Wounded But Not Scarred (New Adult Rockers 2) (2 page)

“Hi,” I say, “I’m here to take my
father home. Kenny Lawson.”

“Oh, yes of course!” she says,
smiling brightly. “You must be his daughter, Paige. We’ve heard lots of lovely
things about you.”

I kindly smile back.

“If you’ll just wait here,” she
says, motioning to a sunny sitting room, “I’ll go and tell him you’re here. I
know he’s excited to see you.”

I nod and move over to a comfy
armchair by a large window. The place is so damn pretty that I wouldn’t mind
vacationing here if it was a possibility. I realize that I never texted Blake,
and I quickly pull out my phone before my father comes in.

Made it. Waiting for Daddy. Love
you and miss you.

I stow my phone in my purse just as
I see my father descending a nearby staircase with his two duffle bags.

“Paige,” he says, his face breaking
into a grin.

I stand up and at first I can’t
respond because I’m so shocked by my daddy’s appearance. He looks healthier
than I have ever seen him, and I suddenly realize how much my daddy’s disease
had taken a toll on him. Not just the relapse that he had, but also all those
years before.

My daddy looks fifteen years
younger, and his face is bright and rested. Gone is the sallow and sunken in
look of his eyes, and instead his face is plumped up in a healthful way and his
eyes are bright and clear.

“Oh my god, Daddy,” I gasp, “You
look amazing!”

“Give me a hug, sugar,” he says, as
I throw myself into his arms. Hugging my daddy is so comforting and reassuring,
that I can’t help it when the tears start.

“Oh, Daddy. I’m so proud of you,” I
whisper, feeling like such a sap.

“It’s all because of you, honey. I
don’t know what I would do without you. You’re my little guardian angel.”

He hugs me tighter and then we
finally pull away.

“Lois,” he says, turning around to
hug the woman from behind the desk who had gone to find him.

“You take care of yourself, Kenny,”
she insists, patting his arm. “You’ve got a sweet little daughter there, and
she seems to love you very much. You keep yourself clean for her.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he says smiling.

I thank Lois myself, and then Daddy
and I leave the rehab center, arm in arm.

“How are you, Daddy?” I ask, as we
walk the path back to the car.

“I’m doing really great, honey. It
was a struggle and it took me a good week or so to find my stride, but once I
gave it a real shot, I felt like a different man.” He straightens his shoulders
and looks at me.

“I
am
a different man,” he
insists.

“It sure seems like it. I can’t get
over how healthy you look.”

“I’ve been takin' real good care of
myself. I’ve only been drinking water, and I started taking lots of vitamins. I
ate loads of veggies while I was here, and really cut my meat intake. Not like
I had a choice,” he added. “Their menu was limited meat and all lean protein at
that.” He smiles at me, his eyes twinkling. “And I started exercising.”

I burst out laughing. “Well, that’s
something I never thought I would hear.” But I can’t hide my happiness.

“I already have plans to turn one
of the rooms in the house into a small gym so I can keep it up. You can’t
imagine how much energy I have now!”

“That’s wonderful, Daddy, it really
is,” I say, unlocking the doors to the car. My dad throws his bags in the back
and climbs into the passenger seat.

“I haven’t been inside a car in
over a month,” he says quietly. “How strange.”

I nod. “Well, I’m sure it will take
a little while for you to adjust, but you’ll be fine.”

I turn the car around and we start
making our way back to the highway.

“But enough about me,” he says,
“tell me how you’ve been, sweetie. What did I miss this month?”

I look over at him and grin.

“You haven’t missed a whole lot,” I
admit. “The tour took a toll on me, so I’ve spent the past few weeks relaxing
and just enjoying life. Of course, I’ve worked on some music.” I grin. “I’ve
got some good news about my album.”

“Oh?”

“Liam was able to work something
out, and I’m going to get into the studio the week after next.”

“Well, hot damn!” my dad cries,
slapping his knee. “That’s fantastic!”

I nod, grinning like a fool. “Momma
was real proud when I told her.”

“I’m sure she was. And she has
every right to be.” He shakes his head in amazement. “Liam surprised even me. I
knew that kid was something special, but I had no idea he could work that kind
of magic.”

“Everyone’s been really great at
the office,” I tell him, “Becky said things have been smooth. Of course,
there’s plenty of projects waiting for you, but it sounds like you have one
great staff.”

“I sure do,” he agrees. “I want to
try to give them all a really nice bonus at the end of the year.”

“That’d be really nice, Daddy. I’m
sure they would all appreciate that.”

It’s quiet for a minute and I feel
my daddy’s eyes on me.

“And Blake?” he asks, slyly. “You
haven’t mentioned him yet.”

I giggle. “He’s doing well. Rust is
going to get into the studio for an album too.” I wait a moment and then
continue, wanting to be upfront with my dad. “He spent a lot of time at the
house while you were gone. I hope you don’t mind. I was feeling really lonely,
and he kept me company.”

“Of course I don’t mind,” he says,
“You had every right to have Blake over there. It’s your home too and you
wouldn’t have been so lonely if I hadn’t screwed up.” There’s another pause.
“So are you and Blake serious?”

“Yes,” I admit. “It got messy when
he ended things with Savannah, but we’re doing really well now.” I hesitate and
then continue. “He’s actually going to put his house on the market this week.
But don’t worry,” I say quickly, “I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. It’s
just that we’re talking about looking for a house together once his place
sells.”

I glance sideways at my father and
see him thoughtfully nod. “Are you two talking marriage?” he asks carefully.

“Well, we haven’t said the words exactly,
but that’s where this is eventually heading. We know we’re meant to be together
and we’re in this for the long haul.”

“So, you’re going to move in with
him
before
you’re married?”

He can’t hide the disapproval in
his voice.

“Well, you make it sound so
old-fashioned,” I say, squirming in my seat. I didn’t foresee this being a
problem.

“Paige,” he says patiently, “you’re
my little girl. My one and only daughter. For whom I happen to feel especially
overprotective. You didn’t think I would have any problem with you moving in
with someone before getting married? Even if it was Blake, who I happen to like
and respect a great deal.”

“Umm, well, when you put it like
that,” I say feebly.

“Exactly,” he says, smiling.

I really didn’t think of it that
way.

“And have you mentioned this to
your mother?”

“Well, no.” I admit.

Crap. How had that not even crossed
my mind? My mom always liked Blake, but she would hit the roof if she heard I
was moving in with a man, Blake or not, before I was married.

Well, this certainly changes
things.

Now, I'm dreading talking to Blake.
I don't want to come across as one of those needy girls who needs to get
engaged right away. I wasn’t even thinking that far in advance. I assumed we
would get married eventually, I just don’t see the rush. Not to mention before
I moved to Nashville, I never even considered marriage as a part of my future.

“Just think it over,” my dad says,
as if reading my thoughts. “There’s no need to rush anything. What’s it been? A
month? Two months?”

“Something like that,” I mumble.

The conversation shifts away from
Blake and I, and I tell Daddy what else I know about his label, and some of the
projects I had worked on around the house. By the time we pull up at the house,
I’m exhausted from all the driving, but I know I still have to get dinner ready.

“Tell you what,” my dad says. “I’m
going to head on into my room, unpack and acclimate myself. Why don’t you go
lay down and take a nap or float around the pool? I know you’ve planned a
special dinner tonight, but we can eat a bit later than normal. Let’s just
relax for a bit, alright?”

That sounds amazing.

“Sure, Daddy. I’d like that.” I
give him a hug and watch him head back towards his room before I make my way
over to my little suite. I’m too lazy to even go out to the pool, and instead I
change into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, before I collapse onto my bed and
fall asleep.

I wake up groggy and disoriented an
hour later. I roll over and see that I have a new message on my phone.

It’s Blake, and I realize that I
never called him to tell him that my dad and I made it home. I dial his number
and wait for him to pick up.

“Hey baby,” he says, his voice
anxious on the other end.

“Hi. I’m sorry I didn’t call. We
got in a little over an hour ago, and I was so exhausted that I fell asleep.”

“It’s okay. I just wanted to make
sure that everything is okay.”

“Everything is great. You won’t
believe how healthy my dad looks. He seems to be doing really well, so fingers
crossed that this lasts.”

“We’ll make sure it does,” he assures
me.

“So, are you coming by Monday?” I
ask hopefully. I know that Blake has to work on songs with the band, but I’m
hoping he can squeeze some time in with me. Especially since my father will be
at work on Monday.

“You bet,” he says, his voice
husky. “I’ll be there for breakfast.”

“Mmmm,” I say, closing my eyes as I
imagine Blake’s hands all over me.

“You better be prepared,” he
teases, “I’m going to need to get my fill of you.”

“Oh, I hope so.”

He chuckles on the other end.
“Alright, you better go get back to your dad and I’m going to my parents for
dinner tonight.” He pauses. “Don’t worry. I plan on setting up a time for all
of us to have dinner next week.”

“Sounds great. Love you.”

“Love you too, Paige.”

I hang up and make my way out to
the main kitchen. Everything is quiet and I wonder if my dad is taking a nap
too. I start taking everything out for chicken enchiladas, and I flip on some
music to help me pass the time. Before long, I have everything assembled and I
place the dish in the oven. I busy myself with making a fresh salad and setting
the table.

Just as I take the hot dish out of
the oven, my dad rounds the corner to the kitchen.

“Smells delicious,” he says
happily.

“Chicken enchiladas. Your
favorite.”

“You made enchiladas?” he sounds a
little too impressed and I pretend to sound hurt.

“Ouch. I do know how to cook you
know.’’

“I know. Just kidding. It looks
wonderful.”

“And I made a big salad so you can
get all your veggies.”

“You’re too good to me, Paige.”

I wave him off, and pour us each a
glass of ice water. I guess I’ll have to drink the remaining Frescas or get rid
of them. They had been daddy’s sober drink of choice before he went to rehab.

We sit down to start eating and
after a few bites, my dad smiles.

“This is great, sweetheart. Thanks
again for everything.”

“You’re welcome, Daddy.”

“So, do we have any big plans for
the weekend?” he asks.

“Not really. I just thought we
would hang out. You know, get back into the routine of things.”

“Sounds perfect.”

I feel hopeful. Truly, honestly hopeful
that things will only get better from here.

I park the truck and hop out,
feeling like a lovesick teenager. I haven’t seen Paige since Friday morning,
and it feels like an eternity.

She yanks the door open before I
can even ring the doorbell.

“Hey baby,” she cries, catapulting
herself into my arms.

I pull her close, inhaling her
scent, and burying my nose in her hair.

“Hey,” I murmur, pulling away, and
then kissing her hard on the mouth.

She curves into me, wrapping her
arms around my waist and sinking her hands into the pockets of my jeans.

“I missed you,” she whispers into
my mouth.

I kiss her even harder, and I push
her up against the doorframe.

“Mhmmm,” she groans, sliding her
hands up and under my t-shirt, her nails lightly digging into my back.

I feel myself harden, and even
though I want to talk to her and hear all about her time with her father, I
know there are other things that I want more.

“Let’s go back to your bedroom,” I
manage to say.

Not that I wouldn’t mind making love
to Paige right here in the entryway of the house, but now that Kenny’s back, it
seems a little creepy and disrespectful.