Empire High Betrayal(60)

I snuggled into Matt’s side. “I do believe you. And I’ll always have your back. Now that you mention it, I think I do just want one bridesmaid. So maybe just Mason for you then?”

“Sounds good to me.” He kissed the side of my forehead.

I felt so comfortable and safe in Matt’s arms. And for some reason it reminded me about how uncomfortable I was with my new family. I had no idea how we were going to have a happy wedding when our families hated each other.

“Matt, why did you tell your mom I was staying with you because I didn’t want to live with my dad?”

“Because I knew it was an easy way to make her say yes.”

I laughed. “You’re very good at getting what you want.”

He didn’t respond. He just lifted up my notebook to look at some of our wedding ideas.

“But it was easy to make her say yes because your parents hate my dad, right?”

He set the notebook back down on my lap. “I don’t know if I’d say hate. They just don’t see eye to eye on how to run a business.”

“And that’s why they had a falling out?” I asked. “Is that all you know?”

“My dad doesn’t exactly loop me in on his business decisions.”

I knew this was a sore subject for him. He wanted nothing more than to take over the family business one day, but his father wouldn’t even entertain the idea.

I sat up so I could face Matt. “I heard this rumor and I don’t know if it’s true.” There was no way I was going to mention Miller. “And I know I should just ask my dad, but he’s so evasive when I ask him questions. So I just need you to tell me if it’s true.” I swallowed hard. “Is my dad a mobster?”

Matt laughed. “I don’t think so. He just…” his voice trailed off. “All I really know is that he does some shady stuff with his business. And my parents wanted no part in it. But a lot of their friends do business with him still. Like the Hunters.”

Shady stuff. Even though my dad denied it, Isabella said the Hunters owed the Pruitts a debt. “That kind of sounds like mobster stuff to me.”

He lowered his eyebrows. “Yeah, I guess it kind of does, doesn’t it? No wonder my parents want nothing to do with him.”

I nodded. “And he kind of acts like one, right? With all the bodyguards. And security systems. And how he won’t even really tell me what exactly he does. He said it was better that my mom left because he couldn’t keep her safe. And didn’t you see my bodyguards’ faces? He had someone do that to them when they broke the rules. He…he…I think maybe my dad’s into some really bad stuff. And when we had lunch the other day he was talking about me taking over the business one day…”

“You can’t do that,” Matt said. “I don’t know if he’s a mobster or not, but like I said…he does shady stuff. Illegal stuff. You just said yourself it was dangerous.”

“I know. I wasn’t really thinking. I just…he seemed proud of me. I don’t know, it was stupid.”

“Nothing you do is stupid.” He pulled me onto his lap. “You should just ask him flat out. Or I can ask my dad…”

“No, I don’t want you to involve your dad. He’s already being really nice for letting me stay here. I’ll ask my dad about it.”

Matt pushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “Let’s forget about whether or not our parents are friends. Our wedding isn’t about them. It’s about us.”

I nodded. He was right. And yet…it kind of felt like the wedding was about me becoming a Caldwell as quickly as possible. “Are you sure you don’t want to marry me just so my last name isn’t Pruitt?”

“I want to marry you because my eyes always gravitate to you in a room. I’m only happy when I know that you’re happy too. You’re the only one that puts me in my place. You’re different than all the other girls I’ve ever met. You’re pure. You understand me. You’re so strong. When you cut me out of your life, I realized that I’m only really living when we’re together. You’re funny and smart and you even get along with my brother, which is rare.”

I laughed.

He reached out and cupped my cheek in his hand. “I can’t keep my hands to myself when I’m around you. I love you, Brooklyn.”

That was more than enough for me. I’d only been looking for a little validation and he’d given me a ton. This wasn’t about him not wanting me to be a Pruitt. This was about him desperately wanting me to be his. And I already was.





Chapter 24


Monday

I picked up my pace on the track. My feet finally felt back to normal and running made me feel back to normal too. Or maybe it was just the new Odegaard sneakers Mrs. Caldwell insisted on buying for me when I told her I liked running. Either way, it was so easy to breathe when air was flowing all around me. Normally running helped clear my head too. But no matter how much time ticked by on the track, I kept coming back to one thing. Or rather one word. Mobster.

I knew I needed to talk to my dad. But it was weird to just call him up and ask. I needed to meet with him in person. Mobster. I shook my head. I wasn’t a character from a crime movie. Did mobsters even really exist anymore? And certainly mobsters weren’t as nice as my dad. Although, no one saw the side of my dad that I did. I doubted even Isabella did.