Lost in Time (Forever and Always #20) (17 page)

Her eyes widened in surprise. “Wow. You seem
successful.”

“My father is Tate Robbins. You may be
familiar with his work.”

“I am.” She was even more impressed. “Hazel,
this one is a catch. Don’t screw it up like you did with Kyle.”

What the fuck did she say?

Hazel averted her gaze and looked at the
ground.

My anger was growing and I was barely holding
on to my self-control. I wanted to snap. “Excuse me?”

She laughed then patted Hazel on the
shoulder. “My daughter has a natural way of driving men away. She’s
very good at it.”

“I don’t think she was the problem,” I said
with a clenched jaw.

Hazel looked at me then shook her head
slightly, telling me to back off.

That was impossible.

“Where’s my husband?” Felicia said as she
peered over the crowd. “Ah, there he is. Mark, come here.”

A tall man with dirty blonde hair came to his
wife. When he saw Hazel, he embraced her. “Hey, kiddo. How was the
drive?”

“Fine,” she said.

“Look,” Felicia said. “She has a boyfriend.
And he’s rich.”

I never said that. But I guess I’m not
surprised that’s all she heard. I shook his hand. “Hello, sir. My
name is Flynn.”

“It’s good to meet you.” He had a firm shake.
“So, what do you do for a living?”

“He’s awriter,” Felicia said excitedly. “He’s
the son of Tate Robbins.”

“Wow.” Her father’s eyes were wide. “That’s
incredible.”

Now I wish I hadn’t mentioned it. “I didn’t
catch your name, sir.”

“Mark,” he answered.

I nodded.

“How did the two of you meet?” Felicia
asked.

I decided to take the lead on this one. “She
was a dancer in my production. She was the best dancer in the
group, and I was smitten with her the moment I laid eyes on her.
Her moves are flawless, her stances perfect.”

“Interesting,” her mother said.

Hazel stood still, keeping to herself.

Felicia turned to her husband. “This one is a
catch, even better than Kyle. She better not screw it up by pulling
her usual crap.”

Did they think Hazel couldn’t hear them?

Hazel didn’t look at them, her face directed
at the ground.

Her mother turned to her, more on her mind.
“Your brother just passed the bar.”

“I know,” Hazel said quietly. “You texted me
that already.”

“But isn’t it incredible? He worked hard for
years and now he has a good job with security. You know, you should
think about being a paralegal or something.”

“I like dancing.” Hazel’s voice was
automatic. I could tell she said it a hundred times.

“Yes, but that’s a hobby,” Felicia said. “You
need something that will keep men around, not make them drop like
flies.”

Who the fuck was this bitch?
No one
should talk to their daughter that way. No wonder why Hazel had the
lowest self-esteem I’d ever come across. “The men who leave her
life are jerks who don’t appreciate a real and strong woman when
they see one. She’s intimidating because she’s so talented and
smart. And a man who can’t handle a strong woman isn’t a strong man
himself. They drop like flies because they are pathetic, unworthy
of your daughter. I can assure you it’s not the other way around.”
The words flew out of my mouth quicker than I could stop them.

Her parents stared at me, silent.

Hazel gave me a small smile.

“I came here today to meet her family and get
to know you better, but standing here listening to you speak to
your daughter like that is not what I had in mind. If you insult
her and disrespect her like this, then you shouldn’t even have the
privilege of knowing her.”

Felicia recoiled like I just slapped her. “If
you’re trying to make a good impression, young man, you’re doing a
pitiful job at it.”

“I don’t care what you think. If I respected
you, I might. But anyone who speaks to my girl like that isn’t
going to get away with it. I don’t care if you’re her parents.”

“Don’t tell us how to raise our child,” Mark
snapped.

“I’m not telling you how to raise her,” I
snapped back. “She’s already an adult. Now treat her with respect.
She takes care of herself and has done so for years. She doesn’t
need your approval or your help. Now treat her like a human being,
not some piece of trash.”

Her mother’s eyes were burning red. “How dare
you speak to us like that, in our own home?”

“I can say the same about Hazel.”

Her mother turned to her. “This is the trash
you bring into our house? He’s disrespectful and rude. Why can’t
you land a real man that will stick around? Not garbage?”

Who talks to their kid like that?

“Mom, knock it off!” Her brother came to our
gathering, looking irritated. “Anytime Hazel is here all you do is
pick on her and strip away her foundation. Just back off.”

Now Felicia looked like she’d been slapped
again. “You’re welcome for the party, ungrateful son.”

He shook his head slightly, grinding his
teeth together. “Tonight is supposed to be about my success, not
your interpretation of Hazel’s failures. She’s a dancer. So what?
She likes what she does and she obviously makes a living doing it.
Why do you care? Just let it go and move on. When someone pursues
their true interest, it benefits society as a whole. Pushing
someone where they don’t belong just causes more problems. Accept
her for who she is.”

Mark didn’t seem pleased either. “Don’t but
into our conversation.”

“Stop being a jerk to my sister.”

Hazel stared at him with fond eyes.

I loved her brother. This guy was
awesome.

He walked to Hazel then put his arm around
her. “Thanks for coming. I know you hate being here.”

She smiled then hugged him. “Congratulations,
Peter.”

“Thanks,” he said. “But of course, my parties
are always about you.”

“Sorry about that,” she said with a
laugh.

“So, who’s this guy that I already approve
of?” He extended his hand.

I shook it with a smile on my face.
“Flynn.”

“Cool. I like you.”

I chuckled. “I like you too.”

“Now join me and my friends in the living
room.” He gave his parents a dark look. “You won’t be bothered
there.”

“Okay,” Hazel said.

Thank god one of her family members was
good.

“Beer?” Peter handed me one.

“Thanks.” I twisted off the top and took a
drink.

We came to his group of friends. A lot of
them knew Hazel and said hi to her. After everyone introduced
themselves, I tried to remember their names but it was pointless.
There was too many of them.

“Sorry about mom,” Peter said. “I admit it’s
nice being the older and more successful one because they don’t
bother me, but I really hate seeing the way they treat you.”

“Thanks,” she said. “But they’ll always be
that way.”

“You shouldn’t even see them anymore,” Peter
said bluntly. “They obviously have no respect for you.”

“Yeah…I’ve been thinking about it.”

Peter turned to me. “Hazel, I like this guy.
Keep him around.”

“You don’t even know him,” she said with a
laugh.

“But I heard the way he defended you,” Peter
said. “That’s the kind of guy I want for my little sister.”

I put my arm around her waist. “She’s in good
hands, man.”

He raised his beer to me. “I can tell.”

We mingled with Hazel’s brother and his
friends for the rest of the night. They were all down to earth and
funny. It was definitely a nice change in environment compared to
seeing Hazel being attacked by her parents. Their familial
relationship was the oddest thing I’d ever seen. Even when my
brother was being a total ass, my parents still respected him and
loved him. I honestly suspected her parents didn’t even love
her.

By the end of the night, I was ready to get
the hell out of there. I wasn’t going to bother saying goodbye to
her parents. They could go to hell.

Her brother walked us out. “Thanks for
coming.”

“Of course,” Hazel said. “I wouldn’t miss
it.”

“I have a surprise.” A twinkle was in his
eyes.

“What?” she asked.

“I got a job in the city. It’s for a firm in
Manhattan.”

“That’s so awesome!” She hugged him tightly.
“Congratulations.”

“Now we can see each other more often,” Peter
said.

“Do Mom and Dad know?”

“No,” he said with a laugh. “I’m telling them
the day I leave so they don’t have time to talk me out of it.”

“This is so great,” Hazel said. “Now I can
see you all the time.”

“Whoa.” He held up his hand. “I don’t know
about all the time. Now I’m a rich bachelor. I’m going to be busy
with the honies.”

She rolled her eyes. “Let me know when you’re
getting settled.”

“I will.” He kissed her forehead. “And don’t
let those idiots make you question your worth. You’re a beautiful
and smart girl. Maybe one day Mom and Dad will finally see
that.”

Her eyes softened and she hugged him again.
“Thanks.” After she ended their embrace, she stepped away.

I extended my hand and shook his. “Thanks for
the evening.”

“No problem. Any guy that’s willing to put up
with that horseshit is already awesome. I hope to see you around in
the city.”

“Come over for dinner sometime. Hazel and I
live together.” I wasn’t going to keep that a secret.

“Wow.” He nodded slowly. “So this is
serious?”

“Very,” I said simply.

He smiled. “Good. I’m glad my sister finally
found a guy that isn’t a total dweeb. I’m not sure why my parents
liked Kyle. I always thought he was an ass.”

“You can obviously read people better than
they can,” I said.

“Apparently.” He patted my shoulder. “I’ll
see you soon.”

We got into the car then drove to the hotel.
She and I were quiet on the drive, neither one of us having
anything to say. I hated her parents and she already knew that. I
wouldn’t talk to them again and I certainly wouldn’t let her
either.

After we checked into the room, we got ready
for bed. Judging her body language, I knew she wasn’t in the mood
to make love. That was fine with me. I assumed that would be the
result of the family gathering.

I turned off the lights then held her in bed,
the darkness surrounding us. A word hadn’t been spoken since we
left.

“Flynn?”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.”

I kissed the back of her neck. “You don’t
need to thank me for anything.”

“You’ve put me back together. I never thought
it was possible, but you did. I used to hate myself, never really
understanding why. When people treated me like shit, I let them.
It’s been ingrained in me since I can remember. You’re the first
person who’s come along and reminded me that I was worth something,
that I had something to offer the world. You make me feel beautiful
when I thought I never could. You make me feel loved when all I’ve
ever felt was used. You make me…happy.”

I held her against my chest, silently
comforting her.

“I just…I appreciate it more than you’ll ever
know.”

“Now you know what it’s really like to be
loved.” I pressed my lips to her ear. “I will make up for every
tear and every pain you’ve ever felt. I will make you happy every
single day of your life. And I will love you passionately and
violently—forever.”

“Thank god.” A sniff escaped her lips.
“Because you’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“You have it the other way around, baby. One
day you’ll see what I mean.”

She fell silent in my arms, her sniffing
gone.

I listened to the sound of her breathing,
waiting for her to drift off to sleep. When she was in slumber, I
took a deep breath and stilled my own tears. Knowing how much she
was emotionally abused killed me. Now I understood everything about
her. Every thing made sense. But she would never feel that way with
me. I would make sure of it.

The Final Installment of the Forever and
Always Series

Closing Time

Release Day: TBA

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