Page 117 of Rebel Romeo

“Holden, don’t be ridiculous,” a feminine voice bellows behind me.

I turn around slowly to find Laurie McCay crossing to stand next to Erik. She slides her arm through the crease of his elbow and looks up at him briefly before smiling a cheshire grin at Holden and me. “I would never undermine your authority any more than you have undermined mine.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Holden

Five years ago…

I hadn’t seen Katherine much outside of rehearsal and a few texts here and there. We hadn’t had another date. We hadn’t talked about my Mom’s little surprise visit. Between class, homework, football practice, games, and rehearsal, I had very little free time.

And I still had no idea what I was going to do about the Kennedy Center performance.

Besides, I wasn’t even sure what I’d say to Katherine when we did talk. I’d been desperately trying to hide my family’s crazy from her, and yet every time I turned around, my parents were barging into our lives, ruining things. Sometimes intentionally and sometimes not.

And now I had to add Addison’s bullshit to this. The fact of the matter was I didn’t know if Addison knew anything about buying Kate’s panties. I didn’t know what she’d seen. I didn’t know if she’d read my journal. And even if she had, would she do anything about it?

The entire week passed without a peep from Addison. No more surprise visits from my mom. No pestering phone calls from my dad.

Saturday night, after our winning game, I exited the showers, towel wrapped around my waist just in time to see Addison stroll into the locker room like she owned the place with jeans so tight, they could have been painted on and no one would be the wiser.

From across the room, she smirked at me before straddling Duncan where he sat in boxer briefs on the bench and shoved her tongue down his throat.

Fuckin’ classy.

I rolled my eyes and got dressed fast. Grabbing my shit, I booked it out of there and nearly ran over my father, pacing outside the locker rooms.

“Dad.” I blinked, surprised. “What are you doing here?”

“Just wanted to say you played well tonight.” Dad’s voice was eerily calm.

I hadn’t played well. I’d played fucking great. But unlike other dads, he couldn’t just pay me a glowing compliment when I deserved it. He had to subdue it. Tamp me down. Dull my fucking shine.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “You came all this way to watch me play?”

“You seem surprised.”

He was calm. In control. Which wasn’t exactly a shock. Out here in public where cameras and phone videos could catch him, he always played his role as parent perfectly conservatively.

“I am surprised,” I admitted. “It’s a long trip. Between your visit last week, Mom’s visit on Monday, and now this? I’m beginning to think you two are taking turns spying on me.”

Dad sighed. “I heard about your mother’s little … visit. Sorry if she caused you any trouble.”

I wasn’t exactly sure how to respond to that. Mom was always causing trouble, but half the time she was simply reacting to my father. Her concerns rang in my head. This isn’t his usual sort of affair. This one’s different. He loves her.

But he wasn’t with another woman tonight. He was here. Watching my game.

“I was proud of you tonight. You played like the athlete I know you can be.”

My gaze shot up to his. The athlete he knew I could be? Well, that was… unexpected.

My fingers tapped against the outside of my thigh and I twirled my grandfather’s ring against my finger, jittery as fuck.

I needed a cigarette.

“I’m not going to have the time in law school to play football, you know,” I blurted out.

Dad’s response was a snort-laugh hybrid. “Son, no law student has time for football.”

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