Prince's POV
Letterman went great. We laughed, we talked, and more importantly they loved her. She was nervous at first but the crowd fell in love with her the more she spoke and the more she smiled. We got in pretty late that night and the next day we visited her family before heading back home. She brought Jack Jack her hot chocolate and extra marshmallows and she even stopped at a mall to give her brothers some new gaming system that had been begging her for. Her father hugged and her and told her to call more often but her mother still didn't have much to say.
Anthony pulled me aside and told me the last time Genevieve came home they had a falling out over me. She doesn't approve of me and thinks I'll only break Genevieve's heart. She thinks I'm a godless man, a womanizer, a cheater, and overall the wrong man for her daughter. She thinks I'm filling her head with nonsense and pulling her away from her family. He explained that Genevieve chose dance as her career when she was 8 and never changed her mind. Florence was a dancer in her day but before she could make her dreams come true she got pregnant and decided instead to help Anthony pursue his dreams of opening a restaurant. She hoped and prayed that Genevieve would change her mind but, dance had her heart.
I told him the truth. I told him how I felt about Genevieve, how much she means to me, how she was there for me during my divorce, and how I would never hurt her. I told him that I loved her but I was afraid to tell her because I'm scared her mother is right. I told him I've never been one to cheat and I was raised Christian but everything else she said was true until I met Genevieve. I told him she changed me and my outlook on life. She made me feel complete again after my marriage left me feeling broken and angry. When I told him that he made a pained face and turned to me sternly.
"Prince, I'm going to tell you a story I'm sure she hasn't told you. I'm only telling you because I know she's never told anyone not even her mother knows and if what you say is true then you need to know. " I listened intently as we sat in the completely dark restaurant. "When Genevieve was in high school she got into a lot of trouble. Not with us or the school but with her peers. I'm sure you know how proud she is of her heritage and where she comes from but it's taken a lot for her to get there. The boys were obsessed with her and the girls hated her. They spread rumors and told lies and forced her to hide who she is. She developed an American accent, she smoked weed, she dressed different, all in an effort to fit in but it didn't work until she met Brandon. He was a senior and she was a junior so they didn't see each other in school often but they saw each other at games and pep rallies. He flirted with her for a while, he'd call to speak to her and she eventually dropped the act. Then, he asked her to homecoming. She normally didn't go so we we're excited. We got her a dress and everything. She was so excited. A little after the dance was supposed to end I received a phone call. It was Genevieve and she was crying. She was at a pay phone 20 minutes away from home. I left the house in pajamas and drove as fast as I could to get to her. When she got in she told me everything. He stopped the car and asked her to come to his house and have sex with him. When she said no he told her it was okay and that she didn't have to do anything. He tried lifting her skirt o she loved. He grabbed her hand and put it in his lap. She tried to move away but she couldn't. He exposed himself to her and tried to force her head into his lap too. That's when she was able to escape. When she got out of the car he asked her to get back in and when she didn't he left her there, stranded. Afterwards, school got bad. He told everyone that she was easy and more boys cornered her and tried to touch her after that. It got so bad I had to take her out of school. She didn't talk for months after that so we withdrew her because they said she was insubordinate for not speaking. Luckily, her grades were good so when she returned she was able to test into her senior year but it was a very hard time for her." I sat there in shocked silence. I see why this is so hard for her now. I see why she flinches when I touch her sometimes and why she feels so uncomfortable around people like Morris. "I told you that story to make you understand that my daughter has been hurt before and she does not trust easily."
"I-I would never do anything like that." My words get caught in my throat. How could someone do something like that? I remember being a horny teenager. I remember craving sex terribly but never enough to try and take it from someone.
"I am my daughter's keeper and if everything you've told me is true than I know one day you will replace me. I want you to know a few things. If she ever stops talking and she doesn't have her dry erase board give her her space. If she's starts to pull away from you that's when you need to stick by her. Most importantly, if she isn't talking and she's keeping her distance do not let her go anywhere alone and absolutely do not let her drive. She becomes dangerous when she's in her head for too long. Most importantly, if you ever don't know what to do call me."
"Yes sir."
"As long as you protect her, I will protect you. We all want the same things for her and I will make Florence sees that. I just need you to take care of my baby girl."
"I will for as long as she's mine. I promise."
This was a few days ago and I can't get it out of my head. I want to talk to her about it but I don't want her to be upset. She's already pretty upset about her mom giving us the cold shoulder but I'm scared this will send her off the deep end. I don't want to wait until she's feeling better but I also don't want to kick her while she's down.
I sigh into my coffee mug, engulfed in my thoughts. What should I do? How can I tell her I know and I'm sorry it happened that's not what I'm doing and we can talk about it if she wants to? There's really no way to bring this up delicately.
She asked for some space when we got back. Apparently, her apartment is a mess and she wants to spend some time deep cleaning since we leave for tour in a few weeks. I told her that's okay and I needed some time too. She seemed worried but I lied and told her it was nothing. Next time we're together I'll talk to her...somehow.