CHAPTER 35 (1)

I wake up to light streaming through the window. I’m in Timothy’s bed, wearing only his T-shirt. I inch toward the side of it, but a tattooed arm bands around me. “Come back,” the arm’s owner grunts. Before I can respond, Timothy tugs me back against his warm, hard body. Last night I went to see his show, and he was incredible. Then we came back to his apartment, where Timothy shut the door on Jacob with barely a hello. I would have protested if I hadn’t wanted him so badly too. After the amount of sex we’ve had, that wanting should’ve worn off. It’s unreal that it hasn’t. “I have morning breath,” I warn as I turn in his arms. “Don’t care.” He pulls me against him, kissing me. He tugs the hem of my T-shirt up and off, and I run my hands over his beautiful body. “Again?” I tease lightly as I feel him harden between us. “Uh-huh.” His mouth drops to my breast, sucking marks into my skin, and I arch against him. “Not close to done.” My fingers thread into his hair, but I protest because it feels like the right thing to do and because I love how he responds. “But I’ll see you at Leo’s tonight. I’ll come home with you after.” “Too late.” I squirm against him. “I have Entertainment Management in ninety minutes.” “Don’t need it. You’re dating a rock star.” I slap a hand against his shoulder, and he chuckles, his mouth vibrating on my skin. “Your hands aren’t that good,” I try. “Really? You thought they were last night.” His fingers brush between my thighs where I’m already wet, and it’s game over. After reaching for a condom and rolling it on, he turns me on my side, slipping behind me and pressing between my legs. “Good,” I mumble. “I’m sick of your face too.” Timothy nips my neck in retaliation, and I hitch a breath. He presses inside me, one inch at a time. I try to keep quiet because Jacob’s in the other room, but when Timothy’s fingers find my clit, I can’t hold back the moan. “Knew you liked my hands,” he murmurs in my ear. “What do you like best—my hands, my mouth, or my cock?” I arch my ass into him, grinding because I need more even though he’s already filling me everywhere. “I like your hands busy, your mouth quiet, and your cock in me.” “Good answer.” Then words are gone because he’s chasing me into a wicked rhythm that drags us both to our peak way too soon and not soon enough. After, I put on panties and the T-shirt so I can get up to use the bathroom. Timothy tugs on sleep pants, knotting them distractedly low around his hips, and follows me out. Jacob nods at us from the kitchen with a grin. “You want a third? I’m down to party.” I laugh, and Timothy shoots him side-eye. It takes all of ten minutes to throw on my clothes and get ready to go. “Don’t walk home by yourself. Shower here, and we can go to school together,” Timothy offers. “I’m fine,” I insist. “The neighborhood’s not that bad, and I need to go to my room before class.” Jacob holds out a bagel. “Parting gifts. Please come again.” I take it from him with a grin. “I’m sure I will.” With a last look at Timothy, who’s watching me like he might drag me back to his room if I linger too long, I head outside and walk home. The sunlight is amazing. Life is amazing. Each block I travel lifts my spirits more. As I’m finishing my bagel, my phone buzzes. “Hi, Dad,” I answer as I turn the corner, just able to catch a glimpse of the Vanier building a few blocks away. “I was actually just thinking about you. I need to send you something. It’s an invitation, actually.” “Well, you can tell me about it in person. I had some business in New York and thought we could meet. Surprise.” I pull up fast enough someone bumps me from behind. “No way. You’re… um… here now?” “Yeah. I have a couple things to do this morning. Figured we could hang out after your classes.” “Great.” My mind races, trying to piece together the truth and the lies. I press a hand to my suddenly damp forehead. “But let’s meet somewhere. With midterms and all, I’m dying to get off campus.” When I get to the front doors of Vanier, I spot someone who has no business being here. My stomach plummets as I pull up and my dad’s gaze meets mine. “What are you doing here?” I blurt. There’s no shock in his eyes. “I want to know the same thing.” Even as he tugs the baseball cap down on his head, he leaves the sunglasses off—which tells me he’s really pissed if he’s willing to risk being recognized. I swallow, staring past him. “How did you find me?” “An old industry contact thought he recognized you at his studio. Then he saw your name on a lineup for a showcase and sent it to me.” Fuck. “Dad, I—” “How long have you been planning this behind my back? And Haley’s?” I’ve heard my dad yell before, but this is different. His voice is low and precise and scary as fuck. “It wasn’t a plan. I auditioned in the spring,” I admit. His anger is a living thing, scorching the fall air between us. “I’ve asked you questions, Haley, too, about your classes, your residence—all of it. You lied to our faces.” Righteousness shoves out the guilt. “I told you I wanted to get more involved in music. I pitched you Vanier half a dozen times.” “I thought you were taking an interest. I thought you had priorities. Instead, my own daughter has been lying to me for months.” I drop my book bag on the pavement. Part of my brain insists I need to go to class, but I shove it aside. “You’re acting as if people never lie. Everyone does. You do.” “About what?” “You knew about me for a year and wouldn’t acknowledge me.” His tight jaw goes slack, but it’s the shock in his eyes I feel the most. I wasn’t planning to tell him I knew that, not ever, but now that it’s out, I can’t take it back. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Dad’s voice is unusually rough. “I have a letter from my birth mom. She tried to contact me two years ago.” He exhales hard. “Annie, listen to me—you’re my kid, and everything I’ve done was for you.” I shove both hands through my hair. “I get that you were the biggest star on the planet and you left because of me. Because you had a kid to take care of. I know you’ve made sacrifices”—I swallow—“but I’m eighteen. You can stop now.” His eyes, the same glowing gold as mine, deepen. “You want to be a grown-up? To face the world on your own without help from the people who care about you? Then I can stop sending tuition money. I assume this is where it’s been going rather than Columbia.” He gestures to the building behind me. “I should’ve been suspicious when you asked me to send money for tuition and your other expenses together and that you’d take care of getting everything paid. But you’ve always been a thoughtful kid and I trusted you. Hell, I was proud of you.” The blood drains from my face, guilt warring with devastation in my stomach. Normally, I embrace every emotion I’m feeling. Today, they feel like weakness, and I need strength. I know I’m in the wrong here, but he is too. The Vanier building isn’t only the backdrop of our argument. It’s the reason I risked everything I am, everything I have.