Entwined With You

hallway. “I’ve never been ashamed about that until now.”
    I lay on my bed and stared up the ceiling, wishing I could be with Gideon, but knowing he was in therapy with Dr. Petersen.
    I texted Cary instead: I need u. Come home ASAP.
    It was close to seven when the knock came on my bedroom door. “Baby girl? It’s me. Let me in.”
    I rushed to open it and surged into him, hugging him tight. He picked me up so that my feet left the floor and carried me into the room, kicking the door shut behind him.
    He dropped me on the bed and took a seat beside me, his arm around my shoulders. He smelled good, his cologne familiar. I leaned into him, grateful for his unconditional friendship.
    After a few minutes, I told him. “My parents slept with each other.”
    “Yeah, I know.”
    I tilted my head back to look up at him.
    He grimaced. “I heard ’em when I was heading out to the shoot this afternoon.”
    “Eww.” My stomach churned.
    “Yeah, doesn’t work for me, either,” he muttered. His fingers sifted through my hair. “Your dad’s on the couch looking beat. Did you say something to him?”
    “Unfortunately. I was mean, and now I’m feeling awful about it. Ineed to talk to him but it’s weird, because the person I’m feeling most loyal to is Stanton. I don’t even like the guy half the time.”
    “He’s been good to you, and to your mom. And getting cheated on is never cool.”
    I groaned. “I’d be less freaked about it if they’d gone somewhere else. I mean, it’d still be wrong, but these are Stanton’s digs. That makes it worse.”
    “It does,” he agreed.
    “How would you feel about moving?”
    His brows rose. “Because your parents shagged here?”
    “No.” I stood and started pacing. “Security was the reason we got this place. It made sense to let Stanton help out when Nathan was a threat and safety was a priority, but now …” I looked at him. “It’s all different now. It doesn’t seem right anymore.”
    “Move where? Someplace else in New York we can afford on our own? Or out of New York altogether?”
    “I don’t want to leave New York,” I assured him. “Your work is here. Mine, too.”
    And Gideon.
    Cary shrugged. “Sure. Whatever. I’m game.”
    Walking over to where he still sat on my bed, I hugged him. “Would you mind ordering something in for dinner while I talk to my dad?”
    “Got anything particular in mind?”
    “Nope. Surprise me.”
    I joined my dad on the couch. He’d been surfing through my tablet but put it aside when I sat.
    “I’m sorry about what I said earlier,” I began. “I didn’t mean it.”
    “Yeah, you did.” He scrubbed wearily at the back of his neck. “And I don’t blame you. I’m not proud of myself right now. And I have no excuse. I knew better. She knew better.”
    Pullingmy legs up, I sat facing him with my shoulder resting against the back of the sofa. “You guys have a lot of chemistry. I know what that’s like.”
    He shot me an examining glance, his gray eyes stormy and serious. “You have that with Cross. I saw it when he came over for dinner. Are you going to try to work things out with him?”
    “I’d like to. Would you have a problem with that?”
    “Does he love you?”
    “Yes.” My mouth curved. “But more than that, I’m … necessary to him. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for me.”
    “So why aren’t you together?”
    “Well … it’s complicated.”
    “Isn’t it always?” he said ruefully. “Listen. You should know … I’ve loved your mother since the moment I saw her. What happened today shouldn’t have happened, but it meant something to me.”
    “I get it.” I reached for his hand. “So what happens now?”
    “I head home tomorrow. Try to get my head on straight.”
    “Cary and I were talking about coming out to San Diego the weekend after next. We thought we’d drop in and just hang out. See you and Dr. Travis.”
    “Did you talk to Travis about what happened to you?”
    “Yes. You saved my life hooking me up with him,” I said honestly. “I can’t thank you enough for that. Mom had been sending me to all these stuffy shrinks and I just couldn’t connect with any of them. I felt like a case study. Dr. Travis made me feel like I was normal. Plus I met Cary.”
    “Are you two done talking about me?” As if on cue, Cary walked into the room waving a take-out menu. “I know I’m fascinating, but you might want to save your jaws for the Thai food we’ve got coming.