Chapter 4

The moment I closed the door of my old bedroom, I went straight to my bed and plopped down on it heavily with a grunt.

"I can't believe I just did that..." I muttered as I stared up the ceiling of my old bedroom. My anger had somehow dwindled a bit, but it was still there, just like an adrenaline waiting to crash.

Despite that, I felt better, now that I had let it all out in the open. Well, not everything when it came to Dalton, but the repressed feelings that I had against my family for so many years came tumbling out of my mouth like a waterfall. To be honest, it felt good, and it made me feel better about myself.

"Nice room," Mike said and l looked up. He was pursuing my room with such scrutiny in his eyes, I didn't know if he was being honest or just mocking me.

"Thanks, I guess..." I said, not really sure.

He shrugged and put our suitcases down near the closet. He walked towards my bed and plopped next to me and on instinct, I scooted closer to him, laid my head on his chest as he automatically wrapped his arm around me like a safe cocoon.

I had to say, his chest was mighty damn hard, but it felt good.

"You did good today, Charlie bear," he congratulated me with honesty in his voice. "I thought I was gonna piss my pants, but it was entertaining to watch. The best part was Dalton face," he said, snickering like the goof that he is.

I frowned. I didn't know what to feel about Dalton's reaction. He looked like he was jealous or was he being over-protective? If he was jealous, then, I thought he was over me now that he was marrying Caroline, right?

"What do you mean, Mike?" I asked for clarification.

He snorted. "It's all plain to see, Charlie bear," he expounded. "The guy is still in love with you. I mean, l saw the way he looked at you when you were ranting."

I looked up to him with a frown on my face. "That's impossible. He's marrying Caroline, so maybe he got over me and moved on."

Again, he snorted. If he goes on like that, he'd end up like a pig - seriously - a hot pig, that is. "You're so dense, Charlie. Trust me, he had this intense look in his eyes when he was looking at you, and when you mentioned I was your boyfriend, I could tell he was about to snap."

And he definitely did and I was stunned with his hostility. Dalton was never the kind of person to openly show his irritation, and I guess, time had changed us - just like me.

I sighed, finally feeling the effects of the crash as I felt the the energy leaving me. "I don't know, I guess he was being over-protective."

"Whatever you want to believe, cara (dear)..." Mike dragged the last part.

And then, we fell silent - a comfortable one. All these years of evading, dodging my family, had come to a stand still, and truth be told, the moment I stepped inside the house, everything felt like I was in the Twilight Zone. I felt I didn't belong in here and it's just sad to know that everything fucking revolves around Caroline.

It just didn't seem fair, at all. The very least, I could have felt nostalgia, even a tiniest sliver of it, but nothing felt right anymore.

I felt more alone than I ever have been.

Few moments of silence felt suffocating. I had to say something, anything as I opened my mouth, there was a soft knock, making our heads snapped up to it.

"Charlie," a deep, at the same time raspy  voice which belonged to my dad asked. "Can I come in?"

I glanced towards Mike. "Should I let him in?" I asked.

He nodded. "I think you should at least talk to your dad. You told me once that you guys are close, so at least talk to him," he said gently as he eased himself away from me and sat upright.

He was right. I sort of felt guilty for snapping at my dad, but sometimes when he was favoring Caroline more, that bitter taste of resentment in my mouth was just like acid to the touch. He knew me inside and out, my strengths and weaknesses, my intelligence and capabilities and it was sad he wasn't there to see me on that stage, thanking him for his wisdom that he had taught me all these years.

It was just too disappointing.

However, he was still my father, even if he had turned a blind eye.

"Yeah, dad," I called out as I sat upright next to Mike.

The door opened and my dad came inside and shut the door behind him. To my relief, he still looked guilty in a way, for not doing his job as a parent. He should have the last word; he was the man of  the house and could have used his voice of authority.

He's an attorney, damn it!

"What do you want?" I asked, my tone clipped and brisk.

My dad sighed, catching on to my hostility. "I just want to say I'm sorry," he apologized and came closer to the bed. "I should not have let Caroline overrule our decision making."

"And you let her," I snapped back. "You are the voice of authority around here, dad. You could have used that to overrule Caroline's bridezilla madness..."

He sighed. "I know and I'm sorry," he said, looking remorseful. "Please forgive your old man?"

There he was, doing his trademark puppy dog face which I couldn't resist. You may think that an old man doing the innocent doe eyed stare would be freaky? Not this man in front of me and let me tell you, he could pull it off like a pro and it looked so adorable on him.

"I'm sorry," my dad asked softly and then he intensified his stare. "Please?"

Damn it, dad! That's not fair!

I sighed, giving in to him. He was definitely doing that on purpose. "Fine, I forgive you," I said, then got up on my bed, charged towards him and launched myself at my dad for a hug.

He chuckled as he engulfed me in his big strong arms that I loved to cuddle as a kid. "Thank you, Charlie boo," he said softly in my ear.

"I love you, daddy," I responded, burying my head in the crook of his neck as I inhaled his comforting scent - leather with a hint of old spice.

"Daddy loves you too, sweetheart," he choked, probably almost on the verge of crying.

I giggled as a response, loving the feel of being in his arms again.

"Ahem!"

I jumped, startled in my dad's arms and craned my neck to look behind me.

Oh, dang. I forgot about Mike being in the room. He probably witnessed our father and daughter moment, and knowing him, he was going to tease the life out of me later. This was just too embarrassing.

I untangled myself from dad and stood beside him. "Um, dad, you probably met Mike, my boyfriend, right?" I asked and when I glanced at him, he was crossing his arms over his chest  to give out an intimidating stance, narrowing his eyes into thin slits.

Jesus...

"Uhuh," he responded tersely. Really, dad? You just had to pull an overprotective father stunt, why don't you?

Mike stood up from the bed and held out his hand. "I just want to introduce myself properly due to um... circumstances," he said awkwardly as he shifted his foot. "I'm Michelangelo Lombardi, but you can call me Mike."

I glanced back at dad and I saw his eyebrows shoot up, surprise encompassed his entire demeanor. "Lombardi? As in Lombardi Enterprises?" and then he shook his hand.

Mike nodded. "Uh, yeah. I am the son of Nuncio and Greta Lombardi. CEO of Lombardi Enterprises," he confirmed in a rather tight voice.

"I had the pleasure of representing your dad when he was here in Colorado," my dad said with a proud voice and let go of Mike's hand. "They were nice people."

"I bet they were," Mike muttered under his breath.

I shot Mike a warning look and he just rolled his eyes.

"So, I guess I should be going," my dad said, smiling at me. "You both should rest since the flight I presumed was long and straining."

I laughed, knowing he was spot on. "Yeah, I guess we should."

Smiling, he turned around and walked to the door. Before his hand touched the doorknob, he glanced over his shoulder and said, "Oh Charlie, we have a guest room down across the hall. See to it that Mike gets settled." And with that, he opened the door, walked out and closed the door shut.

Very subtle, dad.