by Lisa Suzanne
My mom had slept with my dad when his band stopped in Miami on a tour. It was a one night stand, a ploy by my mother to find a way to set herself up for the rest of her life.
It worked.
My dad felt a sense of responsibility toward me, and he tried to work things out with my mom.
It didn’t work.
Sometimes it was hard growing up with the knowledge that I came from what only should have been a one night stand, but my dad always made me feel loved.
While my mom wasn’t a real part of my life, my relationship with my dad was the opposite. Even though he led an extremely busy life in the spotlight, and even though everyone wanted a part of him, he always put me first. He was my closest friend…my only friend, really.
After Delilah’s pictures and a visit to the ladies’ room, I was heading down a long hallway back to the ballroom when I heard voices. I glanced toward the doorway. It looked like a conference room, but the lights were out. The door was just barely cracked open.
“Do you think he’ll show up today?” I stopped in my tracks when I recognized the voice. It was Jadyn, my new stepmother. My dad’s bride.
“Maybe. We have everything in place for today.” It was a male voice—one I didn’t recognize.
“Don’t call me. I’ll get in touch with you.” I heard rustling, like someone was about to walk out of the room, so I slipped away before I was caught eavesdropping.
What the hell was that about?
I’d ask my dad.
While I didn’t want to needlessly upset him on his wedding day, I wanted to protect my father the way he’d always protected me. I had no idea what Jadyn had been whispering about. Maybe he already knew, but maybe he didn’t.
I had to walk past the hotel lobby to get back to the reception, and I saw my dad standing near the doors leading into the ballroom. He was facing the entrance of the hotel, his gaze narrow and focused. I followed his line of sight.
Men in black suits, who I assumed were part of my dad’s security detail, appeared to be tackling a man just on the other side of the glass doors. I couldn’t make out who it was from my distance, but there was certainly a commotion happening out front.
I watched as George, the trusted head of my dad’s security team, strode across the lobby. He met my dad’s eyes, and George nodded once. My dad nodded back in George’s direction before his eyes landed on me.
He looked anxious, but he smiled warmly at me as our eyes met. Clearly he was covering up the fact that something was happening out front, and it was enough to cause me to forget that Jadyn had just been mysteriously whispering with someone in what she thought was a secluded area. My dad waved me over and threw his arm around my shoulders. The two of us headed back into the ballroom.
He had people to entertain, so I went back to my table. I felt alone in the middle of four hundred people. I had no date for this event. He had left me nearly a year earlier.
I only had one constant that I held onto.
My job at Vintage.
Continue Reading Here: VINTAGE VOLUME ONE
