Page 49 of A Childhood Crush

He just shrugged.

“Are you watching me?” I gasped.

“You know I’m not,” he answered.

I heard what he didn’t say. He wasn’t watching me, but someone was. I should have known. My father would never just let me go. I was stuck under his thumb for the rest of my life.

“How long has he had someone on me?” I asked quietly.

He shook his head. “All of this could be solved if you just went home. Talk to your father. Work this out. You don’t need to be so stubborn. Your father only wants what is best for you.”

“My father won’t let me grow up,” I snapped. “My father would prefer he locked me up in a room and let me out for feeding and watering when he thinks it’s appropriate. I’m surprised he hasn’t sold me off to the highest bidder or arranged what he felt was the appropriate marriage.”

“I know there are some things you two need to work out,” he said. “That doesn’t happen if you’re not speaking to him. It’s time for you to show just how mature and reasonable you are and come home.”

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. “I appreciate your concern, Mr. Romano,” I said, my voice steadier. “But I’m not going anywhere. I’m not going home. You can tell him that. I’m staying here.”

“You’re staying with Luke?” he asked.

This was not the time to tell him I was with Luke. Maybe they already knew. Maybe that was why Dad wanted me home. I didn’t know and I didn’t care. “I’m staying with Luke.” I lifted my chin in defiance.

He nodded as if that satisfied him. “He’ll keep an eye on you.”

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t need anyone to babysit me.”

“I’ll tell your father to expect a call from you.”

“You can tell him whatever you want, but I won’t be calling,” I said.

With that, I turned and walked away, feeling both angry and heartbroken. I knew this wasn’t the end of it. My father wasn’t going to give up. He was going to keep coming for me. I was never going to get away from him. Part of me was almost ready to just give up. It would just be easier. It wasn’t like I was a raging success at this point.

I went upstairs and flopped on the couch. Seeing Mr. Romano shook me up. It was a reminder I was never really far from my father’s reach. He was always right there trying to control me. It was disappointing Mr. Romano was supporting my father. He was a reasonable man. He had to know what I wanted wasn’t all that crazy. I was a thirty-year-old woman who wanted her own life. I wasn’t sure if it would help or hurt if he knew I was with Luke.

ChapterTwenty-One

Luke

Iwalked into the apartment, excited to see Emmy. I loved coming home to her. Living with her was the best thing to happen to me in a long time. Well, since we went on our first date. Life with her just kept getting better and better. I was looking forward to having dinner with her and catching up on old episodes of the new show we had found on Hulu. But when I walked through the door, I immediately knew something was off. She was sitting on the couch with a glass of wine and staring at the wall.

I approached her slowly, unsure of what to say. Emmy looked up at me with a blank expression on her face. She took another sip of wine, then set the glass on the coffee table.

“Is everything okay?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light.

Emmy shook her head. “Not really,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

I sat down next to her, my heart racing. “What’s wrong?” I asked, taking her hand.

She shook her head. “Nothing. Everything. I’ll be fine.”

“Just tell me,” I pled, squeezing her hand.

Emmy looked at me with tears in her eyes. “Your dad was here. He had a message from my father.”

My heart sank. I knew exactly what it was. “What did he say?”

“He wants me to go home,” she said. “He’s never going to leave me alone. He wants me to run the business.”

I felt anger rising in me. This wasn’t the first time Emmy’s father had interfered in her life. He had always been overbearing and controlling, never letting Emmy make her own choices. I had switched from her protector from the world to her protector from her father at some point in our relationship. The man was always treating her like she was a child incapable of making her own decisions.

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