Page 80 of Payback
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I shake my head and think to myself,Why bother?Why bother telling him everything when he’s just going to dismiss it and tuck it away in a drawer like he always does. But then I think about Roan’s family and my cousins, and eating dinner with Camden and Indie at their kitchen counter, and watching Vaughn buzz around with a grandchild on his shoulders. All those images are far superior to the grey, sterile life I lived in Chicago and I feel cheated.
“Dad, I’m happier in London than I have been for years because I have a sense of family here. A sense of belonging. I have people who reach out to me, who want to see me. Vi calls and checks in on me every week. I go to Uncle Vaughn’s house almost every Sunday for family dinner with everyone. My cousins threatened to pummel my new boyfriend if he doesn’t treat me well.”
“Boyfriend?”
“I’m not done,” I state firmly, cutting him off. “Even Uncle Vaughn has given me more time and attention in the short time I’ve been here than you have the past couple of years.”
“Divorcing Hilary was difficult, Alice. You know that. I was with her longer than I was with your mother.”
“Catching Rosalie in bed with Parker was difficult, too. Why do your problems completely block out mine? I’m your daughter. You should care about my well-being,” I seethe through clenched teeth.
“I do.”
“Then why the hell are you forcing me to come back for Rosalie’s wedding to watch you walk her down the aisle?”
“Rosalie said she spoke to you about it and you were fine.”
“Rosalie is a liar and a sociopath. How can you possibly think I’d want to attend the wedding of my ex and my ex-stepsister who only ended up together after I caught them in bed together? Are you really that dense, Dad?”
He clears his throat gruffly. I can almost see him pacing back and forth in his office, regretting making this call in the first place because it’s forcing him to experience emotions he hasn’t tapped into in years.
But I’ve let him off the hook for far too long.
He begins stammering into the line—something I’ve never heard him do. “I didn’t know. Rosalie made it seem…She’s so hard to talk to…She has always needed more from me than you,” he says, finally finding his words. “She’s so different from you, Alice. You were easy. I never had to worry about you. I worry about Rose, even though her mother and I divorced.”
I swallow the knot in my throat. “I know, Dad. And I don’t hate you for it. I just…I miss you.”
Silence spreads and I swear I hear a faint sniffle that he’s trying to hide. “I miss you, too, Alice. And I’m proud of you for doing so well in London. Maybe I can come for a visit once my schedule clears up later this summer?”
The smile on my face is genuine. “I’d really like that.”
“Good.” He pauses and then softly adds, “We’re going to be okay, right, darling?”
I nod even though he can’t see it. “We’re going to be okay.”
Catalina points her phone in my face one more time, waving at me so that I wave back. I do. For the forty-seventh time tonight. Her Instagram Story is so full of photos and videos of us during our hour-long tour of London that the line at the top of her phone is tiny dots instead of dashes.
She’s a sweet girl, but she’s more focused on her phone than on me, which suits me just fine because my eyes keep drifting over to my stunning, golden goddess of a girlfriend.
When Catalina and I arrived at the gala, Allie was in full business mode with Niall as they organised interviews for me and Mac by the velvet ropes that separate the red carpet from the media. It seems all of London’s press showed up for this event because all of the photographers are piled on top of each other as they try to get photos of the A-list athletes with their dates.
The Win A Date Campaign helped raise more than one hundred thousand pounds for the cause, and it’s kind of an incredible feeling to be walking the red carpet and have the press recognise who I am. I don’t chase fame. Far from it. But I do chase success. And if these people know my name, I’m doing something right in my career.
Vaughn Harris, the Harris Brothers, and Vi are ahead of us, decked out in suits with their ladies clad in beautiful gowns. It’s no surprise they all showed up to support this cause. I think they’d do just about anything for Allie.
I watch Tanner walk over to Allie, who’s standing out of the spotlight next to Niall. He grabs her around the shoulders and pulls her over to their group, announcing to the press that she is their cousin and she belongs in the family photos. The press go crazy, snapping pictures like wildfire. The entire scene makes me smile. I know how much Allie enjoys being a part of a real family and the Harrises have treated her like a sister from the second she came back to London.
Mac’s loud voice breaks my focus as he hoots loudly at something his date said. The person who won the company of Mac tonight is a guy named Michael from Boston who’s been hanging on Mac all night as they pose and smile for photos. It’s a comical sight watching Mac ruffle the guy’s hair in a brotherly way only to have the boy freak-out and rush over to a nearby mirror to fix it.
Catalina and I slowly make our way through the steps and repeat, stopping for all the interviews with various newspapers and magazines. Most ask Catalina about her trip to London and if I’m showing her a good time. Many ask about Bethnal Green’s promotion to the Premiership and how I think next season will go.
I’m just finishing an interview when I feel a delicate hand slide up my back. I turn to find Allie standing right beside me. She smells fucking divine and is even more stunning up close. Her skin is glowing like she’s been dipped in gold, and her blue eyes are bright against her heavily mascaraed eyes. I glance down at her red lips and I have to stop myself from kissing her senseless.
Her eyes drift down my body appreciatively before snapping up to Catalina with a polite smile. “How was your tour of London, Catalina?”
“Super good!” Catalina chimes and holds her phone up to take a selfie of the three of us.
