Chapter 4

Chapter Four

A month Later

Dahlia

I t’s been pretty quiet at the mansion, and I’m so used to being alone, it’s an added bonus that Bronwyn enjoys spending time with me. Sometimes, we crash out in the same bed together because the other doesn’t want to go to their room. I love that because it means my nightmares stay away on those nights.

Mom and Gareth aren’t back yet from their honeymoon, which isn’t surprising somehow to me. The hospital insisted he take all the time he needed now before it got busier. I also would have thought Mom would have had a harder time taking time off, but apparently since she’s married to Gareth it’s not an issue.

How convenient.

Unfortunately, they’re coming home today, so I am looking for an excuse to be somewhere else. Gareth really scared the shit out of me that night in the kitchen. I’ve never had an encounter where someone grabbed me by the hair and said disgusting things to me.

I’ve only seen Jack intermittently over the last month because he’s been traveling, and his Dolly radar is too damn good. He would know there’s something wrong.

Jack:

Come out of hiding, Dolly. I want to go ice skating and eat junk food. Bring Bee with you.

My lips twitch as I read his message. He’s been asking me more often how things are going. Jack also gave me a very embarrassing lecture last week about how he would love me regardless of who I date. Girls, boys, he doesn’t fucking care.

It was an excruciating phone call, but I guess Bee and I haven’t been very good at hiding our friendship or feelings. There’s excitement in my voice when I talk about her, which prompted the call from him.

Her hand finds mine in her sleep to hold it, which may be why I love when she passes out in my bed. She and I haven’t talked about any of it yet though.

Jack is always the first to figure shit out, even though I didn’t tell him about how we’ve been falling asleep in each other's beds for the last week pretty regularly. Damn Dolly radar.

Walking to Bee’s room, I find her putting away her laundry. While the maids wash everything, we both insist that we can do this ourselves. She’s not all spoiled, appreciates the things that are done for her, and makes jokes all the time about how big the house is.

“Jack is asking for proof of life,” I say, surprising her as I lean against the wall with a smirk. “We’ve both been busy this summer. Want to go ice skating and grab burgers after?”

“Isn’t he going to want you for himself?” Bee teases, but I can see the pout she’s rocking from here.

Rolling my eyes, I come closer and show her the text message he sent me.

“Oh, he really invited me too?” she asks, blinking as if she doesn’t believe what she read.

We’ve been going out a couple of times a week with her friends, so they can show me their favorite places in Detroit, or they come over to swim in the pool. I love that they’re so nice. I keep waiting for one of them to be condescending or mean, but it hasn’t happened.

Bee noticed the way I would tense whenever I said something slightly off the wall, and asked me about it. She reminded me that not everyone is an asshole.

“I think he’s sweetening the trip out by dangling you in front of me,” I tease her, forcing myself not to cringe. I don’t know why I said that…

Bee just grins, putting her arm around my waist and kissing me on the cheek. It’s a loud lip smacking kiss, and my eyes widen because it’s my first kiss. Winking at me, she closes the dresser drawer with a flourish.

“Well then, is it working?” she asks sweetly. I can’t remember how to speak. God, what would I do if she kissed me for real? Do I want that? “Dolly?”

Occasionally, when she really needs my attention or she’s worried about me, she’ll call me Dolly and it always startles me. I guess that’s the intention.

“I’d say it’s working,” I admit, my throat dry as I text Jack back.

Me:

The pastel vampire will come out into the light, I guess.

I’ve managed to buy things that aren’t pastel colors, thank God. It doesn’t suit me at all. Whenever Bee and I go out, she insists on paying with her dad’s credit card.

I have about two thousand dollars still squirreled away from doing rich prep kids’ homework and essays. I believe in having money for a rainy day, but I’ll treat Bee to the movies or ice cream here and there.

She just beams at me as if it’s the sweetest thing ever. God, I think I have it really bad for her.

Glancing down at myself, I decide I’m going to need to change if we’re going to the ice rink.

Jack:

I’ll pick you up in forty minutes. Is your mom back yet?

When he found out that they were leaving, he was pissed. I explained that there are a ton of adults in this house, and reminded him that I lived alone for six months. Jack just grumbled at me and asked me to check in more frequently.

I haven’t checked in because of his Dolly radar, and I was having pretty shitty dreams up until Bee started staying in my room with me at night. Now, I feel refreshed and happy… outside of being worried about Mom and Gareth, that is.

I’m sure he’s forgotten about me by now after being away for a month. I can’t tell myself that maybe he drank too much, because I’m too smart to believe that.

Me:

No, she’s not back yet. Bee says that her dad said they’d be returning today.

Jack:

So she didn’t contact you at all while she was gone?

I know he knows she didn’t, so I text him a shrugging emoji. I don’t know what the hell goes on in my mom’s head. I never have.

“Okay, he’ll be here in forty minutes,” I sigh, pocketing my phone in my skirt pocket.

“Are you going to change?” Bee asks, eyeing my bare legs. My tummy flips over at the way her gaze moves over my body, and I find myself biting my lip.

“Yeah,” I say softly. “I think I’ll freeze if I don’t. I’m still not used to colder temperatures.”

“We’ve been having a really great summer, haven’t we?” she says with a lazy smile as she slowly presses me against the wall. Bee is shorter than me at five two, while I’m five five and still growing.

Tilting my head to the side, I nod. “It’s been amazing,” I murmur. “We still have a lot of summer left.”

“Yes,” she agrees. “I bet I’ll need to start volunteering at the hospital again soon, though. And then I’ll blink and it’ll be over.”

Bee’s pout is adorable, and I can’t keep myself from taking my thumb and pulling it downward with a giggle.

“You’ll still have time to have fun,” I remind her. “Maybe we’ll figure out a standing pool date or something. We do live in the same house, after all.”

“True. Speaking of dates, would it be weird if we dated openly? I mean…” Bee trails off as my heart starts to beat faster.

I couldn’t care less that she’s my stepsister. We aren’t related, and we just met each other.

“I don’t think it would be,” I breathe, panting slightly at the thought. Jack’s words ring in my ears. I don’t know if this means if I only like girls, or if I just like Bee. “Do you want to go out on a real date with me?”

Squealing, her fingers tangle into my hair, tugging my head down to press her lips against mine. Bee smells amazing, like jasmine and lemons. It’s a cloud that envelops me, though not overwhelming. Her lips are firm and soft, and gone as quickly as they were there.

“I got excited,” she breathes. Giggling, I clumsily kiss her back. It’s not perfect, but it’s fun and perfectly us.

“I really like that your first reaction to going on a date with me is to kiss me,” I whisper back. “I have to get dressed, because Jack doesn’t like to wait.”

“He does have a tendency to be impatient,” Bee says with a grin as she pulls away from me. “I’m going to get changed too.”

Nodding, I leave to walk to my room, a smile permanently on my face as I slip inside my bedroom to quickly change into dark-washed jeans with a rip in the knee, a long-sleeved navy T-shirt with a snarky expression, and converse shoes.

Frowning at my long curls, I decide to twist the front pieces away from my face and pin it back. I want to look cute for Bee without falling on my face because my hair keeps me from seeing where I’m going.

Humming under my breath, I open my door to find Bee walking down the hallway.

“Ready?” I ask, falling into step with her. Bee’s pinkie links with mine as she nods.

“Daddy said he was pulling in soon, but I told him we may miss his homecoming,” she explains as we walk.

I really hope we miss him.

I don’t know if I’ll ever feel comfortable in his presence again. Just the thought of his name makes my skin crawl. The weekend it happened, I spent more of it puking. When Bee came to find me on Monday, I hadn’t eaten at all, and mostly bile was coming up. God, that was awful.

“Okay,” I say softly, forcing myself to breathe. “I hope they don’t mind that we’re going out.”

“I doubt it,” Bee says with a shrug. “We had no idea what time they’d be home.”

As fancy as this neighborhood is, there’s not a gate to keep people out. As we step outside the front door, Jack is pulling into the driveway as Gareth’s driver follows him. While Gareth can drive and often does, he hires a service for longer drives or being picked up from the airport.

I can’t fault him for it, I’m sure leaving your car for a month at the airport isn’t something anyone wants to do.

“Is that going to be a problem?” Jack asks as he rolls down the window. He bought an SUV with all weather tires when he moved to Michigan, intent on making it easier for me to climb into.

He called me tiny and joked that it just made sense not to get a ton of glances for having a lifted truck.

I reminded him that I shouldn’t have such an impact on his life, and he rolled his eyes and told me it was far too late for that. I know he moved to Michigan for me, so my comment was thoughtless and dumb.

“I don’t think so,” I say noncommittally because I’m not sure.

Mom and Gareth step out of the hired car with tired smiles and Bee and I wave at them. My ‘hello’ is a lot more lackluster than hers, because I don’t trust my mother’s logic or responses anymore.

“Who’s that?” Mom asks, and Jack gets out of the vehicle to say hello. My purse is a crossbody, holding my phone and ten bucks in case of emergency.

With Jack, I never need back up cash. He always treats me from the moment I get into his car. He says since he’s in charge he's paying for everything.

“Oh, hey,” Mom murmurs. “You’re going out together?”

There’s a weird vibe between them, but I nod timidly.

“We didn’t know when you’d be coming home today,” I explain. “Jack invited Bronwyn and I to spend the day at the ice rink and then get some food.”

“That’s nice, but why invite my daughter?” Gareth asks gruffly.

“I invited them because they’re practically inseparable lately,” Jack says. “Hello Gareth and Lucia. Welcome back. I’ll have them home at a decent hour. I have a business trip coming up soon, and I get withdrawals if I don’t get to see Dolly before I leave.”

“I’ve never understood why you insist on doing this,” Mom sighs. I’m not sure what “this” is, but it feels as if she’s about to pick a fight. “She has a male figure in her life now, Jack.”

Oh, ew. Nope. I may throw up in my mouth. My finger slips from Bee’s as I make a fist, my nails curling into my palm to keep me grounded.

“Gareth, I’m sure you’re a perfectly nice person, but I’ve known Dolly since she was born practically. I’m always going to be around as her friend to make sure she’s doing well,” Jack says politely. “It’s as simple as the grass being green and the sky being blue.”

“Yes, I see,” Gareth mutters. His blue eyes are squinted as he gazes at Jack, making me shiver despite the warm sun against my skin.

“Daddy?” Bee asks, eyes wide. It’s clear this man is her world as she questions him. “I said it would be fine, because I figured you’d show me all the photos later and tell me all about your trip. Was I wrong?”

Shaking himself off, he looks at Bee the way a father should. His gaze is warm and clear, and he grins widely at her. The shift is strange and abrupt, making me wonder who the real Gareth Davies is.

“Of course not, honey,” he says to her, winking. “We’re both a little tired. I think it’ll let us both rest before you get back.”

Mom nods slowly as Gareth walks around the car to her side. “A nap does sound nice. The time change is a little jarring.”

“You can say that again,” Gareth says, stifling a yawn. I feel as if I just listened to a conversation with two different people. “Thanks for taking the girls out, Jack. Bronwyn should have her credit card to pay for things.”

Jack just nods noncommittally as he watches them disappear. “Well then,” he grunts. “One, that was a very confusing conversation. And two, you’d have to light me on fire for me to even think about you spending a penny on today.”

“Can I pay for ice cream?” Bee asks, smirking. She shows no evidence of the exchange that just happened bothering her. It’s as if she’s already shrugged it off.

More so, her question shows that she’s onto me and my way of letting me pay for things.

“Negotiable,” Jack says, scowling playfully. “Let’s go before they change their minds.”

Grinning, Bee and I get into the SUV as Jack slides into the front seat quickly. He could be right, they may have some kind of parasite that doesn’t allow them to make decisions. That could be a thing, right?

“Alright, so what have you two been up to?” Jack asks as we shut the doors and he puts the vehicle in drive. He never turned off the engine, probably so he could make a quick getaway.

I blush, knowing he means in general, and Bee squeezes my hand as she starts to answer, allowing me to jump in after I get a damn grip.

“My favorite places have to be the bounce place and the pool,” I agree. I don’t explain that Bee jumping or in a bikini are the reasons why.

“You’re up to no good Dolly,” Jack says, chuckling. “Good for you. Don’t grow up too fast. Have fun.”

Bee smiles as she glances at me from under her lashes, and Jack shakes his head in amusement. Thankfully, he doesn’t make it weird. We spend the next two hours having a blast skating at the rink, and Bee and I hold hands together without anyone calling us out on it.

She’s gorgeous, and I want to do all the cutesy things that you do with your girlfriend.

“The first time I asked my friends if we could all spend time together, they asked me if I was into you,” Bee says, glancing at me as we skate. It’s freezing in the rink, but it’s refreshing after being outside.

“How did they know?” I ask, eyes wide as we turn a corner.

“Apparently, I was gushing about you,” she says with a giggle. “Chad just really wanted to make sure you were nice. There are people at school who aren’t going to be supportive of us dating for various reasons. Chad gets a lot of shit for being openly gay.”

“Why would I be mean about that?” I gasp. Remembering Jack’s speech about how you can’t help who you love, I realize how lucky I am to have him in my corner. He just wants me to be happy.

“You’d be surprised,” she mutters. “I just wanted you to know that I liked you disturbingly quickly, and to warn you that not everyone will be as accepting about it.”

“Okay,” I say slowly. “Do you want to keep it quiet at school?”

I can’t see why else she’d be telling me this unless she does.

“What? No!” Bee stops me abruptly, pulling me off the ice. Jack passes us by, raising his hand as he keeps skating. “I’m telling you so you can decide if you want to date me.”

We awkwardly walk in our skates toward a bench, sitting down to take a break. My calves are already beginning to shake, unused to this much activity.

“I don’t really care what people think,” I say bluntly with a smirk. “I didn’t have friends at the prep school I was going to, and it honestly suited me just fine since Mom was gone for six months. So, yes, I still want to date you.”

Sighing in relief, Bee gives me a huge hug as I grin.

“I still can’t believe she didn’t call you,” Bee grumbles as Jack walks off the ice. He does it much better than we did, though.

“She called once to check on me,” I correct, shrugging.

“I think I need fuel,” Jack comments, patting his flat stomach. “Burgers and fries? You’re the only ones I can eat it with, because my other friends are athletes.”

“Yes, please. Also, you have other friends?” Bee asks, teasing him as she begins to unlace her skates.

“That’s mean,” I say with a laugh as Jack plops down next to me.

“I mean, I travel a lot and they’re new friends, but yes,” he says as he takes his skates off. “We met at a bar and hit it off. I’ve been to a few of their games when I’m in town. They’re professional hockey players.”

“Well that’s cool,” Bee says, nodding. She doesn’t really get star struck, probably because she’s used to being around famous people. “So what do you have in common?”

As we change our shoes, Jack explains how he helped one of the guys who had a stalker fan, and how he helped catch her in the act. His job does seem to come in clutch at times.

The rest of the afternoon flies by, and then Jack is dropping us off.

“If Gareth gets upset about your being out, please let me know,” Jack says as we open our doors.

“Promise,” I tell him, getting a glare. “Seriously, I’ll text you if he does.”

“I’ll keep her on the straight and narrow,” Bee says with a smile as we get out and wave goodbye.

“I leave in two days, Dolly. Seriously, don’t be a stranger,” he says, waving as we shut the doors and he pulls away.

“He’s so bossy,” Bee says, walking toward the front door.

“He is, but I really don’t mind it,” I say with a shrug.

The parental unit is chatting together in the living room as we walk through, and we stop to chat. They show us photos, we spend time together, and they don’t seem annoyed that we went out.

“Bronwyn, Lucia and I are going back to work tomorrow. I think it would be a nice gesture if you brought in breakfast for the main nurses station,” Gareth says expectantly.

“Okay,” she says, nodding. “Am I cooking, picking up food? I think I need a little more information. Otherwise, yes, of course I can do that.”

“Didn’t even hesitate,” he says with a proud smile. “Attagirl. The chef can make everything for it, but I thought it would be a nice touch if you baked? The kitchen is fully stocked.”

“What time do you want me to drop everything off?” Bee asks. It’s clear she’s trying to figure out when she needs to start baking, and if she has time for the movie we were talking about watching on our way home.

“Nine in the morning tomorrow. Please make sure there are enough treats for about fifty people,” Gareth says with a nod.

Hiding my face, I think about how much fucking food that is. It’s nearly nine at night at this point, she’s going to have to start immediately.

“I guess I should get started. Raincheck on our movie, Dahlia?” Bee asks, wide eyed as she touches my hand before she stands. “Good night, everyone.”

Bee races out of the room as if her hair is on fire, and I take a deep breath. I managed to be polite because she was with me, but I think it’s time for me to go.

“I can tell you’re also ready to turn in, Dahlia,” Gareth says as I turn toward him and Mom. The warmth that was in his gaze is now cold and calculating, his smirk cruel.

“It’s been a long day,” I say softly, standing. “I’m glad that you guys had fun.”

“It’s nice to be home,” Lucia says, looking up at me. “I’m going to be working a lot more now, though.”

“You don’t technically have to,” Gareth reminds her. It sounds like a conversation they’ve already had several times. “I do appreciate that you want to, though.”

“I don’t know how to stay home anymore,” she admits. “I really love how no day is the same at the hospital.”

“That is very true,” he says, standing. “Sweet dreams, Dahlia.”

The way he says it makes my stomach churn. I’m never going to be able to eat around him, because sometimes just looking at Gareth makes me want to puke.

“Thank you,” I rasp, even though I want to claw his eyes out. “Good night.”

Turning, I leave quickly, running up the stairs to my room. Panting as I take giant gulps of air, I lock the door behind me, my legs collapsing underneath me. It takes several minutes before I’m able to get up and change, suddenly exhausted after my encounter with Gareth.

The last thing I do before going to bed is text Jack, feeling as if I need to tether myself to the good things in my life.

Me:

Thank you for a really good day.

Jack:

I’m always here for you, kiddo.

Curling up in bed, I close my eyes and drift off to sleep, happy it’s dreamless. Unfortunately, I’m woken up when a large hand covers my mouth, cruel fingers yanking on my hair.

“Did you think you could make me look stupid earlier?” Gareth growls in my ear.

I have to be dreaming. I need to fight.

Writhing, screaming, and kicking back where he’s pressed up against my back, all it gets me is Gareth pinching my nostrils and mouth closed. I can’t breathe…

His hand is huge as he releases my hair, shoving his hand down my sleep shorts. I feel myself drifting, even as I scream for help in my head.

This can’t be happening. Please, please, please.

“First Jack, and now my daughter,” he mutters. His hands are huge, and he has no problem immobilizing me. Gareth’s right hand cups my most intimate and private part between my legs.

While that’s all he does for now, I am still dying inside. He’s not supposed to touch me like this. It’s wrong, wrong, wrong.

“You definitely get around, don’t you little girl? Has my daughter touched you yet? Has she licked your pussy or shoved her fingers inside of you?” he asks.

As he speaks, he roughly shoves his fingers inside of me, and oh fuck does it hurt. I don’t have any air to scream, so it’s wordless as he punishes me for offenses I can’t possibly imagine.

“What you don’t seem to understand is this is mine,” Gareth says as hot tears of shame leak out of my eyes. “A locked door won’t save you. If you tell anyone, or try to, no one will believe you, and I’ll hurt your mom, Jack, or Bronwyn. I will do whatever is necessary to keep you. Don’t even think about running from me either. Do you understand?”

Gareth lets me take a breath as my body begins to convulse, desperate for oxygen.

“I can be so nice,” he croons in my ear as I sob. “Or I can take it all away.”

Clamping down on my nose and mouth, he robs me of my next breath as he continues to hurt me, stretching me when I’ve never even had my own fingers inside of me. His blunt fingernails scrape at my insides, because I’m not wet.

I’ll never be wet for him. Not ever.

Gareth withholds my next breath until I pass out, and I don’t wake up again until the sun is shining. The door is locked, my head hurts, and there’s a soreness between my legs that alerts me to the fact that I didn’t dream last night’s visit.

Sitting up, the world spins as I begin to cry.

How much worse will this get?