Page 51 of My Vows Are Sealed

Determined not to be the one to bring it up so I didn’t incur his wrath, I just quietly headed to my bedroom and started to get changed into my pajamas. I’d just managed to get my bra off – not an easy feat when my shoulder was still feeling tender – when the door opened.

“Darla,” my father’s monotone voice boomed from the doorway.

“Ahh!” I squealed as I scrambled to pull my nightshirt over my head.

My shoulder screamed in protest, but I could take some extra Tylenol and grab an ice pack in a few minutes. Right now, my main concern was to make sure my dad didn’t see me half-undressed.

Hadn’t he heard of knocking? He knew I was getting changed in here. I wasn’t allowed to have my door locked, but still. I wasn’t a little girl anymore, and my body was starting to reflect that. Common sense should have told him that it was a good idea to knock so he could make sure I was decent. Right?

“Peter said something to me about a concert next Saturday,” he said, completely ignoring the fact that he’d just walked in on me changing.

“Yeah. Jars of Clay,” I mumbled.

“I’ve spoken to him, and I will allow you to go…under two circumstances. And you know I’ll find out if you disobey.”

“I won’t,” I promised immediately.

“You are only permitted to spend time with Heather and Naomi before the concert starts,” he started. “And you are not to leave the group foranyreason. I don’t care what the reason is. It’s not allowed.”

I sighed. There went the idea of hanging out with my boyfriend before the show. But, I mean, I couldn’t help it if he came over and talked to me while I waswithHeather or Naomi, right? And as for leaving the group, unless I had to go to the bathroom, I had no reason to go anywhere without them.

“Yes, sir,” I said.

“Then I will allow you to go. You put yourself in a situation that I misread when that boy brought you home from the dance, so I’m giving you another chance to prove your trustworthiness to me,” he said.

I smiled and walked over to give him a hug, and he haphazardly wrapped one arm around me.

“Thank you, Dad,” I murmured. “I promise I’ll be on my best behavior.”

“You’d better be,” he grunted, like he wasn’t happy about it.

Then he turned and left, and I shut the door again so I could get changed out of my jeans.

At least he was letting me go to the concert, even if he was putting strict limits on what I was allowed to do while I was there and who in the group I was allowed to socialize with. I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. That was a good way to have this come back and bite me later.

Chapter 15

Darla

Art in Me

TEN DAYS LATER

“Remember, you are to stay within the group at all times,” my dad reminded me as he pulled into the church parking lot. “And you may only socialize with Heather or Naomi.”

“I remember, Dad,” I said as I grabbed my purse. “Thanks for letting me go tonight.”

“Don’t make me regret it,” he grunted.

“You won’t,” I promised as I grabbed my purse and got out of the car.

It wasn’t like there was anywhere else I would want to be instead of the amphitheater anyway. I was so excited to go to my first concert, I was about to explode.

“Remember whose you are,” he said as I shut the door.

I groaned and stepped away from the car, and my dad sat there idling for a minute before driving off, revving the engine loudly for good measure. Taking a couple of deep breaths, I shook off the uneasy feeling that had settled in my stomach and then turned toward where a small group of kids had already congregated.

Brendan was talking to Alex Gleason, so I decided not to interrupt him, even though I knew he wouldn’t mind. I hadn’t seen him spending a lot of time with the other guys in the youth group recently, and I didn’t want to be the reason for it. Guys needed their guy friends, just like girls needed their girlfriends.

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