Chapter 3

Early the next morning, Uncle Derek showed up at our front door carrying two oversized duffel bags. Behind him were Aunt Brenda and my cousin, Tyler.

Between the three of them, they'd brought six bags, filling the entire entryway.

Mom made me sleep on a mattress in the living room so Uncle Derek's family could take the guest bedroom.

"What's wrong with a kid sleeping in the living room? They came all this way. Can't you be a little considerate?"

I didn't argue. I simply gathered my bedding and carried it out.

The first thing Aunt Brenda did after settling in was announce that she was "helping me organize my room." She started pulling stacks of books off my shelves and stuffing them into garbage bags—review guides, notebooks, practice tests, everything.

"These old things are just taking up space. You're not going to college anymore, so what's the point of keeping them?"

I stepped forward to stop her. "Aunt Brenda, those are my things."

She looked at me sideways. "Your mom already told us you're not going to school. You're getting married. What good are these books now? Tyler needs somewhere to put his gaming console."

Tyler was fifteen and already pushing 200 pounds. He was rummaging through my closet.

He picked up one of my neatly folded bras. "Hey, Gemma, is this one too small for you?"

Without even looking up, Aunt Brenda said, "Tyler, knock it off. That's your cousin's."

Instead, he swung it around in his hand, laughing.

I snatched it away.

From the kitchen, Mom shouted, "Gemma! Stop being so stingy! Tyler's family!"

I looked around my room to see that everything had been turned upside down. My fists slowly clenched.

While Tyler was glued to his video game, I "accidentally" stepped on the power cord. The screen went black, and he let out an enraged scream.

Aunt Brenda stormed into the room, yelling at me for not watching where I was going.

Without saying a word, I bent down and plugged it back in.

I'd put up with it.

At two that afternoon, the doorbell rang. Mom rushed to answer it, smiling so hard her face looked ready to split.

Two men stood outside.

The first was a short, heavyset man in his fifties with a balding head, a protruding belly, and thick gold rings covering his fingers.

It was Martin Parker—the man behind the anonymous "ParkerDad" account.

Standing beside him was a man in his early twenties with bleached blond hair, a snake tattoo wrapped around his neck, and three earrings in his left ear.

His son, Logan Parker.

Last year, he'd shoved a seventy-year-old woman down a flight of stairs in his apartment complex. His father paid $200,000 to settle the case before it ever reached court.

"Come in! Gemma, go pour your future husband a glass of water!"

The moment Logan saw me, his eyes lit up. He strode over and reached for my waist.

"Well, damn. My future wife's even prettier than I expected."

I sidestepped him, so his hand closed on empty air. The grin on his face disappeared.

Mom slammed her hand against the table.

"What are you pulling away for? The Parkers own three apartment buildings in town. A girl like you should be grateful they picked you!"

Uncle Derek wandered out of the bedroom carrying a mug and a cigarette. "My job as head of security is riding on Mr. Parker. Don't ruin the family's future by acting like you don't know a good thing when you see it."

"Is that a permanent position or just temporary?" I asked casually.

Uncle Derek answered without hesitation, "Permanent, of course! Mr. Parker promised me himself!"

Standing directly beneath the hidden camera, he repeated the most important detail all over again.

Aunt Brenda leaned against the doorway with a mocking smile. "So what if you scored a 1560? A girl who marries well is the real winner."

Logan wandered over again. This time, he reached out and grabbed my chin. "Quit playing hard to get. Sooner or later, you'll be mine anyway."

I slapped his hand away and took a step back.

Mom's shrill voice rang through the house. "Gemma Richmond! Keep this up and I'll drag your name through the mud!"

The living room fell silent. I lowered my head and stared at my shadow on the floor. Then I looked up and smiled.

"Okay."

Everyone froze.

"But," I continued, "if we're getting engaged, shouldn't we do it properly?"

Mom's expression changed instantly from fury to delight.

Martin slapped his thigh and burst out laughing. "Now that's what I like to hear! Straight to the point!"

Mom wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "We'll hold your college send-off party and engagement party together next week! We'll make it the biggest event this town's ever seen."

"Sounds good." I smiled and nodded.

What none of them knew was that from the moment they walked through my front door, my hidden camera had captured every second of it.