Jennifer stands forward, between me and Dad. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Mark?” she hushes sharply.
“What the hell am I doing? What the hell are you doing? She’s a teenager, and you’re her fucking mother! What were you thinking?”
I catch a glimpse of Jennifer rolling her eyes. “Oh, calm down. You’re making a much bigger deal out of this. It’s just skin.”
“Our daughter’s skin,” he spits through gritted teeth. “How could you allow it to happen?”
“Texas is her own person, Mark. When are you going to wake up and realise she’s not a child anymore?”
“Oh, so the passage to adulthood is exposing yourself to every fucker who wants to look?”
I flinch. That’s not how it was.
“You’re so close-minded,” Jennifer says. “It’s not seedy. She can make her own decisions, and she decided to take part in a classy photo shoot. The pictures are extremely tasteful, and this will do wonders for her career.”
“Enough,” I snap. “I think we should all calm down for a second.”
“That isn’t a fucking career my daughter is going to have!” Dad roars.
I step back and silently clap my hands together. “We’re not calming down then,” I mutter.
Kitt is the only one who notices me, and his eyes tighten. He has about as much right to a say in my life as my father does.
How dare they barge in here and cause a scene. I fist my hands. “I said, enough!” I shout at the top of my lungs.
Three pairs of shocked eyes watch me, and I’m sure there are many more, but everyone else is behind me.
“Seriously, stop it. I can do whatever I want, and I don’t need anyone’s permission. And I certainly don’t need to be told how to live my life.”
“I beg to differ,” Dad growls. “You’ve been flaunting your body, Texas. And I don’t give a fuck about what people choose to do with their bodies, Jennifer, before you go on about that shit, but our daughter grew up not wanting to show off hers.”
“I think you’re missing the point, Mark. She grew up,” Jennifer says, narrowing her eyes until they’re tiny slits. “She isn’t your little girl anymore. Our daughter is nineteen. She is an adult whether you like it or not.”
Dad doesn’t like that. His jaw twitches as he grinds his teeth together. It’s always just been us. He’s protected me from everything, even my mum. I step forward, not able to bear how hard it is for him. I’m the only child he’s ever going to have. He pretty much raised me single-handedly while fighting to be the best musician he could be, giving us both a great life.
“Dad, I love you, and I love how you brought me up, but…”
“Yeah,” he rasps as he wraps me in a big bear hug. He’s shaking, and the desperation in his embrace breaks my heart. “I get it, Texas. I keep screwing up, don’t I?”
“You’re not screwing up. But you have to take a step back. Even if you don’t agree with my choices, you have to accept them. Just like I have to accept that you slept with my new boss!”
Jennifer ushers people back into the kitchen, so I’m alone with Dad and Kitt.
Dad takes a step back. “I don’t follow…”
“Whitney Blake. I’m going to be the face of her new clothing line.” I bite my lip as it finally sinks in. Shit! I’m the face of Whitney fucking Blake’s clothing line!
Dad’s stunned. His eyebrows shoot up. “Oh. Well, er…I guess congratulations are in order.”
“Thank you.”
He smiles. “So, modelling, huh?”
I shrug. “Turns out, I like it. Plus, when they’re not looking, you can grab some awesome clothes.”
Rolling his eyes, he straightens his back. “Do you think you’ll do…you know…”
“More topless? I don’t think so. I wouldn’t be comfortable flashing any more flesh than what I have done already.”
“Okay.” He dips his head. “I need a stiff drink, and I suppose I should speak to your mother.”
“Yes, you should apologise for letting yourself into her home and yelling at her. She’s been good to me, Dad. She’s helped.”
“I hear you.” He looks at Kitt and then heads into the kitchen with everyone else.
Kitt sighs and looks up at the ceiling. “I screwed up by not keeping in touch, Tex, and I’m sorry.”
Folding my arms over my chest, I stand my ground. The second we shared that first kiss I’d given him the power to rip my heart into tiny pieces, so this time around, he’s going to have to get through iron gates and steel walls.
“Can we do this tomorrow, please? This is my party, and I’d like to enjoy it without crying.”
Kitt blows out a breath, and his eyes flash with pain. “I want to stay and celebrate with you.”
“We’ve never had any trouble partying together.”
His lip kicks up into an adorably sexy smirk. “No, we certainly haven’t. Will you do a shot with me?”
I’ve missed this. “I thought you’d never ask.”
KITT
SUNDAY, AUGUST 2
NOTTING HILL, ENGLAND