The Enemy - Kelsey Clayton Page 0,10
contagious.”
He cringes. “Can we please stop talking about this?”
It's hilarious how he acts like such a manly man, but something as natural as periods can make him so nervous. I lay on the couch with my head in his lap and smile as he runs his fingers through my hair.
“So,” he changes the subject. “What do you think your dad wants to tell you tonight?”
Now that's a question I've been asking myself since he mentioned it in passing this morning. My dad is a serious businessman to just about everyone but me. The last time he told me he had something important to tell me was when he told me a private investigator found my mom. I hadn't even known he hired one. My mom walked out on us when I was three, and I barely remember her. However, when I started to ask about her, my dad had someone find her in case I wanted to reach out. I didn't, and still don't, but the effort he went through to give me the choice made me love him even more.
“I honestly have no idea,” I answer. “I just hope it's nothing bad.”
WE SPEND THE REST of the afternoon watching TV with sporadic make-out sessions. Once I'm no longer afraid he'll try to have sex with me, it becomes easier to let things go a little further—like his hands finding their way up my shirt.
Kellan drives me home shortly after six, and when we get there, I notice my dad's car is already in the driveway. I kiss my boyfriend goodbye and make my way inside. The second the door closes behind me, an unfamiliar laugh flows from the kitchen.
“Dad?” I call out.
“In here, sweetheart.”
I walk through the house and toward the noise, only to find my dad standing there with a woman I've never met before. She's pretty, with short brown hair and plump, pink lips. I'd say she's probably only a few years younger than him. My dad smiles at me and places a hand on her lower back.
“Lennon, I'd like you to meet Nora, my girlfriend.”
The air becomes so thick I could choke on it. “Your g-girlfriend?”
I didn't even know my dad was looking for a relationship, let alone dating someone. I look the woman over again, wondering who she is and where she came from. All my life, it's only ever been my dad and me. I'm not sure I'm okay with some random chick becoming a part of us.
“It's nice to meet you, Lennon,” she greets me.
Doing my best to fake a polite smile, I look away from her and to my dad. “Is this what you wanted to tell me? The important news?”
A guilty look appears on his face as he glances at Nora and then back to me. “Well, partly. I wanted the two of you to meet and get to know each other.”
No thanks. “I mean, I'll try, but I'm super busy with graduation and dance and getting ready for college. I'm just really swamped, Dad.”
He gives me the no-bullshit look that he always uses whenever I’m in trouble. “That's okay. I'm sure there will be plenty of time since you'll see so much of each other.”
“I'm sorry, what?”
With the little time my dad spends in this house, I don't see how I'll see her at all. However, my dad drops a bomb that very well may destroy the comfortable home life I've always loved.
“Sweetie, Nora is moving in—with her two kids. It's about time we fill this big, empty house.”
My vision tunnels, and everything becomes hazy. I can faintly hear my dad mentioning something about her son being my age, but I can't find it in me to care. Everything I've ever known is about to change.
4
CADE
Out of everything I could be doing right now, packing has got to be the worst option. It's bad enough that my parents are splitting up, but to top off this shitty situation, I have to go live with the homewrecker. Sure, I could stay here with my dad. I'm nineteen. It's no one's choice but my own. However, my mom is insisting on taking Molly with her, and I can't leave my little sister—especially not when I don't know who the hell my mom's new boyfriend is or what he's like. Obviously, he's the kind of guy who's okay with breaking up a family, and in my book, that instantly makes him a piece of shit.
I grab the shirts from my closet and toss