Page 66 of Forbidden Desires

She drops her head, unable to meet my eyes. “For an audition,” she whispers.

I stare at her, feeling the fury building up inside of me. “You what?” I snap. She’s going to leave.

“Please hear me out before you have a hissy fit, Brody.” Her eyes meet mine. “It wasn’t what I wanted to do, and when I came into the office on Friday, it was to tell you what I was up against with my dad, but you sent me away. I didn’t know what to do, so I went home like he wanted. Part of me was actually scared that he would turn up here and drag me back there if I didn't.”

The air feels like it’s been sucked from my lungs. “You took another job in New York because I fucked up.” I run a hand through my hair, furious with my stupidity.

“I didn’t take the job, Brody.” She grabs my hand, lacing her fingers with mine. “When I came to Deception Bay, it was supposed to be temporary. At least that’s what I told my parents. I needed a change of scenery to try something different.”

I nod, thinking back to the girl I first met; she was having a terrible night and wanted a change. “The night we met.”

“That was the night I decided, but my father wasn’t easy to convince. You don’t know what he’s like. He’s so overbearing. I grew up scared of him. Everyone in our industry fears him, he holds the power to destroy reputations.”

My heart races. She’s back to tell me she’s leaving. Her father is an asshole, and he’s given her no choice. I watch her, trying to work out how I can help her get out of this.

She sighs heavily. “Growing up in his household I did as I was told, so did my mother," she says, each syllable laden with a lifetime of frustration and resentment. It's as if I can taste her resentment, a bitter pill she's been forced to swallow since childhood. I feel so bad for her.I escaped my own father’s expectations and got to go off and live my life. She was trapped.

I squeeze her hand, giving her the okay to go on.

"As an only child, he directed all of his attention toward me. He wanted me to be just like my mother, a shining star," she continues, her tone heavy with the burden of expectations. The image of a young girl, eager to please her father, flashes before my mind's eye, and my heart aches for the innocence she must have lost along the way growing up in show business.

"So my father enrolled me in all the classes from a young age—acting, singing, dance. There was no room for second place in his world. I had to be the best,” she says, her voice trembling with suppressed emotion. "That type of pressure can put a lot of stress on a young impressionable girl," she admits, her voice shaky. "But I wanted his approval. I strived to be the best for him. And I was, landing lead roles and making a name for myself, but I was living in the shadow of my incredible mother. I heard the whispers from other cast members that I only got the roles because of who my father was, or because they thought I would be as transcendent as my mother, but I wasn’t.”

I understand the pressure she must have felt better than most. I pull her closer to me, wrapping a protective arm around her. “From what my uncle told me, you were amazing in your own right. I think you underestimate your abilities.”

"Maybe, but that doesn’t mean the rumors didn’t sting like a bitch. And the worst part was I felt so selfish. There were people who wanted those roles and probably deserved them more than me, but I was landing them, while dreaming of a different reality,"she murmurs, her voice barely above a whisper. "That night, the one when I met you, I freaked out right before I went on stage. I had been having panic attacks for a while, but I was keeping them at bay, but that night it felt like I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t want to get on stage, and I knew I was done. I decided I was going to go out there into the world and get the life I was dreaming about," she confesses, her voice trembling with a mixture of fear and determination.

“And look where you ended up. Bet you never imagined you would be a wedding-and-events coordinator for a family hotel.”

“Never, but I’ve enjoyed every second of it. Brody, you have no idea how much coming here has changed my life. Back there I only had one friend, Cassie, my latest choreographer. From the moment I got here, I was made to feel like one of the crew.”

“You are. They all love you. You know the only reason I came to get you tonight is because Emerson sent the boys to shake some sense into me. The girls want to keep you, and the guys gave me a hard time for being such an idiot. You’re one of us.”

She smiles and laughs. “You don’t know what it means to hear that.”

“I do. When I was away, I didn’t realize how much I needed this place. I thought I was okay on my own. But I wasn’t. I wasn’t living my life at all, I was just trying to block it all out. The friends we have here will be your family like they are mine.”

“I really hope so.” I gently brush away a tear that rolls down her cheek. “I don’t have mine anymore. That night at the bar, I tried to talk to my father, but he lost his shit with me and told me I was beingungrateful," she says, her voice thick with emotion. "He wouldn’t listen to what I wanted. It wasn’t important to him," she admits, her voice breaking with the weight of unspoken pain. The injustice of it all prickles beneath my skin, igniting a simmering rage that threatens to boil over.

"So, I found a job here, and Emerson helped me find accommodation, and once I knew I had it all sorted, I took off when my parents were out one day,” she says, her voice steady with resolve. It's a declaration of independence, a refusal to be shackled by the chains of her father's expectations.

“He forced you to run away?”

“I know it sounds ridiculous. I’m twenty-three, I should be able to do what I want, but you don’t know my father. He’s insanely controlling.” The tremor in her voice makes it obvious she’s frightened of her own father. He sounds like an asshole. I'm furious that he made her feel helpless.

"I knew it was the only way I could ever try something different. When he worked out I was gone, he called me irate about it. Saying I was to return home immediately or he was cutting me off.”

“But you stayed.” I take her hand smiling, so impressed. Despite his threats, she chose freedom.

“I did. What's the point in having his money if I hate my life? I would prefer to be broke and happy,” she says, her fingers wrapping round mine. She squeezes like she needs my strength to go on. And I will give it to her. Whatever she needs, I’m here for her. God help her father if he ever dares to show his face around here. I’ll let him know what I think of him. “He cut me off, saying I had three months to realize I was making a bigmistake then get my ass back home to audition for his latest show,” she says, her voice steady with resolve. “And that’s what he did.”

“You know you don’t need him. You have all of us now. You have me. I’ll take care of you.”

She smiles at me. “When I came here, I fell in love with this town. With my job at The Alexander,” her eyes rise to meet mine, “and with you. I never want to leave.”

“You fell in love with me?” I ask, unable to stop the smile from forming on my face.

I see the pale pink blush rise on her cheeks. “Yeah, I did.”

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