Part 22 (2/2)

He laughed dryly and shook his head. ”You're being blind, Jenna. She's playing you for a fool!”

”Don't call me stupid, d.a.m.n it! I'm not blind, or clueless. I was her once, or don't you remember? She's only been seeing the guy a couple months, and I have talked to her about things, okay. Have you? No! You started grunting and dragging your knuckles and swinging your club in the air like some gorilla man! Of course she's not going to listen to you!”

He stuck his finger out at me again, and that tiny gesture was flipping crazy switches off in my head left and right. ”She needs boundaries.”

”You're being ridiculous,” I hissed. ”What do you want to do with her? Lock her up until she's thirty? What about the other two? Should we install a tower?”

Before he could answer, Macy walked in the room behind me. ”Oh, good. We're back to fighting.” Her smart-a.s.sed remark rubbed me wrong. I was already worked up by Royal's tirade, and I wasn't putting up with her mouth.

”Sit down, young lady. We have some things to talk about.”

She rolled her eyes and sat down across from me, folding her legs underneath her.

”I'm sorry, Mom. I really didn't want to make you worry. I was coming right back.”

”That's a crock of s.h.i.+t!” Royal snapped. ”You did it to p.i.s.s me off for punis.h.i.+ng you.”

She stood, her arms straight down at her side. ”I just had to get out of here. I was going crazy, and I wanted to talk to Austin. You took my phone!”

”You weren't talking, Macy!” Royal yelled again. I shot him a warning look, and he stepped back, taking a deep breath. ”How could you be so stupid?”

”Royal,” I snapped.

He was upset. We both had the tendency to say things we didn't mean, and he was going to hurt her with his words. I wouldn't tolerate him belittling her.

He glared at me before continuing. ”I don't like that guy, and I don't trust him. He wants one thing from you, and once he gets it, he'll be gone.”

She rolled her neck and snapped back. ”Is that all you wanted from Mom?” she quipped.

”Yes-at first, yes. Jesus! All men want that, Macy. That's what I'm telling you. I agonize over the mistakes I made back then. I wish I could take things back and treat your mother the way I should've, but I was a stupid kid, pumped full of hormones and love and l.u.s.t over a pretty girl. I fell in love with her, though, Macy. I knew right from the very beginning that things between us were different, but it didn't change the way I was. I still wanted to have s.e.x with her, regardless of whether I should've. I shouldn't have touched her until we were married. I disrespected her, and your grandma and grandpa by sleeping with her.”

A gasping sob tore through my chest. His confession was both shocking and unbelievable. I had no idea he thought that way, and even though I disagreed, knowing he felt that way astonished me.

He'd probably been up all night thinking about what to say to her. I knew how he wanted his daughter to be treated, and he had secondary guilt.

Seemed like he was finally pulling his head out of his a.s.s.

They both looked at me as I pushed my face into my hands, shaking my head.

”It's the truth, Jenna, and you know it. You were nave and young, and I f.u.c.king took what I wanted because I knew you'd do whatever I asked you to. I didn't take advantage of you, but I should've been more careful. I took your love and took, and took, and took. I f.u.c.king knocked you up before you could graduate from high school and then put you through losing Teddy all because I couldn't keep my d.i.c.k in my pants.”

I looked up and shook my head furiously. ”No, Royal! We were both irresponsible! Both of us!”

He laughed, roughly and full of regret. ”Would you have ever told me no, Jenna?”

I shrugged my shoulders. The answer was probably not. I was as hot for him as he was for me-not that I was telling my daughter that.

”Oh my G.o.d, can we please stop talking about your s.e.x life? I get it. You had s.e.x, got pregnant, and you weren't married. What does that have to do with me? I haven't had s.e.x yet! Ugh!”

”Thank f.u.c.k for that,” Royal muttered into his hands.

”So, I'm supposed to stay a virgin forever? G.o.d, you are so annoying!”

He dropped his hands in his lap and let out a long, frustrated sigh. ”You think I want to be an a.s.shole all the time? I worry, Macy. I love you-even if I don't say it every day, I do.”

They could run around in circles all day and get nowhere. Between his outbursts and her eyeb.a.l.l.s rolling around in her head, they were getting nowhere fast. They were too much alike-stubborn, pa.s.sionate, and impulsive. There had to be a compromise, or no one would give in.

”Since Austin is special to you, he should come for dinner so we can get to know him. All we know about him is that he likes to make out in his van. That's not a real positive impression. You have to understand where we're coming from. We're your parents, and it's our job to protect you.”

She crossed her arms, rolled her eyes again, and sighed. ”Seriously? How lame! Austin Samuels does not do family dinners. He's so not like that.”

”Austin Samuels isn't going to do anything if he doesn't show up at your mother's table. That's the s.h.i.+t I won't put up with-disrespect. If he thinks he's man enough to touch my little girl, then he's man enough to face her father.”

”G.o.d! Fine. I'll ask him, but I swear, please don't act all weird and embarra.s.s me.”

”No guarantees.” Royal shrugged his shoulders and gave me a wink.

”Fine, can I go?”

I shook my head. ”No. We need to talk about how irresponsible you were. You're grounded for three weeks, like your father said. You are home by three fifteen unless you have practice, and in that case, I will pick you up right afterward. No phone, no visitors, no computer-unless it's for school. You also owe your father an apology for the way you treated him yesterday. He didn't deserve it, and you can't hurt us just because you don't get your way.”

She looked over at Royal and lowered her head. ”I'm sorry. Can I go now?”

I groaned. ”Well, at least you have three weeks to work on a better apology. I think you and your dad have some things to talk about, though, before you go.”

I looked up at him, telling him with my eyes that he needed to talk to her. There was something deeper going on-catching her and Austin was just the tip of the iceberg. They had to clear the air.

”Macy, you know I would never hurt your mother, right?” he said nervously.

She scoffed. ”But, you are. You did.”

She wouldn't look at him, and that just wouldn't do. ”Macy, we talked about this. It was a misunderstanding.”

She finally looked up and rolled her eyes. ”Why are you friends with Lana, Dad? She's a b.i.t.c.h, and she's obviously after you. It's totally obvious!”

His forehead scrunched, and he frowned. ”That's not it at all, Macy. I think she's just lonely and wanted some old friends to hang out with. She doesn't mean s.h.i.+t to me-she was just an old friend.”

She flopped back against the counter. ”Whatever. Why is grandma hanging out with her? That's just weird, isn't it? She just shows up and b.u.t.ts into our family? Grandma is stupid, too.”

Royal rubbed his hands over his face roughly. ”She spent a lot of time at our house when we were growing up, so I think she's just looking for something familiar. I don't know. Grandma isn't stupid, Macy. She likes being needed, or wanted, or whatever.”

I bit my tongue hard enough to bite it off. Wasn't stupid, my a.s.s.

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