I wanted to add that I hated that someone needed to watch over me twenty-four hours a day. I wanted to add that I hated Randy and everyone involved with him, my step-mother included. I wanted to add that at least on the tour, I had a reason to have people around me all the time, and now that I was home, it sort of felt weird.
But I chose the high road. I only opened my mouth to put in food, because I wasn’t sure what I’d say to—or about—Jadyn, and I didn’t need to give her more fuel to hate me. If she actually was still involved with Randy, the worst thing I could do was give her the match to start a fire.
Parker poked me in my ribs when Mikey and my dad got involved in a rather loud conversation about one of the tour stops. My dad hosted dinner parties for his friends often. The men needed that camaraderie after they returned home from their tours. I’d heard about musicians who fell into a depression after they returned home from their tours because they’d been surrounded by friends and fans, and the empty house was too quiet. My dad had been in the business long enough to know how to avoid those pitfalls.
I glanced over at Parker when I felt the poke. “What?”
“You’re quiet.” His eyes were dark and concerned.
“So are you.”
He shrugged, and I smiled. “Stop stealing my move.”
“I wish I could’ve talked to him before dinner.”
“Is that why you’re quiet?”
He sighed, and I saw my dad shoot us a look across the table, as if to say that secrets at the table weren’t proper. I had a feeling he’d get over it once he knew what we were whispering about.
Dinner felt long as I listened to the conversation around me. I learned that Mikey and Fiona had known each other for years but had recently started dating. She was in public relations and often worked with musicians. I learned that Black Shadow was heading back to the studio in a few months. I learned that Pure Adrenaline was already booked on a summer tour for the following year. I learned that Flashing Light was booking out for the fall and that they were going back to the studio in a few weeks to work on their album.
But everyone remained mysteriously quiet about the threat that lurked in every corner. No one said anything when they saw George pass by the entryway to the dining room. It was the elephant in the room; we all knew it existed, but none of us acknowledged it.
And I had a feeling it was because of Jadyn. We simply couldn’t talk in front of her. I wanted to ask Keith how he was doing, and I wanted to find out from Vanessa what she thought about her husband’s attack. I wanted to dig a little deeper. I wanted to know if they’d figured out who had attacked him and whether it was connected to Randy.
Instead, I sat quietly, took in everything around me, and tried to focus on the euphoric feelings I’d experienced in the car.
Once dessert was over, everyone meandered into my dad’s living room to sit and have a few drinks. It was the perfect room for entertaining—close to the expansive kitchen which housed all of the liquor, and super comfortable with leather recliners and a sectional couch that was about the most relaxing thing I’d ever sat on. I’d grown up part time in this house, and it still felt like home to me.
Parker was glued to my side, and we had our chance to talk to my dad once everyone was comfortable in the family room. The two of us were pouring some wine in the kitchen while my dad got ice for a glass of whiskey.
“Can we talk to you?” Parker asked.
My dad looked up from his tumbler. “Always. Alone?”
Parker nodded and wrapped his arms around me.
My dad glanced toward the family room. His guests were occupied for the moment, laughing at some story Mikey was telling.
He mouthed to Jadyn, “Be right back.” I saw her nod in understanding, but I didn’t miss the dart of jealousy that passed through her eyes.
My dad nodded toward his office. “In here.” We followed behind him. He held the door open and ushered us in, shutting it to allow us the privacy we had requested.
I glanced around, impressed as ever at what my dad did for a living. Framed platinum records indicated millions of sales; other records were framed with diamond indicators above them, showing that he’d sold more than ten million copies of those particular albums. A collage of photos signed by just about every band Black Shadow had ever worked with adorned one wall, and a handful of guitars were located on one side of the room. His office was enormous, but more importantly, it was private. It held couches and two desks, both showcasing the newest Macbooks and a bunch of equipment and components that I recognized from his recording studio.
“What’s going on?” He leaned against his desk, and Parker and I stood in the center of the room a few feet away from him.
Parker took the lead. “Gideon, we actually have some good news for a change.”
“I’d love to hear it. It’s been a frustrating couple of months, hasn’t it?”
We both nodded. I wasn’t sure why I was suddenly nervous, but I was. It seemed odd that I felt anxious to tell my dad that we were really engaged when he’d taken part in the original, fake engagement.
“When we were apart the past couple of weeks, I came to grips with several realities in my life, but most of all, I realized how much I love your daughter. I’ve shared things with her that I’ve never told anyone else in my life, and she’s shared things with me that made me fall into this depth that I never want to climb out of. I plan to spend the rest of my life with her, and tonight I told her that I don’t want our engagement to be some publicity stunt to keep her safe. I want to protect her for the rest of my life because I love her.”
I watched my dad’s face while Parker spoke. I half expected him to be surprised even though Parker had told him this was coming, but he just wasn’t. Instead, I saw pride. My nerves immediately evaporated as I realized how absolutely perfect everything about this scenario was.
“When you hired me to protect your daughter, I had no idea that I’d find the other half of my soul. But I did.”
His words touched my heart, because it was exactly the same way I felt about him.
My dad grinned. “I knew it from the second I met you, PJ. I knew that you’d be perfect for her, that you two were lost souls who needed to find each other. So tell me where you’re going with this.”
“We’re engaged! For real!” I exclaimed, unable to stay quiet anymore as I held up my hand that displayed the new ring Parker had given me only hours earlier.
“Congratulations,” my dad said warmly, pulling me into a hug.
He hugged my fiancé next. “Parker, I couldn’t have chosen a better man for my daughter. I’ll be proud to call you my son.”
“We have more news, too,” I said. Parker glanced at me with curiosity. “Vintage,” I mouthed, and he nodded.
“Let me guess. Baby on board?”
“Dad!” I exclaimed, embarrassed about all that implied. He had to know that Parker and I had sex, but just like I didn’t want to think about all the ladies he’d been with throughout his illustrious career, I was sure he didn’t want to think about his daughter’s extracurricular activities.
“Thank God. I’m not ready to be a grandfather yet.”
“Someday you’ll make a good one, but that’s pretty far down the road,” I said.
“Well,” Parker interjected, “maybe not that far down.”
Our eyes met, and his were playful. It was slightly alarming as I realized this was something we hadn’t discussed yet, but just as everything else had worked out as it was supposed to, I had faith that bringing children into the world would eventually happen at the right time.
Well down the road.
My dad chuckled. “Looks like you two need to have a conversation about that.”
A knock at the door interrupted us. As my dad went to check who it was, Parker whispered to me, “I can’t even imagine how adorable little Jimis would be running around our house.”
I laughed, but I sobered quickly as George entered the room behind my dad. He looked so serious. He always did, but as he shut the door behind him, I couldn’t help but think that something was off.