Star-Crossed Parents. C.J. Carmichael

put a hand on her arm. “The bedroom’s up there.”

      Unbidden came an image of Taylor—bound and gagged and tied to a heavy bed frame. “It’s okay, honey. I’m here. I’ll be right there.”

      She tried to break Sam’s hold, but it was firm and strong. “Let go of me. What are you doing? Are you crazy?”

      “Mom?”

      The voice was soft and came from above. Leigh craned her head back. Her daughter stood at the pine railing that ran the length of the loft. She was wrapped in a bedsheet, packaged with the guy next to her like a two-for-one special.

      Both had tousled hair, naked shoulders and very flushed cheeks.

      There could be no doubt as to what Leigh and Sam had just interrupted.

       CHAPTER THREE

      “W HAT ARE YOU DOING HERE ?” Taylor leaned over the railing, pulling Sam’s son with her. Her voice was stronger now and tinged with a defiance that Leigh had never heard before.

      “Taylor? What’s going on?” It was a stupid question, since the answer was obvious, but Leigh felt completely out of her element. She was relieved, of course, that Taylor wasn’t being held against her will, that she hadn’t been raped or hurt in any way.

      But it was still a shock to find her in bed with this young man. Maybe Leigh should have expected it, but naively, she had not.

      “How did you find me?”

      “I checked the computer.”

      “You read my personal messages?”

      “Taylor, for heavens’ sake! I was worried. I had no idea what you were getting yourself into.”

      “Didn’t you find my note?”

      “As if that was any help. God, Taylor. We should have discussed this. You didn’t even tell me where you were going.”

      Taylor groaned. “I wonder why. If only I’d been smart enough to erase my messages.”

      Leigh put a hand to her neck. Stiffness and neck pain was an occupational hazard. The drive hadn’t helped and neither did craning her head this way in order to look at her daughter. “Could you please come down here so we can talk civilly.”

      “What if I don’t want to talk?”

      Her daughter’s rudeness took Leigh’s breath away. As she waited for the moment to pass, the two kids upstairs backed away from the railing, disappearing from sight. From the rustling, Leigh guessed they were putting on their clothes.

       Oh, my God. My daughter has just had sex.

      The realization hit her hard. Since Taylor had never had a steady boyfriend, this was probably the first time. Why did it have to be with someone she’d met over the Internet? Taylor deserved so much better.

      Suddenly Leigh became aware of Sam’s presence beside her. He was frowning. “What’s your problem?” she asked.

      “I’m not sure this is the best time to talk.”

      “That’s my daughter up there. This is the first time she’s met your son. And in case you hadn’t noticed, they’ve—”

      “I noticed,” he said quietly.

      “Then how can you even suggest this isn’t a good time to talk? What kind of father are you? Those kids—”

      “Are adults.” He hesitated, and for the first time, uncertainty shaded his dark blue eyes. “You did say Taylor was eighteen, right?”

      “Yes. Just out of high school. We were going to have a party….” She glanced down at her dress, so inappropriate for the situation she found herself in right now, but she hadn’t wanted to waste a minute changing.

      Leigh swayed and immediately felt Sam’s hand at her back.

      “Let’s sit down.”

      She planted her feet where they were. “I need to talk to my daughter.”

      “You will. Give them a minute to sort themselves out. Come on, let me get you a drink. You look like you’re about to pass out.”

      Since that was exactly how she felt, she conceded her position and followed him into the kitchen. She sank onto a stool and folded her hands on the butcher-block counter.

      Taylor’s words were still ringing in her ears. What are you doing here? What if I don’t want to talk about it?

      Her daughter did not speak to her this way. She simply didn’t. Clearly, this boy, Sam’s son, was to blame.

      Sam slid a glass of orange juice in front of her. She glanced up at him.

      “Hope that’s okay. Only other choice is beer.”

      That’s what he’d picked for himself. She watched as Sam twisted the cap off a bottle of lager, then took a long swallow. She considered asking for a beer, herself, then decided against it and had some of the juice. The beverage slid down easily, and she realized that she was starving. It was almost nine o’clock and she hadn’t had anything to eat since lunch.

      Sam settled onto the stool next to hers and she was struck by the breadth of his shoulders, the size of his arms. In a flash she saw that she’d been just as foolhardy as her daughter. She’d followed a stranger to a remote location, put herself totally at his mercy.

      Logically, it had been a very stupid thing to do. And yet she couldn’t summon the energy to feel afraid, or even slightly nervous.

      She didn’t know Sam Wallace was a decent person. But she thought that he was. If only she could say the same for his son.

      At the sound of steps on the stairs, she turned. Her daughter and PartyMan were dressed and coming to face the music. She studied Taylor’s face for signs of contrition and was dismayed to see none.

      Before she could say a word, Taylor started.

      “I don’t see why you had to drive all this way. I’m just visiting Josh for a few days.”

      “Visiting? It seemed to me you were doing more than that. ”

      “ Mom. ” Taylor sounded mortified.

      “If you wanted to come to New Hampshire, you should have asked.”

      Josh put his arm around Taylor’s shoulders. She smiled at him gratefully, but the smile dropped away when she turned back to her mother.

      “You know you wouldn’t have let me. Anyway, I don’t need your permission anymore.”

      “Maybe not,” Leigh conceded. “But I would have hoped you’d have at least had the consideration to discuss this with me. Or, at the very least, waited an extra day.”

      “I am sorry about the party, Mom. But you can’t blame me for that. I didn’t even want one.”

      Taylor’s words stung, mostly because they were true. Taylor had tried to talk her out of the party, but Leigh had convinced herself that Taylor really did want it. But maybe she’d just been projecting her own wishes on her daughter.

      Leigh had never had the chance to celebrate her own high school graduation. She’d been a new mother-to-be by then, taking her remaining credits by correspondence. She’d so much wanted to give her daughter the party she’d never had.

      “Look, Mom, I am sorry. But there was no other way. You never listen to what I say. You don’t trust me.”

      “Maybe for good reason.” Leigh waved a hand at Josh. “You’ve never even met this young man. How could you travel all this way to visit him? He’s a stranger. I thought you had more sense than that.”

      “He isn’t a stranger. I love him.”

      Love.

      A