“Are you going to play my knight in shining armor and rescue me from the castle?” I poke out my bottom lip.
“Aw, c’mon, it’s not that bad.”
“Yes, yes it is, Jake,” I huff out. “You know how it is when I come home. I feel trapped, claustrophobic, and held captive. He’s out of touch and unrealistic. It’s like he wants to lock me up in that castle of his every time I come home, and then he all but throws away the key.”
Jake chuckles and grins at me, shaking his head. I watch as he lowers his glasses and exposes his beautiful brown eyes, arching a brow. “I have all the keys, babe. You won’t have to play Icarus to get out. I have a few tricks left up my sleeve.” Then he waggles his brows, making me burst out in laughter. I really am thankful for Jake’s friendship over the years. I’m just glad to have him as my main bodyguard, and I get him all to myself.
Seems like every time I come home on break, my father almost doubles his bodyguards. I don’t understand why we even have bodyguards. Every single time I approach the subject with my father, he just shrugs his shoulders and tells me my safety is paramount. He also tells me since I’m his little princess, he can never take enough precautions in today’s world, especially since I’m all the family he has left. The rest of the drive is spent in silence, and I watch the familiar surroundings pass by as we grow nearer to my gilded cage.
CHAPTER TWO
“Ugh,” I grumble out loud as I pound my pillow. I roll over to find a new position, trying to get comfortable on my bed. I’ve been trying to fall asleep for some time now, but I’m too restless. Adam is supposed to be coming in tomorrow evening, and I’m too excited to sleep. He was able to fly in sooner than expected, and I find my mind racing, thinking of nothing but my fiancé.
Over the past two months, I’ve had a heck of a time sleeping. Jake had held true to his promise, keeping my days busy. It’s only late at night when I find my mind restless, and it’s then I miss Adam the most. Jake was right; the past two months have flown by, and despite my dad’s overbearing rules, it has been one of my better visits. My father seems more relaxed this trip. Actually, this is the most relaxed I’ve seen him in a long time. I hope it stays this way. He even took a week off work and spent it with Jake and me. Well, I say he took a week off; he worked from home, but still, it was a major improvement. Maybe he is changing after all.
The three of us have been putting the final touches on my birthday party. We’ve had a lot of laughs doing it, too. I turn my head, peering at the soft glow of my alarm clock through blurry eyes. It’s 11:30 pm. Shit. I let out a groan, thinking perhaps I may finally need to break down and take one of my dad’s sleeping pills. I’ve never been one to take prescription drugs; heck, I’ve never taken any kind of drugs, for that matter. I don’t even like to take headache medicine. I know my father has sleeping pills, though, because I remember seeing them last month when I ran out of floss and was looking in his medicine cabinet for more. Who am I kidding? I’m not going to break down and take that medicine. Maybe a glass of warm milk? Eww, that just sounds gross. I let out a sigh; I’m willing to try anything at this point.
I swing my legs over the side of my bed and stand up, stretching out my tired limbs, making my way to the bedroom door to open it. Quietly, my bare feet patter down the dark hallway. As I glide my hand along the upstairs bannister, reaching the top of the stairs, I leisurely begin my descent. Maybe Jake will be up and we can make popcorn and watch a movie. When I get halfway down the steps, I’m pulled from my thoughts. I notice someone has left several lights on downstairs. My brows furrow in question; no one ever forgets to turn the lights out at night, especially that many.
When my foot touches the last step, I hear raised voices coming from my father’s office down the hall. I freeze in my tracks while gripping the end of the bannister. I hear a strange voice bellowing an obscenity from the top of his lungs. Who in the hell would be at our house close to midnight in a rage? My ears go into high-alert as I slip into stealth mode, ready to eavesdrop.