by Thomas, C. M
“I called Mom and Dad,” she said. I looked up at her. I knew she had—Zane told me—but just the thought of them knowing gave me a knot in the stomach. I knew they would be angry that I didn’t tell them about this.
“What did they say?” I asked, even though I knew what they said.
“They are worried about you. And Mom didn’t understand why you hadn’t told them before. They would have helped you.”
“I know. But I just couldn’t tell them.”
“I know, Anna. But so that you know, they will be in Denver when we get there. They want to talk to you, and to meet Zane.”
“What? You told them they could come?”
“No, Dad told me they would come, no matter what you said.” I closed my eyes. Of course they would. I knew my parents; they didn’t take no for an answer, which was partly why I didn’t tell them before I left. I just couldn’t deal with them acting like lawyers and not parents.
“Fine. I will talk to them. But I don’t want a lecture. And please say that you will be with me when I talk to them.”
“I will, Anna. As always, it’s you and me against them.” She grinned. When we were kids, we always said that. Us against them. “How are you feeling? Did you get some sleep after I left yesterday?”
“I’m doing okay. Zane’s mom knows someone I can talk to when we get back to his house. I think I will try that. I did get a lot of sleep yesterday. I just wish the nightmares would go away.” I closed my eyes. Kylie took my hands, and I opened my eyes to look at her.
“I know. I think it will be good for you to talk to someone. Just to get some of the things you might not have told any of us out. Just know that I’m always here to listen. Also, when you guys go back on tour.”
“I know, thanks. Love you.” She stood up and came over to hug me.
“Love you too. And Mom and Dad do too. Don’t be too rough on them, okay?”
“I will try not to.” I smiled at her. I knew she didn’t like when I fought with our parents, but sometimes they just annoyed me. “But if they say something about my relationship with Zane, don’t think I will hold back.” I pointed a finger at her and smiled.
“Already warned them.” She grinned at me before she walked back to Marco. I walked behind her to find Zane. He was where I left him, sitting on one of the big chairs, talking to his brothers. I walked over to him and sat on the arm of the chair. I hadn’t sat for two seconds before he pulled me down into his lap. I laughed at him.
“This is your seat, not the arm of the chair,” he whispered in my ear before he kissed me. “By the way, it’s good to see you laugh, baby.” I cuddled up with him and rested my head in the crook of his arm.
“Feels good to have something to laugh about,” I said.
“She told you that your parents are coming?”
“Yes. They will be at the hotel when we arrive. So be aware of that.” I pointed at him with a smile on my face.
“You’re meeting the parents?” Cole asked behind me.
“He is, so don’t tease him. He has to be on his best behavior.” I grinned.
“Hey! I always behave.” Zane winked at me.
“Sure you are.” I kissed him.
“Can’t wait until it’s your turn to meet the parents.” Zane grinned at Cole.
“That will never happen,” Cole snapped.
“Sure it will. Just look at me. Do you think I thought that I would be the one meeting the parents if you would have asked me a year ago?” Zane looked at me and kissed me. “Couldn’t be happier to meet your parents, baby, just love to piss Cole off,” he whispered against my lips. I just smiled. I knew how he was. And as long as he was faithful to me, I didn’t care about his past. Or at least, I tried not to care.
“Yes, but just because you found love doesn’t mean I will,” Cole said. I looked at him and saw something flash in his eyes. Pain? Did he find love and then lose it without anyone knowing it? I hoped not. That would be awful.
Just looking at Liam when Evie’s name came up was painful. So hopefully Cole didn’t have a heartbreak of his own. I looked back at Zane, and I saw the worry on his face too. It was not just me who saw that look on Cole’s face. I let it go for now, and tried to get ready for our arrival at Denver, and for my parents.
When we arrived at the hotel, my parents weren’t there yet. Kylie agreed to wait for them in the lobby while Zane and I went up to our room. I just needed to freshen up a little. The bruises on my face couldn’t be covered by makeup. At least, not all of them. While I tried to cover up as much as I could, Zane joined me in the bathroom.
“Kylie just called, she and your parents are in Kylie’s hotel room. When you’re ready, we can go.” He stood behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I leaned back against him and enjoyed being close and for just this moment alone with him.
“Okay, I think I’m ready. Or as ready as I will ever be.”
“It will be fine, baby. They love you, remember?” I turned in his arms so I could kiss him.
“I know. I’m just happy that you’re going with me.”
“Me too. Come on, let’s go.” He took my hand, and we walked together to Kylie’s room.
When we got to the room, we knocked, and two seconds later my mom stood in front of us. As soon as we were inside, she said, “Anna! Come here.” She held her arms open so that I could hug her. I let go of Zane’s hand and hugged my mom. “I’m so sorry, honey.”
“Me too, Mom,” I said. I broke the hug and turned around to retake Zane’s hand. “Mom, I’d like for you to meet Zane, my boyfriend.” My cheeks blushed when I said that. I was still not used to calling him that.
“Nice to meet you, Zane,” my mom said. At least she was smiling.
“Nice to meet you too,” he said, and squeezed my hand. That was when I saw my dad. He came out from the bathroom. The moment he saw me, I could see he had tears in his eyes. I rushed over to him and hugged him.
“Hi, Daddy,” I said into his chest.
“Hi, honey. Are you okay?” I looked up at him.
“I’m getting there. Zane helps a lot.” I smiled. Zane came over behind me.
“Nice to meet you, Zane. I hope you take good care of my baby girl,” my dad said, smiling at Zane. This was not what I expected. My father normally interrogated every boy Kylie or I brought around him. Not that there had been many. For a man who would soon be fifty-five years old, he didn’t look older than forty. My dad was always good-looking, and more than once my friends had said that he was hot. He had dark hair, and his eyes were a mix of hazel and honey.
“Nice to meet you too. And yes, I do the best I can. I’m sorry that our security couldn’t keep her safe. But I promise they will do everything they can.”
“It’s not your fault. You know that.” I turned around and stood close to Zane. “He would have found me no matter what.”
“She’s right, you know. At least your guys found her fast. I still can’t believe that the police didn’t do anything.” My father sounded mad, and with good reason.
“I know. But still, I promised her she would be safe.” Zane sighed. “I don’t understand either why the police didn’t help. It was only when our head of security called it in that they had found Anna that the police came.”
“And I’m sure she feels safe with you; I can see that,” my mom said from behind us. We talked for another hour or so before my parents invited us and Kylie and Marco out for dinner.
We spent the rest of the night together with my family before my parents had to leave. They both had to work tomorrow, so they drove back to Colorado Springs tonight.
“Will you two come visit during the summer?” my mom asked when we were about to say goodbye.
“Sure, Mom. I will call you when we get back to Zane’s house. I also have to go to my apartment at some point.” Even though I knew that I
would never live there again. Too many memories. I still had to move out and find something else.
“We have been there a couple of times to check that everything was okay,” my dad said. “We will see you soon. Have fun, baby girl, okay?” He hugged me and shook hands with Zane before he got inside the car.
“Okay, Daddy,” I said, and hugged him back. “See you soon, Mom. Love you, and thanks for coming and for understanding.” I hugged her tight.
“Anytime, honey. You know we only want what is best for both you and your sister. Love you.” She gave me another hug and then turned to Zane. “Take care of our girl, okay?”
“Of course. We will see you this summer,” Zane said. My mom got in the car, and then they were gone.
We walked back to our room in silence. When we got inside, I sat down on the bed.
“That didn’t go as expected.” I smiled when I said that.
“I know. They were nice. All that worry for nothing,” Zane said, and sat beside me. “You okay with them leaving so soon?”
“I am. They both have to work, and that’s fine. I’m just happy that they understand now why I didn’t tell them. And that they seem to like you,” I said, resting my head on his shoulder.
“Me too. And for the record, I like them too.”
“Is it okay if I go to bed? I’m tired, and tomorrow your family is coming.”
“Sure, baby, I’m just going to take a quick shower then I will join you.”
“Can I join you in the shower?” I asked, smiling shyly.
“I would like that, but you don’t have to if it makes you uncomfortable.”
“I want to,” I said, and walked into the bathroom. Zane walked in right behind me. I took all my clothes off and stepped into the shower. I didn’t look back or hesitate because I didn’t want to get cold feet. I wanted this closeness with him. Moments later, Zane joined me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder. I didn’t know how long we just stood there. The warm water washed down on us.
“You okay?” Zane asked, and turned me in his arms.
“I am. This is a getaway from what happened.” I smiled and rested my head on his chest. “I love being this close to you. It makes me feel safe.”
“I love this too, baby. But I think we should move into the bed so I can hold you all night.” I looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back and kissed me. We both finished the shower and got out. Not long after, I lay on the bed, waiting for Zane to join me. When he came to the bed, he pulled me close, so he was spooning me. I couldn’t help but smile. I was happy. Even though the thing that happened with Dan was still so fresh in memory, I had this peace in my body because I knew he was in jail and that he was not hunting me anymore.
Now I just needed to put it behind me and look forward. I wanted to talk to someone about what happened, and I hoped that after this summer, the whole Dan situation would be in the past. I knew that it wouldn’t be that easy, but I just wanted to be free, and even if I still needed some sessions with a therapist after this summer, then so be it. As long as I could live my life without looking over my shoulder.
At some point, there would be a trial, and that would bring up some memories, but I knew that I had the support of my family and Zane. And my dad told me that the state prosecutor, who would be representing me and the other victims, was a great attorney. So that would be okay too. It would be hard seeing Dan again, but at the same time, I thought it might be good to get the closure. And to know that I came out on the other side. I got some bruises, yes, but I didn’t get raped, although the first time it came close to that. I was so grateful that he didn’t get the chance to rape me, because that would have been a whole different story. I didn’t think I would have survived that.
“Goodnight, baby. You need a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow will be eventful,” Zane said.
“Goodnight, babe. Can’t wait to meet your family.”
Chapter 30:
Zane
Knock, knock, knock. I woke up to the sound of some knocking on the door to our hotel room.
“Who is that?” Anna asked. Her eyes were still closed.
“I don’t know. But someone who obviously doesn’t have any manners,” I said.
“It reminds me of my first morning here on tour. Back then it was you who didn’t have any manners.” She grinned.
“I totally forgot about that.” I grinned. “Wait here. I will go check.” I kissed her on the cheek and got out of bed. I pulled a shirt over my head, not bothering to put some pants on. Whoever was knocking on the door had no intentions of stopping. When I opened the door, Gia screamed.
“Morning, big bro!”
“What the hell are you doing here? I thought we were meeting you all for brunch.” I stepped aside, and she walked in. I closed the door behind her.
“I know, but Mom was so excited to see all her boys that she wanted us to get here earlier. I thought I would come see you first,” she said, and hugged me.
“Okay, still not awake for all of this,” I said. “Give me a minute to get some pants on.”
“Fine, but tell your girlfriend that if she is not coming out to meet me, I will come in and drag her out.” And there was my little sister. She always was commanding, and for the most part, she always got her way.
“I will tell her. But give her a chance, okay? You did kind of wake us up, remember?” I walked into the bedroom and closed the door behind me. Anna was sitting on the bed, smiling at me.
“Your family is here?” she asked.
“Yes, at least Gia is. I think the others are bothering Liam, Caleb, and Cole.” I walked over to the bed and sat beside her. “You okay with her being here? I can get her to leave. She won’t be happy, but I will get her to leave if you want to spend some time alone this morning.”
“No, it’s fine. I will just get some clothes on.” She kissed me. “Love you.”
“Love you too, baby. Just so you know, she will be all over you.” I walked over and put some pants on. “But she knows what happened to you, they all do. They will not ask about it unless you talk about it first.”
“Okay. I will be out in five minutes.” She got out of bed and walked over to me. Standing on her tiptoes, she kissed me. “Go and catch up with your sister.”
I kissed her one more time before I walked out of the bedroom. Gia was sitting on the couch waiting for me.
“Are you ready for Mom and Dad to meet your girlfriend?” She grinned. “Still can’t believe you have a girlfriend, big bro.” I came over and sat on one of the chairs.
“As ready as I ever will be. I know they will love her, so I’m not worried. And for the record, I met her parents last night.”
“You did? How did that go?” She looked at me, surprised.
“Fine. They were here to talk to her about what happened. She hadn’t told them anything, so we thought they would be angry. But they were supportive of her and wanted to help her get through this, and they also seemed to like me, so that is good, I think.”
“What’s not to like?” She winked at me.
“I know, right?” I laughed. “But I have a reputation, so I was nervous that they didn’t think I was good enough for her.” Back to being serious. This was something I’d thought a lot about. Me not being good enough for her.
“If they thought that, then they would just have to live with it.” I looked up and saw Anna walking over to me. “They know I love you, so they would be stupid to think less of you. They know their daughter, and know that I would stop coming home if they were to disrespect you or our relationship.” She sat down on my lap and kissed me.
“I like her,” Gia said. “And hello to you, Anna. I’m the cute little sister he can’t stop talking about.” She walked over and hugged Anna.
“Nice to meet you. And good to know he has a soft side,” Anna said, and winked
at me.
“This is just perfect. You and I will get along fine. I’m looking forward to having someone help me tease him,” Gia said.
“Shut it, baby G.” I pointed a finger at her. “And baby, you already knew I had a soft side. Even though I know you like some of me hard.” I winked at Anna and pulled her close so I could kiss her.
“And there is my big brother. I really don’t need to know that about you.” Gia laughed and shook her head.
“You started it, baby G.” I grinned. “Where is Amy? I for sure thought she would come with you to meet Anna.”
“She missed her other half. And I told you, I wanted to meet Anna before the others did.”
“I know. But that doesn’t mean that Amy would listen.”
“No, but this time she missed Liam and had something to tell him.”
“What now? She found a new boy toy?”
“No. Evie’s parents died two weeks ago in a car accident. We didn’t want to tell any of you this over the phone.”
“Shit. He won’t take that very well. Did she come home for the funeral?”
“No. Mom and Dad were both there, and they didn’t see her.”
“But I thought she was close to them. How the hell can she not come to their funeral?” I didn’t get that girl. She and Liam were head over heels in love with each other. But then she left, not telling anyone. Not even her boyfriend. And I knew Liam asked her parents multiple times where she went, but they said they didn’t know. They were just as upset as he was.
“I don’t know. But I think something happened before she left. Amy is certain that Evie’s parents knew where she was. That they always knew. At least that is what Amy said.”
“He won’t take this well. You know that. It will tear up a lot of old feelings.”
“I know. I think he still loves her.”
“I know he does. He can’t let go, and I understand that he wants some sort of closure. But he can’t keep doing this to himself. He needs to move on.”
“It’s not that easy. I don’t know much about their relationship, but I can see it in his eyes every time we talk about love. He is heartbroken,” Anna said.
