Page 64 of Most Valuable Player
Though, there is Cameron Morelli.
I smile faintly at the remembrance of his painting as I gaze at my bedroom ceiling. I need to find a good place to hang it. “You’re sweet,” I whisper to the darkness. Bringing me coffee and the necklace, telling me he’s here if I need him. Complimenting what he can see of my personality.
Kissing me gently.
I can’t fall asleep and I’m parched, so I wander into the hallway, relishing in the unusual silence that midnight brings when Mom falls asleep. My father sits at the kitchen table on his laptop, his favorite place aside from the porch, with a cigarette in hand.
I snag a glass from the cupboard, feeling the weight of his eyes. “Don’t want to go,” I mumble.
No answer.
“Things are over,” I say, sharper, filling the glass under the faucet. “I told you the things he did. The way he treated me. You promised…”
“It seems like he’s changed,” Dad says, voice level as always. “Your mother and I think you should consider accepting his apology. He’s a wealthy, mature, reliable man with a good heart. You won’t find someone like that at college.”
“You believe that?” I ask darkly. “Or are you just saying that to avoid conflict?”
He doesn’t answer. I already know.
“I won’t go,” I say.
“They’re family friends. It would be rude if you didn’t make an appearance.”
“I don’t care.”
“Your mother does. If you want to stay in her good graces—”
“I don’t.”
“Then you’ll be sleeping on the floor of that local coffee shop you love to escape to,” Dad snaps, momentarily escaping his aura of indifference. “All you need to do is show up with us for a few hours. You never think long-term, Mason.”
That startles fake laughter out of me. “I was engaged,” I say, voice rising as irritation mounts within me. “For a wholeyear.”
“An engagement you broke off,” Dad says stiffly.
His stubbornness is causing frustrated tears to accumulate in my eyes. Why is he acting like he didn’t curse my ex-fiancé profusely when I revealed what happened? Like he didn’t promise that he’d never let that man near me again?
“Again, long-term.” Dad draws a steadying breath, fortifyinghimself for his next words. I understand why a moment later. “This man can provide for you. How many people your age can say they have someone dependable waiting for them after graduation? You should consider that some benefits outweigh the consequences.”
I stare at my father, stunned, nauseated. “Consequences?” I breathe.
Dad kneads his thumbs together with another hefty sigh. “Mason…he’ll be easier to placate than someone like your mother. It won’t take much to have a loving, fulfilling relationship with him. If you avoid stepping on his toes—”
“And if I accidentally do?” I demand. “Is whatever happens next my fault?”
“Of course not.” He turns his eyes to his white screen against the darkness of the kitchen, tiring of this conversation. “I’m just saying that if you’re mindful of your words and actions, you could lead happy lives. Comfortable lives. Stable lives.” He pauses, then whispers, “Better lives.”
I slam my water glass on the counter and storm to the door.
“What are you doing?” Dad asks wearily.
“Walk,” I mumble, sliding into my tennis shoes despite only being equipped with my flannel pajamas.
“It’s midnight. Too late for you to be out there.”
But not too late for me to reinstate an engagement to someone I never wanted to see again. Or for my father, who supported my decision to break things off, to switch on a dime because my mother has to have her way.
I thought he’d be rigid in his stance. When I broke the engagement and explained why, he snarled back at Mom. He’ll do that occasionally, but it’s never more than five seconds before he’s bowing his head so the police don’t get called for the screaming. Back then, though, he stood his ground.
