Page 64 of Sweet Disaster
Chapter 22
Kady
He lied.
I should’ve known better than to trust Gavin to keep his word. To believe he’d fulfill his promise to me.
To believe him when he said he cared about me so much that he’d do anything to make sure we stayed in touch.
But I’ve heard nothing from Gavin since I left for Madrid.
It’s not like I expected him to drop everything and fly over here to confess his undying love for me, but I did expect for him to at least call me. A simple text would be sufficient. Something to say he was thinking about me and that he missed me.
For the first time in my life, it mattered to me to know a guy really cared. Someone who wanted to be part of my life, even after a hookup.
A guy who wanted to stay in my life permanently.
Unfortunately, the only man to come chasing after me is my own father.
My dad arrived last night, and we had an epic blow-out fight when he made it to Izzy’s cousin’s flat. And while the level of intensity of our argument has toned down a bit, he’s still giving me the third degree as he sits at the table in front of me outside on the veranda.
He’s lamenting about my poor choices. My bad decisions. The unnecessary risk I took leaving the country on my own and without supervision. And the stress and worry I gave my parents.
Blah-dee-blah-blah.
“Have you lost your ever-loving mind, young lady?”
For the love of all that’s holy, I hate it when he uses that high and mighty tone with me. He can be such an intolerable asshole.
I roll my eyes and sip my very strong Spanish coffee. Not quite as good as the Italian’s brew.
My father continues his tirade. “Had I not bribed your brother, I never would have known you were over here, traipsing around on a continent where you don’t know a soul. What if something happened to you, Kadence? You could’ve been kidnapped. Abducted and sold as a sex slave to some horrible, evil men in Siberia or Hong Kong.”
Okay, I’ll grant him that. I did see Liam Neeson inTaken, and know those awful things do happen. But I was careful. He needs to give me a little credit for having some smarts. Hearing the tight clip and strain laced in my dad’s voice as he spells out all the ghastly ramifications of my actions, I know he’s been legit worried about me. I get that. He’s my dad and still thinks of me as that seven-year-old who hid at my brother’s birthday party. The terror on my dad’s face is clearly visible and I do feel badly for putting him through that.
But I’m not a child. And I wasn’t entirely on my own.
“Dad,” I offer in a soft voice, covering the top of his hand with mine. “As you can see, I’m just fine. I think you’ve watched too many scary Lifetime movies. There’s no need to be worried. I’ve been very careful and safe. I’ve either been with Izzy and her extended family here, or while I was in Italy, I was with…”
Gavin’s name is on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t say it out loud. It sits heavy in the back of my throat, like a giant horse pill that’s gotten stuck and is too hard to swallow.
My dad tilts his head and cocks a brow. “You were with whom?”
Avoiding his penetrating stare, well-known in the Maricopa County court system, I turn to stare down at the cobblestone street below. Madrid is incredible. The people are warm and friendly and the city has a nice bohemian vibe to it. But it isn’t Italy. I don’t have the same connection that I had with Florence or Rome. It’s like my heart knew how to beat while I was there.
Learned how to love for the very first time.
My dad continues to stare at me disapprovingly.
“I was staying with someone that Cade connected me with – a brother of his friend from school. See? I wasn’t alone and had responsible people looking out for me. Even my stupid, tattletale brother.”
My dad laughs but I glare back at him, pursing my lips like a child I’m trying not to portray. It will be a very long time before I forgive Cade for outing my whereabouts to my dad. He’s now back on my shit list.
I may never even speak to my brother again. Serves him right. Cade and his big mouth.
“Come on, Kadence. You know Cade was only looking out for your best interest and knew it was the right thing to do.”
I grumble hotly. “Whatevs.”
