Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 98965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
“For my eleventh birthday, I’d asked to spend the whole day with my father. Just me and him. That year he’d been gone a lot and I missed him. Allegra was nine months old, and when Dad was home, he obviously wanted to spend a lot of time with Ally. I don’t know if wanting my dad’s time hurt my mother’s feelings, but she had a meltdown the morning Dad and I were supposed to leave for our daddy-daughter day out. Dad ended up canceling to take care of Mamma, and our date never happened.
“At my sweet-sixteen party, she got drunk because she was depressed that she was old enough to have a sixteen-year-old and she made a speech in front of all my school friends about it, complimenting me with one hand and reminding everyone how I didn’t inherit her rocking bod with the other. Dad was furious. Hauled her out of there and gave her hell. He’s always hated the way she talks about my physical appearance, and it was one of the biggest fights they ever had. Mamma got hysterically upset and blamed me for my dad’s reaction. Montana and I left the party. My own birthday party.” I released a surprised huff. Where had that vent come from? “Anyway … I guess that’s the reason I tried to be the opposite of her.”
North scowled. “No offense, princess, but your mother sounds exhausting. I’ve never met her, but I’ve seen her on talk shows, and she’s a big personality. However, that sounds like more than a big personality. That sounds like narcissism.”
Defensive at his harshness, I glowered. “She’s not a narcissist. She’s just self-involved.”
He held up a hand. “I meant no offense, and I’m just mad on your behalf.”
My prickliness relented. “It’s fine. I … just … my parents weren’t perfect, but no parent is. And at least I didn’t lose mine.” I gave him an empathetic look.
North sighed. “You don’t have to accept their failings just because some people grew up without parents.”
“Actually, I do,” I disagreed. “I don’t want to live my life resenting them for the mistakes they made. Mamma is trying to be there for us in a way she didn’t back when I was a kid, and maybe it’s too late for me, but I appreciate she wants to try.” I laughed humorlessly. “How did we get into this? Let’s change the subject.”
“Okay.” North pushed his empty plate aside and leaned forward. “Let’s go really deep.”
I braced myself.
“What’s your favorite movie?”
Relieved, I rolled my eyes with a laugh. “You can’t ask a director’s daughter that question. There are too many choices.”
“Tell me just one.”
I considered it. “I can tell you my favorite movie that I’ve only watched once because it hurt too much to watch again, or I could tell you my favorite comfort movie that I watch all the time.”
“Tell me both.”
“Greedy.”
He gave me that sexy, boyish smile. “You know it.”
“Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution. When I was dating Preston, he insisted I had to see this movie, so we streamed it, and I couldn’t talk for an hour after it. I didn’t want to cry in front of Preston, so I sat there”—I gestured to my throat—“choking on these sobs. And I got up in the middle of the night and locked myself in his bathroom and cried in secret hours after we’d watched it.”
North searched my face. “Why didn’t you want to cry in front of him?”
Pain flared in my chest at the reminder of the man I’d thought I loved but whom I looked back on and realized I’d hidden so much of myself from. “I didn’t know it then, but I know why now.” I shrugged unhappily. “He didn’t make me feel safe. Not even safe enough to cry in front of.”
North lowered his eyes. “Jesus Christ, Aria … why did you put up with that?”
I stiffened. “Because I thought I loved him.”
At my tone, North met my gaze again. “I didn’t mean that as an attack. I just wish … you deserve so much better.”
“I ignored the warning signs, so it’s as much my fault as his.” I shrugged. “What’s your favorite movie?”
He looked as if he wanted to say something else, but in the end, he just grinned and said, “The movie I tell the press is The Deer Hunter. The real answer is Toy Story.”
Just like that, the tension broke between us as I burst into laughter.
Hours later, as we lay naked in bed on our stomachs facing each other, I watched North’s drowsy expression as I caressed his back lightly with my fingertips. Despite the emotional upheaval of the day, I’d kept him distracted.
We talked more about my life growing up in Malibu and his life growing up in Scotland. We shared our food likes and dislikes, talked about books and TV shows and music. Conversation was easy and fluid.