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“She’s free to say what she wants—”
“Oh, save it, Sebastian.” My father strolled in, his hair swept back like he’d been out on the lake. “What’s the problem, Alicia?”
My mother huffed and pointed at us. “I can’t believe they thought they could bring their sex toy here.”
I saw red. Literal red.
Was she talking about Mac?
I looked at Em and she was just as startled as I was. I could only hope Mac had truly fallen asleep and wasn’t hearing any of this.
“How dare you—”
“We’re not the only ones who think this,” my dad said, crossing his arms and making me feel like I was six again and being blamed for breaking something I hadn’t even touched.
“Who the hell else have you been talking to?” I tried to keep my voice low, but it was hard.
He smirked and shared a patronizing look with my mom. “It’s all over the news, Sebastian.”
“The entire world thinks your relationship is doomed. That it’s some depraved debauchery, and it’s appalling you’d be so public with it.”
“The news?” I pulled out my phone, but there was no reception.
“I’m so sorry,” Em whispered.
Chapter Fifteen
Emily
Bash pulled me outside and down to the dock. The water was peaceful. There wasn’t even a breeze disrupting the surface of it. The sun was low in the sky, preparing for night, but not ready to give up the day. Silence closed in all around us, like the trees were holding their breath, hoping to hear what was about to transpire between the two curious humans who had invaded their space.
“What don’t I know?” Bash raked his fingers through his hair and I winced.
“I’m so sorry—”
His eyes widened, and he stooped down, cradling my face in his hands. “Sorry for what?”
“Not saying something before we got out here.”
“About what?”
“The news—”
His brows knit and he searched my face, his eyes moving frantically back and forth. “Em, I’m perfectly capable of reading the news myself—unless you messed with my phone?”
I shook my head, my hair rustling around his hands. “I didn’t do anything—”
“Exactly.” He smiled and kissed my forehead. “It’s my fault I don’t know what’s going on.”
I handed him my phone, pulling up some screenshots I’d saved. He read in silence and I drummed my fingers on the railing, trying in vain to enjoy the lake, impatiently waiting for him to reach the end. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open when he reached the last picture.
“I figured our parents wouldn’t know. It was just some small gossip site and then the reporter from the event—” I gritted my teeth and couldn’t put my anger into words.
“Does Mac know?” Bash laced his fingers through mine and we walked along the dock, the gentle sway of the old boards soothing me.
“I didn’t want either of you to know. It was devastating to read what the articles said, and I wanted to protect both of you from it.”
“It’s my job to protect you, Em. Not the other way around—”
