Page 13 of Promising You
“She’s MY daughter and what I say goes.”
“She is OUR daughter. And I am tired of you acting otherwise. I’ve had enough of this, Katherine. Lilly will no longer live in this tightly-wound world of yours where she can’t interact with other people.”
“I’m protecting her! She was taken from us once and I will never let it happen again!”
“We can’t shield her from the entire world! She needs friends. Friends her own age. She sits alone in her room all day long. That’s not normal. Did you see how happy she was when Jade and Garret took her sledding? Because that’s what a 6-year-old should be doing! Sledding. Playing outside.”
“I’m not talking to you about this. I know what’s best for her. And she hasn’t been harmed by her upbringing. She’s a perfectly well-adjusted little girl.”
“Only because Garret has taken it upon himself to teach Lilly how to be halfway normal. If it weren’t for Garret, Lilly would be a smaller version of you!”
“And what is that supposed to mean?” she hisses.
“Don’t get me started.”
“You think you’re a better parent than me? You’re never even here for our daughter. You spend almost no time with her.”
“You know damn well I have no control over my schedule! They control it and they always will!” He lowers his voice. “The bottom line is that you are not going to dictate how we raise our daughter. I’m her father and I WILL have a say in how she is raised.”
“So you’re just going to send her outside to play? Let her get taken again? Let her spend time with Jade? Some girl we barely know? The girl who has caused the situation we’re dealing with now?”
“None of this is Jade’s fault. The situation we’re in now is because of me. I’m the one who killed Sinclair.”
“Which you never should’ve done!”
“And what did you expect me to do? The man fired a gun at Garret. And Jade. He would’ve killed them!”
“Sometimes you have to sacrifice a few for the many.” Katherine says it in a low, harsh tone that sends a chill through me.
There’s silence and then I hear Mr. Kensington speaking. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.”
“There was a plan, Pearce!” Katherine raises her voice again. “A very big plan. And you’ve destroyed that!”
“Yes, I’m well aware of the plan, dear,” Mr. Kensington says, emphasizing the ‘dear.’ “But I was not going to just stand there and watch that fucking bastard kill my son!”
“You could’ve just injured Royce. You didn’t need to kill him.”
“I can’t change the outcome. He’s gone, and another man can take his place. Obviously Sinclair was a poor choice given how unstable he was, trying to kill his own daughter. He had no reason to go after her like that. She was no threat to him.”
“She’s trash, Pearce. And trashy people will do anything to get money. It was just a matter of time before she went to Royce and asked for hush money. And after she got it, she would’ve sold her story to the highest paying tabloid. That’s why he went after her. And now you allow that piece of trash to live in this house? Interact with our daughter? Date your son? She wants money, Pearce. That’s the only reason she’s sticking around.”
“Jade isn’t like that. The girl you described is the type of girl we’ve forced Garret to date. Like Ava Hamilton. A spoiled, self-centered girl looking for fame and fortune.”
“I want Jade out of this house and she is never allowed back.”
“She’s one of us now, Katherine, whether you like it or not. She’s seen too much. She knows our ways.”
“Then pay her off. Pay her to keep quiet. Pay her to go away. I don’t care how much it costs.”
“I’m not doing that. And even if I made her an offer, she wouldn’t accept it. She loves Garret and he loves her. No amount of money will break them apart.”
“You know Garret’s not allowed to be with someone like her, so why are you letting this continue?”
“That’s not an issue anymore. He’s not going to be part of it.”
“You’re delusional, Pearce. He’s your son. They’ll never—”
“We’re done discussing this.”
