At that, Cole’s eyes turn big as saucers. “Don’t do it, Jolene.” I smack his arm. “I mean, Mrs. Church.” I smack his arm harder, willing him to shut up.

Mama meanders into my room sporting a bathrobe and jumbo curlers in her hair. “What in the world—” Her face turns ashen when she spots Cole. “Oh my.” Clutching her bathrobe, she looks at me. “Sawyer Grace, what is this?”

I start to speak, but Daddy doesn’t let me.

“This is that boy you like so much.” Face red with anger, he points to Cole. “In my daughter’s bed.”

Mama sighs. “I can see that, Dan. I’m not blind.”

“I told you this would happen,” Daddy yells. “I warned you she was getting mixed up with a bad egg.” He points at Cole again. “Now the bad egg is sleeping in her bed.”

“I know how this looks,” Cole states. “But I assure you we didn’t have sex last night.”

The horror on my parents’ faces makes it clear they didn’t think we did…until Cole opened his big, fat trap.

“I would certainly hope not,” Mama says. “I’m not sure what kind of girls you’ve been running around with, young man, but our Sawyer was raised to be a proper lady.”

“Don’t worry,” Daddy says, taking a giant step forward. “This boy won’t be running around at all once I’m through with him.”

Oh, Lord.

“Daddy, stop.” I rub my temples, trying to thwart off the headache that’s forming. “Everyone stop.”

I toss the bedsheets off and get out of bed. I’m suddenly grateful I had the sense to put on some pajamas. “Cole came over to see me last night. He needed help with a school project.”

I hate lying to my parents, but I don’t have much of a choice.

They’d lose their damn minds if I told them he snuck through my window and gave their proper daughter the best orgasm she’s ever had.

“What kind of school project?” Mama questions.

“Math—” Cole starts to say until I shoot him a look.

When was the last time a teacher handed out a math project?

“Which is a very important part of the science project we were working on,” he adds.

He should stick to letting me do the lying.

Mama and Daddy aren’t buying it.

“Let’s see this mathematical science project,” Daddy declares.

“Can’t.” Cole looks at the window like it’s a lifeline. “It’s top secret. If we show it to anyone early, it might alter the clinical results.”

“Young man, do I look like I was born yesterday?”

“No,” Cole says. “You definitely do not look like you were born yesterday.”

Mama rubs her forehead. “Sawyer Grace, you know the rules. No boys in your bedroom.”

“I know…but he needed help.” My hands find my hips. “Not to mention, I’m eighteen now.”

The way they treat me, you’d think I was a ten-year-old running around in a gang. I’m so tired of always being under their thumb, never having any room to breathe or make my own choices.

Given they like Catherine so much more, they ought to take a drive to Brown and bug her for a little while.

“Eighteen means nothing to me, young lady,” my father hollers. “My roof, my rules.” His eyes flicker with disappointment. “You’re grounded for two months.” He motions to Cole. “And you have about two seconds to get out of my house before I break both your legs.”

Anger quickens my pulse. “You can’t ground me. I’m an adult.”

Not to mention, I’ve never been grounded in my life.

He jabs his thumb into his chest. “I most certainly can, missy. I’m the parent. Therefore, I make the rules.”

“You’re not the only parent.” I look at Mama. I’ve never played them against each other before, but desperate times call for desperate measures. “He’s being unreasonable.”

Sympathy shades her eyes. “Dan, she’s right. Sawyer’s never done something like this. In fact, I can’t recall her ever giving us a lick of trouble before.” She sighs. “She’s finally having a social life and making some friends. It’s not right to take that away from her.”

“I wholeheartedly agree,” Cole unhelpfully supplies as he puts on his shoes. “I assure you, your daughter is a very good girl.”

He did not just make an innuendo in front of my father. It’s like he wants to die.

“Would you go on and get!” Daddy yells.

Cole leans down to give me a kiss, but Daddy clears his throat.

“I’ll call you later,” he says as he walks over to the window.

“No, you won’t,” Daddy disputes. “After today, Sawyer no longer has a phone.”

He’s out of his mind. “I pay for my phone. You can’t take it away.”

“My house!” Daddy roars. “My phone.”

That is not the way things work.

I turn to my mother. “Mama do something. Your husband is acting like a maniac. Pretty soon he’ll forbid me to go to school and work.”

He points to the window Cole’s finally crawled out of. “Well, if you intend to meet that boy there, you can kiss both those things goodbye too.”

I’m convinced a demon has possessed my dad. “Do you even hear yourself right now?”

“You’re not taking her phone, Dan,” Mama yells. “And you’re not stopping her from going to school or work either. What in the world has gotten into you?”

“That boy—” Daddy starts to shout before the thread inside me snaps.

I haven’t confronted him about the things he said to Cole, because it hurts too much.

“At least that boy didn’t stand on the front lawn and call his daughter fat behind her back like you did.”

Mama’s mouth drops open.

Hurt splashes across Daddy’s face. “I didn’t—”

“I heard what you told him. I heard every word.” Tears well in my eyes. “I expect it from Mama…but you? God, Daddy. That hurt like hell.”

Guilt colors his face. “Sawyer, you know I think you’re beautiful.”

Lies. All lies. “Yeah, beautiful for a fat girl.”

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Then how did you mean it? Because the way I heard it, it sounded like you didn’t think someone like Cole could possibly be interested in a fat girl like me.”

“I was only trying to protect you, sweetheart.”

“From what? Someone who put you in your place when you were wrong? Someone who actually cares about me?”

His jaw sets. “I don’t think he does.”

“How would you know? Oh, that’s right—because you were a football player yourself so that automatically means Cole must be bad news too.” I point to the window. “But he’s not. He’s so much more than you think.” Crossing my arms, I glare at him. “Go ahead and try to ground me all you want, but I am not gonna stop seeing him. I’ll move out before that happens.”

He’s speechless.