Adam speaks up. “Lily, I’m coming to get you. I don’t know what we were thinking, leaving you with Agatha.”
“Adam, no. I’m not in any danger. Ryder and I… It’s not like that.”
“Not like what?” His voice rises slightly. “I saw the picture. You were kissing in the middle of the street! Mr. Calhoun sent it to me and said we need to get you out of there immediately.”
Wait, Mr. Calhoun sent it to Adam? Did Tristan send it to him?
I want to ask clarifying questions, but it’s going to distract from the topic at hand. My heart is racing, but I will myself to continue. “It’s not anything you need to worry about.”
Mr. Calhoun says, “I’m sorry to disagree, but this isexactlywhat we’re worried about.”
“Yes!” Adam exclaims. “Lily, ‘it’s not anything to worryabout?’ Do you hear yourself? These are the same words you used when I picked you up from the hotel in Vegas.”
And there it is. I wince at his stabbing reminder of my mistakes. He’s never going to see me as anything but a little girl, but I still have to try. I have to use my voice. “It’s different this time. Ryder isn’t anything like Tristan.”
“Of course he’s going to seem that way.” Adam’s voice drops again, softer. “But you’re still healing. You’re so fragile right now. Let us take care of you. Soon, you’ll be strong enough to be in a romantic relationship. Believe me. I know how important that is. When Isabelle came into my life, everything changed.”
I swallow hard, remembering Adam before Isabelle. As tough as he seems now, he was a formidable beast before. “I know.”
“I understand how much you want to be loved. Please, Lily. Just don’t do anything rash.”
I glance over at Ryder, who’s watching me with eyes full of concern. For a moment, my resolve drops. I feel Ryder’s care, but I also know how much my brothers care for me, too. How much they’ve gone through. How much heartache I’ve given them because of my poor decisions.
Am I being too rash? Am I making a bad decision again?
My gut tells me no, but my gut was wrong with Tristan.
Then Ryder smiles at me and mouths the words,You got this.And that’s when I know I’m right.
Ryder isn’t anything like Tristan. I’ve known this from the first interaction I had with him. He’s so full of genuine consideration for me, where Tristan only cared about himself, even when he pretended to love me.
Mr. Calhoun is wrong, and Adam is wrong for trusting him. Ryder is real, and his feelings for me are real, too.
My mind is spinning and my stomach is churning, but I have to see this through.
“Lily?” Adam’s voice comes through the phone.
I grin at Ryder. “Yeah, I’m here. I’m not leaving. And I’m not backing down.”
“Lily…” Adam says.
Mr. Calhoun lets out a sigh. “I didn’t want it to come to this.”
My voice shakes. “What do you mean?”
He continues. “Staying there in Brookhaven is the wrong path for you. This is non-negotiable. You will leave Brookhaven, or I will make it my priority to ruin Ryder’s career.”
The smile drops from my face. The one thing Ryder needs right now is his next job. He’s out of money, and he’s said multiple times how excited he is to work on a kids’ movie. I’ve been miserable knowing he’s leaving, but the idea that he was going to fill multiple needs made it bearable.
“Wait, Mr. Calhoun,” Adam says, his voice hesitant. “I don’t know if this is within your role.”
“My role is to protect Lily at all costs,” he retorts. “Isn’t that what you want?”
“Of course.” But Adam still sounds uncertain.
“You hired me to do my job. Trust me. I’ve seen this time and time again. This is what Lily needs.”
Adam’s silence is confirmation.
