- Text Size +
Chapter Eighteen

I was mortified. Wait, mortified wasn't even a strong enough word. I don't think they've even invented the word to describe how I felt.

There was a mad scramble for clothes. I couldn't find my bra, but I tugged on my shirt. I'm pretty sure my underwear went on backwards. I couldn't find my flip-flops either.

I was a shoeless, braless, virgin.

Sigh.

"You two, get out here. Now." Kevin commanded. Dad was still holding the door. I was pretty sure he was gripping it so hard the metal was denting. Mason climbed out after me. He didn't have a chance to say anything. Dad let go of the door and his hands grabbed the front of his shirt.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing with my daughter?"

"I---"

Mason was as tall, if not a little bit taller than dad, but it didn't seem to faze dad one bit. He pressed his face close to Mason's. He pulled his fist back and all I could think about was Mason's gorgeous face being mangled.

"Dad, please," I begged. Kevin's hand wrapped around dad's wrist.

"I'll take care of him. He's my responsibility."

"Well you haven't done a good job so far."

My eyes widened in surprise. Dad and Kevin went back. Way back. Like stone-age back.

"Your daughter is not without fault," Kevin said calmly. Dad bristled.

"Shel didn't do anything," Mason said quickly. I shook my head and opened my mouth, but I was interrupted.

"I think we need to talk about this at home," Kevin said. He held out a set of keys to dad.

"Why don't you follow me back?"

Dad took the keys and looked at me.

"Shelby, in the car."

I glanced at Mason. His face was a mask of disappointment, regret, and worry. Kevin climbed in the truck and Mason hopped back in through the open passenger door.

I followed dad to the SUV. I quietly got in the passenger side. He got in the driver's side and slammed the door.

Kevin made a big circle and started down the narrow path. Dad followed.

"What the hell were you thinking Shelby? Is this what you came up here for?"

Tears burned in my eyes. I hated when dad was mad.

"No," I whispered. "I came up here to work."

Dad had a death grip on the wheel. Even his tattoos looked pale.

"How many times--"

A tear fell down my cheek.

"We haven't. This was the---this was going to be the first." My voice seemed to totally disappear.

"Shel, you're too young to be doing this. You can't let boys pressure you--"

"Mason didn't pressure me."

Dad didn't say anything else, but I could practically hear his teeth grinding together. I folded my arms across my chest.

The way my luck was running, my bra was probably stuck on the truck brake and Kevin would probably find it.

We didn't say anything else the entire ride back to the house. Dad parked behind Kevin and we all got out. As we headed up the porch steps, I could see my mom and Addy sitting in the kitchen.

"Mom's here?" I said in surprise.

"Kevin picked all of us up at the airport. Your mom and I decided to fly the whole family up here as a surprise to see you and to celebrate..." Dad trailed off and glared daggers at Mason. Mason sucked in a breath.

The screen door banged loudly behind us as we all filed in. Mom poked her head out of the kitchen. Addy wasn't far behind. They both didn't look happy.

"Where were they?" Addy asked.

"The clearing."

"Were my directions okay?"

"Yeah. We found it fine."

I saw two heads bobbing on the stairs. So did Mason. He lunged towards Dan.

"You little shit--"

"THEY MADE ME TELL!" Dan shrieked. Kevin grabbed the back of Mason's shirt and tossed him back.

"Don't blame your brother for this."

Dan ran up the stairs. The second head stayed put. It was grinning.

"Joe, go upstairs," dad said sternly.

"But--"

"NO BUTS!"

Joe stood up and stomped up the stairs.

It was just the six of us. Mom, dad, Kevin, Addy, Mason and me. Mom looked at dad.

"What happened?"

"Under a blanket of steamed windows, this," dad pointed at Mason. "was about to have sex with our daughter."

My face felt like it was on fire.

"Mason?" Addy said. It was poised as a question.

"This is bullshit," Mason said bitterly. Kevin still had a hold of his collar. He gave it another yank.

"No, what's bullshit is that I'm going to get us out of here on the next available flight," dad announced.

My eyes widened.

"Dad I still have four more weeks of work--"

"You're fired," dad said simply. I gasped.

"But Mason's birthday!"

"I think," dad sounded venomous. "he got enough of a present."

At this point Kevin turned around.

"Don't blame all this on him," he said.

This started off a round of loud bickering between the dads. I glanced at mom. I prayed she would understand. She stared at me in disappointment. It was Addy that broke it up with a loud finger whistle.

"ENOUGH! Now, we need to all just talk about this like adults."

"They're kids!" Kevin and dad said simultaneously.

"Just sit," Addy commanded.

Dad made sure I was sandwiched between him and mom. Mason got the seat between Kevin and Addy. I looked down at my hands.

"There's no reason you guys have to fly home immediately," Addy said calmly. "You're our guests. I hope that you'll stay until after Mason's party."

"I agree with that. I can't drag the twins back onto a plane," mom said. I knew she meant Brayden and Tristan. Of course, she might have also meant Joe come to think of it.

"I don't know if he's going to have a party now," Kevin said. Addy looked at him and shook her head.

"If he has to cancel the party, the other kids are going to want to know why. Believe it or not, Mason's street cred will go through the roof at high school. That's not a punishment."

Mason looked at Addy like she was his savior. She smiled at him...but it was one of those double-edge sword smiles.

"Oh we're not done with you. I am going to work your fingers down to the bone and I'm going to make sure you write an article for the newspaper about the benefits of abstinence."

Mason looked horrified. I couldn't blame him. An article in the newspaper? Oh Lord...

"I do think Shelby should go back to Florida," Addy continued. She looked at me. "You were a good worker, but under the circumstances..."

"How could you let them run around wherever they wanted to unsupervised?" dad interrupted. Kevin's fist landed on the table. The salt and pepper shakers rattled.

"AJ, you're talking like you were some kind of saint when you were their age. They're teenagers. We were teens once. We weren't kept on leashes. I don't even want to think about how many of 'daddy's little girls' you slept with."

I didn't want to think about that. I knew that dad had been considered a (gag) 'sex symbol' at one time, but...ugh.

"Well he should be kept on a leash," dad said. "Or better yet neutered." Kevin gave dad the dirtiest look I had ever seen.

"That's low AJ and you know it," he said coldly. "Besides, if anyone should be kept on a leash, it's her," Kevin continued. "She's the one that went to Victoria's Secret and bought God knows what and probably teased Mason with it all."

Dad looked at me. I hadn't thought the night could get worse. But it was.

"You what?"

"Dad..."

Dad pinched the bridge of his nose.

"After we're done here I'm going up to your room," mom said. "You know I don't approve of you wearing that stuff."

"Fine," I said quietly.

There was more discussion but I was barely paying attention. I felt like I was going to throw up. All I could think about was having to go home.

I didn't want to go home.

"We'll stay for the party," I heard dad say. "We'll leave the next day."

Everyone seemed to be in agreement with that plan. While dad and Kevin stayed in the kitchen, mom nudged me upstairs. I sat on my bed and held out the Victoria's Secret bag. She took out the dress.

"Honey, this is not a dress for a sixteen year old. What is going on with you?"

"I love him."

Mom sank down beside me.

"You two are moving way too quickly."

I sighed. Mom folded the dress back up and stuck it in the bag.

"I think you need some time apart to evaluate your actions. Shel, when we get home you're going without phone or internet for a month."

I gasped.

"Mom..."

"No, Shel. I don't want you to end up doing something you regret."

The only thing I regretted was getting caught. Leaving had been bad. But no contact with Mason? For an entire month?

That was unbearable.

"I want you to stay up here, get changed and get some sleep. We'll talk more tomorrow."

Mom closed the door behind me and I sat there staring at the floor. In a perfect world, Mason and I should have just been getting home. We should be laughing and kissing and talking about how amazingly different everything was.

The only part that was true was that things were amazingly different.

But not in a good way.