29. Wren

With my heart hammering in my chest, I dropped my hand from Tom’s shoulder.

“Tell me I’m imagining this, Tom,” my dad snapped, addressing one of his best friends. Steam might have been coming out of his ears for as red as my father’s face was. “Tell me right now the woman you’ve been dating is not my daughter.”

There was no way my parents would be reasonable about this. I had always known that. I shouldn’t have touched his shoulder, and I shouldn’t have teased him while they were right there. I wasn’t thinking, and now…

“Tom?” my father gritted out. Luckily, the party had mostly dispersed. But Emerson, Chris’s best friend, and his fiancée, Gianna, moved closer. As did Avery’s mother and stepdad and Leo.

I frantically looked for Avery, but I didn’t see her.

Jana was across the room, and when she met my eye, she mouthed, “What the fuck?”

Looking away, I swallowed, fighting back the panic bubbling inside me. I wasn’t sure what Tom would do. If he didn’t lie, this was going to explode.

Tom pushed to his feet and shot me an apologetic look.

Dammit, he was going to deny it. My shoulders slumped in disappointment. But instead of telling my father he was wrong, he took my hand firmly in his and lifted his chin.

“I can’t tell you that, Heath.”

My stomach flipped. How the hell was it possible to be both thrilled and terrified in the same second? Despite how impossible it seemed, that was exactly how I felt. Tom Wilson was willing to blow up his life to claim me in front of every person who mattered to him.

His fingers tightened, grounding me, reminding me that we were in this together.

“No.” My dad slapped the white tablecloth with all his might, causing the dishes to rattle and knocking over my mother’s wineglass. But no one moved. Every person in the room was frozen. “You are not dating my daughter.”

“Who?” Avery stepped up to the table, brow furrowed. Her long blond waves brushed over her shoulder as she looked from my dad to hers and then to where my hand was locked in Tom’s.

Tom’s body tightened next to me. “I’m sorry, Avy.” His throat worked as he swallowed, and my heart clenched with sorrow for him. “I really wanted to talk to you about this first.”

So had I. We should have. The guilt that we hadn’t clawed up my throat. This time I was the one giving a reassuring squeeze.

He spun back to my dad. “I have been dating Wren. I won’t pretend that’s not true. She’s who I’ve been talking about for over a month now.”

Avery pulled in a sharp breath just as my father lunged for Tom. Leo launched himself across two chairs to force my father back into his seat. As people gasped and jumped out of the way, Chris tucked Avery into his side and glared at us. Fuck. We were ruining her party. At this point, though, I wasn’t sure how to stop any of it.

“What the hell, Leo?” My father shifted, pushing his friend away.

“You can’t hit him, Heath. He’s your best friend.” Leo shook his head.

My father’s voice rose, loud enough to be heard over the murmurs and not so quiet comments from the group that had gathered. “He’s sleeping with my daughter.”

“I’m in love with your daughter,” Tom said, his voice even louder .

Once again, everyone froze.

All the air in my lungs escaped in one firm whoosh. Jaw unhinged and wide-eyed, I stared at him. He spun and cupped my cheek. “You should have heard those words first, but I know you know it. You feel it. I love you, and we’ll get through this.”

I nodded. He loved me.

He pressed his lips to my forehead, and all the tension eased out of my body.

“I love you too.” It was barely a whisper, but his small smile told me he’d heard it.

“No,” my father repeated. “I’m not allowing this.”

My vision went red around the edges. I was no longer sixteen and his to control. I stepped around Tom. “I’m an adult and you don’t get a vote, Dad.”

“Oh, really?” He cocked a brow. “An adult? You live in an apartment I bought and you drive a car I paid for. Hell, I even bought your phone.”

None of that was a lie, but he was acting as if I was always after him for a handout, when I could support myself just fine. “My apartment was my graduation gift,” I fired back. “You gave me the car for my birthday several years ago. The car that I pay to maintain and insure. My phone was a Christmas present last year. But if I’d known those gifts were your way of controlling my life, I wouldn’t have taken them.” I stalked to my table and swiped my purse off the surface. “Now that I know—” One at a time, I dropped the key fob to my apartment, my car key, and my phone onto the tablecloth in front of him.

He blinked up at me, his face a mask of betrayal and disappointment.

“Oh. I almost forgot that Mom gave me this purse for my birthday. And I’m pretty sure this watch came from you guys too.” I slipped the gold band from my wrist and dropped it onto the pile, then tossed my purse too. “We good now?” I didn’t even wait for a response before I spun and eyed my best friend.

Jaw tense, she averted her gaze. Shit.

“Avery.” Swallowing past the boulder in my throat, I moved her way .

Before I could get to her, Chris pulled her closer and shook his head.

I was stunned, staring at them, when Jana stepped in front of me. “Why don’t you go? I’ll clean up here, and then we’ll talk. Now’s not the time.” Very deliberately, she panned the room, reminding me we had an audience.

My stomach dropped. Fuck. She was right.

Avery was flanked by Chris and her mother. None of whom would look at me. My mother and Leo were talking to my father. Everyone else stared at me. Including Erin.

Fuck.

My heart skipped. I hadn’t realized she was still here.

It wasn’t only Tom who’d blown up his life today. Apparently I had too.

With a nod at Jana, I strode out of the room. It wasn’t until I was out the door that it hit me: I didn’t have a car or a phone to call an Uber. Hell, I didn’t even have a home anymore.

Eyes burning, I blinked back tears. For a moment, I thought my legs might give out, but before I could fall, a set of strong arms embraced me from behind. I spun around and let Tom pull me into his chest.

“That was a disaster.” A single tear crested my lashes before I could stop it. “The exact type of chaos you hate.” I shook my head. “Maybe we’re not good for each other.”

“No.” He tightened his hold on me. “I hate chaos, but I was the cause of that clusterfuck. I should have talked to your dad before now.” Lips pressed to the crown of my head, he inhaled deeply. “And you’re wrong about that last part. You’re one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I might not be good for most people, but baby girl, I’m good for you. I’ll take care of every obstacle in our way to prove it.”

His every word was fierce, determined. I snuggled deeper into his chest. Everything was a mess right now. And yet I felt safe, protected, and cared for more than I ever had before.

“Let’s go home, baby girl.”

Home. The strangest part about tonight was that I already felt like I was home.