Finding Me (28 page)

“Owen, do you want a ride to your dorm, or is it close enough to walk?” Dad peered at us in the rear view mirror. Mom shot me a wince from the front seat. We both knew the admiration Dad had developed for Owen over the past couple of days would come to an abrupt end if he found out about his apartment.

Owen opened his mouth to answer before I grabbed his arm.

“Yeah, Owen’s dorm is close. No big deal.” I raised an eyebrow at Owen and he nodded in response. Even Owen didn’t want to poke that bear.

Dad popped the trunk as Owen and I stepped out of the car. Owen mouthed a
phew
at me as he pretended to wipe his brow. I smiled until I glanced over his shoulder at a familiar form sitting on the bench in front of the dorm building. Dad switched my cell phone number the day before, but I’d been afraid to check my email. My breathing went shallow and my body froze—I had a feeling Marc wouldn’t disappear until he got what he wanted.

“Bella, what’s wrong? Talk to me, baby.” Owen squeezed my shoulder. I held my gaze on Marc as I nodded in his direction.

Owen gritted his teeth as he muttered a curse. “Stay here, Bella.” He didn’t look back as he stormed in Marc’s direction. Panic rose in my throat. Owen was already suspended from the hockey team for fighting. Clobbering Marc on campus in plain sight would get him in serious trouble.

“Owen, stop!” I yelled but he was already sprinting toward Marc. I ran after him and tried to grab his arm to pull him back.

Marc huffed and stood from the bench with his hands raised as Owen approached.

“I don’t want any trouble, I just want to speak to my daughter.”

“Her arm is black and blue from the last time you tried to speak to her.” Owen pulled me behind him as he glared at Marc. “You aren’t getting anywhere near her.”

Marc snickered as he strutted up to Owen. “It’s not up to you.” Marc craned his neck and turned to us with a smirk. “I doubt you want to take another swing at me in public, unless you really do want to spend the night in a cell.”

“I wouldn’t mind that at all.” Our heads jerked to Dad’s voice behind us. He marched up to Marc with an icy glare. “I’d gladly spend the night in jail. Beating the shit out of you has been my dream for years. You harassed my daughter, you,” Dad growled as his jaw clenched. “You
hurt
her, all because you’re a fuck up that needs money.” His chest heaved as he moved closer to Marc.

Marc rolled his eyes. “She’s not
your
daughter. She’s mine. That always killed you. She wasn’t as easy to steal as her mother.” Dad closed the distance between them and knocked him to the ground with one punch.

“Stop!” Mom rushed over to Dad and stepped in front of him. “I don’t want to see my husband in jail!”

“You won’t.” Dad gazed at Marc with a slow smile spreading across his face. “Because he’s too much of a coward to ever come back at me. Same as he ran away from Owen. He’s pathetic. Even the mother who used to worship him found that out in the end.”

Dad crouched in front of Marc. Blood dribbled from Marc’s nose down to his lip. “But
fuck
if that didn’t feel good. There’s a restraining order heading your way, but come near
my
daughter again, and you better hope the police find you before I do.”

Marc stood from the ground and glanced at my mother and me. Mom put her arm around me as she narrowed her eyes at her ex-husband.

I stepped away from my mother as I met Marc’s gaze. “He never had to steal me. I’ve always been his. My entire life, I wondered what was wrong with me to make you leave. Turns out, it’s what’s wrong with
you
that kept you away. You aren’t a father. It’s not a title you invoke only when you need something.” I moved towards Marc and took a deep breath. “So whatever you wanted to say, or talk to me about, won’t make me want to help you. I’ve seen the kind of man you are. And I don’t want any part of it.”

He looked between us before he shook his head and moped away with his wrist pressed to his bleeding nose. I wasn’t sure if the sinking feeling in my stomach was closure, or dread of what was yet to come. But the Marc I gazed at now had a lot less arrogant resolve. One way or another, I considered Marc Christensen out of my life—for good.

“You okay, Butterfly?” Dad cupped my cheek.

“Yeah.” My voice shook as I grasped Dad’s wrist.

“He won’t hurt you again. I promise.”

“So do I,” Owen added from behind me. I turned to his soft voice and he kissed the top of my head.

“Lucas, that was pretty badass, if you don’t mind me saying so.”

Dad chuckled. “Well, thanks for letting me have the first punch this time.”

Mom and I squinted our eyes at each other and mouthed ‘Lucas?’

Mom put her arm around me. “Let’s get your stuff upstairs.”

“Thank you.” I kissed her cheek.

Mom’s brow furrowed as she handed me my backpack from the trunk. “For what?”

“For giving Dad that second chance. I don’t want to think about life without him.”

Mom let out a deep sigh and looked over her shoulder at Dad. “Neither do I.”

Two months later

Bella

“NOTHING LIKE THE LAST FINAL
before summer! God help me, but I hated philosophy.”

I chuckled at Laura as we exited the liberal arts building for the last time until August. “I thought it was actually pretty easy.”

“I didn’t like that whole bit about religion only existing for selfish reasons. I felt the eyes of my CCD teacher burning into me for almost believing it.”

I nodded. “Catholic guilt follows you everywhere, like my mom always says.”

“You should come visit me in Syracuse! We have a huge pool and plenty of room to stay.” Laura was one of the best people I’d ever met. She listened to all my drama with a sympathetic ear and without an ounce of judgment. I never wanted any other roommate.

“I’d like that. I’m working with my aunt in the Bronx three days a week. She’s an accounting manager and needs some help with the paperwork and books since her boss opened up another office.”

“That sounds . . . really boring.” Laura grimaced and pursed her lips.

“You know I’m a weirdo and love numbers. Aunt Jess is exactly like me. Plus, her boss looks like the guy from
Arrow
.” I wiggled my eyebrows. “It’s not the worst place to work.”

I laughed as Laura’s jaw dropped and she elbowed my side. “Don’t let Owen hear you say that, or one of his minions that he has follow you around.”

For the rest of the semester, I never saw Marc again. I hoped he was gone for good, but I still feared that one last ghost face killer-like comeback. It was tough to walk around without looking over my shoulder, but I wouldn't let him win. Like Dad said, don't be scared, just be aware.

Owen was attached to my hip whenever he wasn't in class, and I couldn't help but notice a different hockey player always seemed to be around when he wasn't. They were the younger second and third line players who I'm sure felt honored when OT asked them to babysit his girlfriend. When I asked Owen about my new bodyguards, he gave me a big smile with extra dimples and swore he had no idea what I was talking about. He was even more transparent than Dad, but I loved them both for it.

“Isn’t that one over there?” Laura whispered and pointed with her thumb behind us. I glanced back and recognized the thick neck and crew cut framing a babyface.

“Hi, Logan,” I yelled to him. Logan was the second line center after Owen. He gave me a nervous nod. He was probably shitting a brick that I noticed him trailing us.

“I better start packing now or we’ll be up all night.” Laura huffed before sauntering away. “See you later?”

I nodded and lowered my gaze to the ground. Tomorrow I’d head back to Queens, and Owen would head back to Savannah. Now that finals were over, that reality had a chance to sink in—and it sucked.

My trip to Savannah over spring break was cancelled because I had to go to court to finalize the restraining order. Owen’s parents understood and said we could reschedule for the summer. I dreaded the next three months when I'd only see his face on Skype or FaceTime. Owen promised time and distance meant nothing to us, and I kept repeating it to myself like a litany. Truth was, time and distance apart would only stretch longer. Owen would graduate next year, and after that who knew what would happen. If the NHL came back next year and saw how special he was, he would never pass that up. I knew I loved Owen and he loved me, but I hated not having a clue about anything else.

“Any reason you're dragging that beautiful face all along the ground?” Owen crept behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

“No reason.” I sighed without turning around. “Just thinking of how long summer is.”

Owen snickered and turned me around to face him. “Most students like that summer is long—smarty pants.”

I narrowed my eyes at him and he laughed harder.

“Aw, City . . . You miss me already, don't you?” His emerald eyes twinkled as he tapped my chin.

“I did, but now you're getting on my nerves, so not really.” I turned to walk away and he pulled me back by my hand.

He kissed the tip of my nose and held me in an embrace so tight I couldn’t move my arms. “Why am I getting on your nerves?” His smart ass attitude pissed me off even more.

“You could at least have the decency to act a little sad. Tomorrow I go back to Queens and you go back to Savannah. I'm trying to save up enough to come see you but I still don't know when that will be.”

Owen let out a long sigh and shook his head. “You are the
worst
person to try to surprise. Anyone ever tell you that?”

“Surprise?” I narrowed my eyes at him as I tried to wiggle out of his hold. “What are you talking about?”

“You're half right. Tomorrow you’ll go back to Queens, but I’m coming with you. I got an internship this summer in Manhattan.”

“You . . . what?” My mouth opened and closed again wordlessly before I finally managed, “How?”

“Cat got your tongue, City?” I nudged his shoulder and he laughed at me again. “I applied in the fall and my dad pulled a couple of strings. I’ll be interning at a sports agency in the department that deals with player contracts. It’s a good way to learn the business from the other side. Whether I’m on the team or I work for it, I won’t be clueless going in. Your dad said I could stay at your house.”

“My dad knows too?” I didn’t know which was weirder—Dad knowing about this before me or him agreeing to let Owen stay at our house for an entire summer.

“I promised to stay in my appointed quarters at night. But I figured,” Owen whispered against my lips, “you have a car, and your family can’t be home all the time. We’ll just have to work on being creative.” Owen brushed his lips against mine, and even though I wanted to stay mad, I fisted the material of his T-shirt and brought him closer to deepen the kiss.

“So you and my dad are best buddies now?”

Owen shrugged. “He’s a good guy. We bonded. I don’t want to get on his bad side—ever, but he’s pretty cool.”

I shook my head as I fought a smile. “You are something else, OT.”

“I told you I'd always find a way to stay with you. You need to learn to trust me. I was going to tell you tonight at my apartment, but being as though you were all torn up inside about leaving me, now you don't have to be.”

I took a deep breath and looked away. We didn’t have to worry about separating—now. But after next year, everything would change. This was good—no awesome—news, but we’d have to leave each other eventually.

“And you can unwrinkle that cute little forehead thinking too far ahead into the future. When I graduate, I'll find a way then, too. You're stuck with me.” He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “In case you missed it, you’re it for me. I love you.”

He was a cocky pain in the ass, but he knew me better than I knew myself. From the day I met him, he was always just what I needed—and everything I ever wanted. Warmth flooded my chest at the emerald eyes and dimples that made every day better than the one before.

“I love you, too.” I wrapped my arms around his neck as he leaned his forehead against mine. “Always and forever.”

Owen beamed back at me with a slow nod. “Always, forever, and
everywhere
.”