Page 47 of Queen Rose

Aria

Thursday afternoon, as Xander’s driving us back to River Rock, I feel the state of relaxation I’d found at the lake house with Nate and my friends slipping away. Anxious thoughts pulse through my head about what I’ll find when I return home… and what I’ll be up against.

I’d gotten a text from my dad earlier that he wanted to see me as soon as I got back, so after I hand off my luggage to Franny along with a hug and an extra thank you, I head down to his office.

The door is ajar, but I knock, holding my breath, like I always have.

“Come in,” his deep voice rumbles. When I peek inside, I’m relieved to find it’s only him sitting at his desk, fiddling with an unlit cigar. I exhale as I enter the room and have a seat across from him.

“Thank you for making all the arrangements for us. We had everything we needed and then some.”

“I take it the lake house was to everyone’s liking?”

“Yes, very much so. We really enjoyed ourselves.”

He eyes me from under a cocked brow. “Tell me who was there with you.” His voice holds a strange tone that I’m unsure what to make of. It’s not a question either. It’s more of a demand. My inner warning alarms begin to blare.

Wetting my lips, I tilt my head to the side and wrinkle my nose a bit like it’s a silly question. My gut tells me this is going to be bad. “Well, you know my crowd, Dad.” I try to shrug it off.

He leans back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. He simply stares at me for what has to be nearly a minute, all while I begin to fidget and my palms go damp. “Conner tells me someone picked you up in a Jeep Tuesday morning.” He clears his throat roughly. “So, one, why didn’t you take the Aston Martin? Two, if you didn’t take it, where the hell is it? And three, who the hell was there with you?”

Oh, shit. Fuck me. Thanks, Conner.I force myself to exhale slowly, while my heart beats triple time. “Um. I took the Aston Martin in for detailing. You know I like to keep her looking pretty. She was due for some TLC.” As for his other question, I’m seriously thinking about lying my ass off. Maybe I should say the Jeep is Scarlett’s or Daph’s or Lyla’s. I’m still weighing my choices against the odds of whether he’d find out I’m full of shit, when he interrupts my inner debate.

“I’m not dumb, Aria. As much as your mother hates it, Xander is with Scarlett whatever her name is. I know Beau and Micah both have girlfriends, too. And Griff is … with that Max guy. That Jeep doesn’t belong to any of them, not that I’m aware of. So, who was it that picked you up?”

I look down at my hands for a second. But no. I’m not doing this. I won’t lie about Nate. I owe him that. Lifting my head, I meet my father’s gaze with flashing eyes. Honesty. Let’s hope it doesn’t bite me in the ass. “His name is Nate King, Dad. He’s a nice guy.”

Slowly he shakes his head. “I don’t know of a King family. Are they new to the area?”

“No. Not new.” I slowly and carefully wipe my sweaty hands on my thighs.

“If he were at Rosehaven, I’d have heard of him. Conner said he looked big, like a football player.”

My teeth catch the corner of my lip. Shit. “He is. He played for River Rock.”

Dad’s eyes narrow. “River Rock?” A harsh chuckle spills from his lips. “Come on, Aria. You know better than that.”

“I like him.” I shrug, hoping that’s enough for him.

“Well, it’d better not be serious, I’ll say that much.”

“What’s so wrong with a guy from River Rock, Dad?” And this is where I have him. And he knows it.

He blows out a disgruntled breath. “I’d rather have you date… you know… within your own social circle.”

“You mean you want me to date some rich asshole, instead of a perfectly nice guy from a normal background.” I don’t dare tell him that Nate’s not really from a normal background; his family is, in fact, from the entire opposite end of the spectrum than us.

“Aria.” He shakes his head, laughing a bit, which pisses me right the fuck off.

I level my heated gaze on him, hitting him where he and I both know it hurts. “You married Mom, didn’t you?”

He’s silent for a few moments, but I can see how he’s stewing. His jaw twitches, and he nods once. “That I did.” He steeples fingers together. “And you see how well that’s turned out.”

I blink. He’s never blatantly discussed their relationship with me before. Not that he’s gotten into any specifics, but still. Damn. Harsh.

“You’re old enough to know how I feel. Your mother and I have stayed together because it’s the best way to project the image that both she and I desire. Surely you’ve noticed we practically live separate lives.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to get mouthy with him and tell him that it didn’t have to be that way. If he put anything that even seemed like love into their relationship or showed my mother any care their lives could have been totally different. This conversation is revealing something important: my mother is the way she is because my father has withheld every bit of his affection from her. I know one thing—I sure as hell don’t want a relationship that mirrors theirs at all. Not in the slightest. “I’m sorry if you and Mom have difficulties. But that’s your relationship. Nate is good to me. And, yeah, he stayed over a night with us. And then he had to go back home because he has a little brother and sister that he takes care of. It was no big deal.”

“It doesn’t seem like he’s anyone you should be seen with. In fact, I forbid it.”

My mouth drops open. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I blink, then try to appeal to the seemingly un-beating organ in his chest. “Please don’t do this. Nate’s—”

His face goes a mottled red in about two seconds. “I don’t want to fucking hear it. You aren’t to see him. Period. End of discussion.”

I stand up and walk out without another word.

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