have to get dressed and then sneak out the window," I whisper. "Go hide somewhere in the city. I'll call you once he's calmed down."
He's never going to calm down. My father is going to murder Kingston for fucking me at the piano he bought me. There will be no game tonight, just a memorial.
Jesus Christ.
"Baby." Kingston's shoulders shake.
"This isn't funny!" I cry, two seconds from flipping the fuck out.
"Oh, believe me, I know it isn't funny," he says, grabbing me gently by the shoulders. "But what kind of man would I be if I left you to face the fallout by yourself, Evie?"
"He won't hurt me." My dad would never hurt me. He's going to kill Kingston, though. And he just got out of the hospital, so the odds of him hurting himself are high.
"Of course he won't. He isn't going to hurt me, either. We both love you," Kingston murmurs. "It's going to be okay."
I pull back to look at him. He doesn't look nearly as sure as he sounds. He looks worried. Really worried. Maybe that's what quiets my own panic. He's freaking out, but he's trying to keep it together for me. I need to do the same for him.
I inhale a deep breath and exhale slowly.
"Come on, princess," he says, snagging my shorts off the floor. "Let's get you dressed."
My legs are still weak, so he has to help me into them.
There's no hiding the fact that they're the same tiny pair I was wearing on stage last night.
If my dad saw videos of the concert, he's going to know.
But I guess there's nothing I can do about that now.
He basically just caught us fucking. We have bigger problems.
As soon as we're dressed, Kingston pulls me into his arms, holding me tightly. "It's going to be okay. I love you."
"I love you too," I whisper. We're way past denying it, trying to fight it, or pretending it isn't true. I'm in love with him. So much so that I'm not even afraid of it anymore. I'm more afraid of what happens if my dad hates him.
"Fuck." His body shudders against mine before he tips my head back, meeting my gaze. "Say that again."
"I love you."
His forehead drops to mine, his breath shaking on his lips. He looks like he desperately wants to be inside me again right now. "You're going to say that again when I'm inside you later, Evie. You're going to scream it."
I whimper, clinging to his shoulders.
He presses his lips to mine in a hard kiss.
"You ready?"
"No. Yes." I huff a breath, my soul shaking. "Yes."
I am so not ready, but there's no stopping this now.
We find my dad on the back porch, staring at a palm tree like it holds the answers to the universe.
"Dad?" I whisper, my voice cracking.
"Hey, baby girl."
"I'm so sorry!"
My dad turns to face us, his gaze running over me and then over Kingston. I can't read his expression, and I'm not sure if that's good or bad.
"Ah, hell, Evie," he finally rasps, stalking forward to pull me into his strong arms. "I'm the one who should be apologizin'. I just waltzed in like I own the goddamn place. Olivia's been warnin' me for years that I need to learn to knock."
I cling to him, my heart pounding a million miles a minute. "You never have to knock."
"Yeah, I do." He tips my chin back like he always did when I was a kid, afraid to meet his gaze. "You're a grown woman now, baby girl. You deserve your privacy."
I burst into tears. I don't know why. It's the way he's looking at me like he's proud of me and sad at the same damn time.
"Hey, now. None of that." He wipes my eyes, grinning at me. "You still have to introduce me to this hockey star who stole your heart. I'd like to pretend none of that other shit happened if you don't mind."
"P-please," I sob, crying and laughing at the same time.
Dad glances over my shoulder at Kingston, then back at me. "He's the one, huh?"
"Yes," I whisper.
He nods, smiling. "I knew it when I saw the way you were looking at him at the game. I had to come see for myself if he was worthy of you."
"You should be in bed!" I cry. "Mom is going to be so mad."
"Who are you tellin'?" He grins at me. "She's mad as a hornet right now. I snuck out."
"Dad!" I groan, faceplanting into his chest. "You can't just sneak out and fly across the country!" Only he would think that was a reasonable thing to do.
"Don't worry. I've got Cash's jet. I'm goin' back. I just had to come have a quick chat with your man."
I groan again, not in the least bit surprised. "Please tell me that you at least asked to borrow Uncle Cash's jet."
Dad just shrugs, which makes Kingston chuckle.
"Mom could have warned me that you stole the jet and were on the way," I grumble.
"She tried." Dad grimaces. "I believe you were otherwise engaged."
So…I guess that's why Everly has been calling all morning. I groan, burying my face in my hands. "We can't talk about this. It never happened."
"Agreed," he growls, dropping a kiss to my forehead. "Some things, I don't need to know, Evie Jolene. I might have a fuckin' heart attack."
I smile despite myself. "Your heart is fine, Dad."
"Won't be if I see much more of that," he mutters before turning his gaze on Kingston. "You're lucky she likes you, Monroe. If she didn't, this conversation would be goin' a lot different right now."
"Believe me, sir, I'm aware," Kingston says, his voice somber. "I'm the luckiest motherfucker on the planet."
"Yeah?" Dad arches a brow. "You really believe that or are you just sayin' what you think I want to hear?"
"Dad," I whisper.
"It's okay, princess," Kingston murmurs, taking a step forward. "He's got a right to ask. In his shoes, I'd be asking, too. Hell, in his shoes, I'd probably be hitting me right now."
"Thought about it," my dad mumbles. "But that'd piss her off. And if I piss her off, I piss off my wife. She's already mad as hell. I'm tryin' not to rock the boat too much."
Kingston smiles before he grows somber again, more serious than I've ever seen him look.
"I knew your daughter was special the moment I set eyes on her, sir.
My goddamn heart tried to climb out of my chest. I've never felt anything like that, and I'm not in the habit of ignoring when my heart tries to tell me something.
I've made a nuisance of myself, trying to convince her to give me a chance.
Still don't know why the fuck she did because I'm just an asshole who knows how to skate.
I'll never be good enough for her, but I'll be damned if I don't try.
"I'm willing to sign anything you want me to sign to protect her," he continues.
"I don't want her money. I've got enough of my own.
I don't want her fame—yours either, for that matter.
I've never had much use for the fame I've got.
I just want her." He pauses, his eyes locking with mine.
"And I want her happy. I'm willing to do whatever I need to do to ensure she is. "
Dad is silent for a moment, watching us, and then he mutters a curse. "You're wrong about one thing, Monroe."
Kingston's brows furrow in confusion.
"If she chose you, it's because you are good enough for her.
She sees it in you. You need to see it in yourself, too.
Otherwise, you're settin' yourself up for a lifetime of wondering if the press and the fans are right every goddamn time they stick their noses where they don't belong and start askin' why you.
And believe me, they will ask. The brighter her star burns, the more they'll ask.
Don't leave them room to do it. Match her, every goddamn day.
That's the man she deserves. Can you be that man for her? "
"Yes." Kingston clears his throat. "Hell, yes."
Dad stares at him for a moment and then nods.
"Then I guess I got what I needed here. You two have my blessin'.
" His eyes narrow, as if he just considered something.
"But if you're thinkin' about getting her pregnant right now, you and I are going to have problems, Monroe.
You need to give her time to enjoy what she's built before you plant your kid in her.
She didn't work this hard just for you to replace her dreams with your own desires.
And you need to have a goddamn ring on her finger before you get her pregnant. "
I see the weight fall from Kingston's shoulders.
I hear his sharp intake of breath, like he can't believe his luck.
I'm not entirely sure I believe it either.
My dad just commandeered my uncle's jet, flew across the country, walked in on us half naked…
and is still giving this his blessing? Who is this man, and what did he do with the overprotective, crazy person I grew up with?
"I can do that, sir," Kingston vows.
Dad just nods, wearing this expression I've never seen on him—like he's proud, resigned, and emotional all at the same time. That look on his face squeezes my heart in a vise.
I throw my arms around him in a fierce hug. "Thank you," I whisper, my voice choked. "Thank you for loving me enough to give him a chance."
"Loving you is the easy part, baby girl," he murmurs, patting me on the back. "It's realizing that you're all grown up that's hard as hell."
I choke on a sob, clinging to him.
He holds me for a minute before gently nudging me into Kingston's arms. They wrap around me, pulling me up against the hard wall of his chest. I cling to him, listening to his heart hammer beneath my ear, my heart so full I think it might burst.
"This is my dream," I whisper, just for him.
His body shudders against mine, and I think maybe it's his dream, too.