Page 94 of Lovestruck at Sundown
I swallowed past the panic and the sadness caused by the significance of my words. “Merry Christmas,” I said, turning around.
“Oh, and one more thing,” my dad tossed in casually like this dinner hadn’t been a disaster. “I suggest you and Aaron say your goodbyes when you get home.”
“No,” I said, meeting his challenge-filled stare. The panic inmy voice was embarrassingly evident.
The ace under his fucking sleeve.
“He can’t go.” Having Aaron was a necessity now. Thinking about dating a high-profile celebrity like William without having security made me swallow hard. But I knew it was one of my dad’s perks in the “Get with the Program or Else” starter pack, which I was no longer willing to partake in. Having Aaron around made me feel safe.
“I agree.” He tucked his hands inside his pants pockets. “It’s up to you then, I guess.”
“Please,” I begged in barely a whisper, the self-loathing hitting me hard.Just let me have this one thing.
“I’ll have my assistant get back to you about it.”
With a sharp nod, I pressed my lips together and walked away to where William stood, waiting for me.
William stopped whispering to Agent Hawthorne the moment he saw me coming.
“Ready to leave?” William ran a protective arm around my shoulder. I replied with a nod and shot my dad one last dismissive look.
William kissed my temple. I needed him to make me feel better and tell me that everything would be alright, but I was so freaking mad at him! Even so, I needed someone to hold on to emotionally, at least until we got home and I had the chance to actuallybeangry at him. “I got you.”
“I know.” Gosh, I knew he did, but damn it, that simple but powerful phrase reminded me of Caleb and how he would say that all the time when I needed to hear it the most.
My emotions were all over the place, but I took a deep breath and pulled my shit together.
“Shield her,” William said to Agent Hawthorne, who pulled down his masculine jaw in understanding. He quickly dragged ablack buff over the bottom half of his face, leaving only his eyes on display.
“He’s camera shy.” William laughed under his breath, and Agent Hawthorne rolled his eyes.
The doors opened, and the screams were deafening. I didn’t understand how these people found out William was here. Aaron walked out first to make way for us to pass, and Hawthorne created a barrier around me with his arms. The flashing camera lights were not only blinding but incessant. People stretched out their arms with the hopes of touching William. Some shouted, “I love you!” Others yelled out his name. I even caught a “Marry me!”
Agent Hawthorne opened the door for us while Aaron hurried to the driver’s seat. The madness had ended in the blink of an eye. We were now safe inside the SUV. Hawthorne shut the door and tapped the window to let Aaron know we were good to go. I pulled the seatbelt and fastened it, but when I turned my attention back to the window, William’s bodyguard was gone.
Damn, he really is stealthy.
No wonder I never caught him following me around.
When Aaron droveaway, William immediately reached for my hand, but I didn’t let him grab it. “I’m so pissed at you right now. I just … can’t. God, why did you have to hide that from me?”
William parted his lips to reply, but I lifted my hand to stop him from answering my question. “You know what? I can’t do this right now.”
“Guille.” His voice came out as a plea. “Let me explain.”
“Not right now.” I didn’t want to talk about this in the car with Aaron present. Besides, I had questions for him too. “Aaron, did you know about Agent Hawthorne?”
Aaron’s delayed response told me everything I needed to know.
He knew.
“I did,” he admitted.Of course, he did. Who else could have informed my father about it if not Aaron? “But I wasn’t briefed about him. I … caught him. Following us.” Aaron cleared his throat. “But it wasn’t until a week or so ago that I noticed him. At first, I thought he was faculty, but I’d never seen his face at Parsons. So when I spotted him outside your favorite coffee shop three days in a row, I knew his presence wasn’t a coincidence.”
“And why the hell didn’t you tell me about him?” I yelled. I’d never talked to Aaron this way before, but I felt betrayed. And that was the worst feeling ever.
“After we had our guns pointed at each other’s foreheads outside of Parsons,” Aaron said casually, “Agent Hawthorne explained he was part of William’s security team and had been appointed to look out for you while he was gone. He was adamant that remaining out of sight was imperative to his assignment. And he had been doing that for weeks until he got sloppy, and I noticed him.” Aaron snorted as if disappointed in Agent Hawthorne for being caught.
“Guille.” William placed his hand on my leg.
