"No," Penn barked. "You're the one that dug all of this up, so you can sit here and be uncomfortable. Why, Corsica? What did you run away from?"
I took a deep breath and tried to find the place to begin, but Alice saved me. She flew down the steps of the treatment center, the wide arms of her dress flapping in the wind.
"Aggressive! That's the word they kept using," she cried as she climbed in the car and locked the doors. "They want to pursue an aggressive treatment. Just the sound of it is wrong. Let's go."
Penn was still angry with his father, but they both exchanged a worried and heartbroken look. Alice was going to refuse treatment.
"No," I said, jumping in with sharp authority. "You're looking at it all wrong. Aggressive means that you have a fighting chance. You have to fight, Alice."
She shook her head and darted her eyes away from Penn's pained expression. "I don't do that. I'm a healer, a pacifist. I don't fight."
"Look," I said. "Your son wants to fight for you. Your family wants to fight for
you. You're the only one who can stop them from hurting themselves trying."
Xavier's phone rang. "It's them. What should I say?"
Alice sighed and then reached over to pat Penn's hand. "Tell them I wasn't up to it today and that we should reschedule. Apparently, I'm going to have to prepare myself for battle."
Penn's mother filled the return car ride with a tirade on alternative medicines and the narrow-minded view of Western medicine. It was a relief as no one else had anything to say. Every time I looked at Penn, the whole truth of my past was on my lips. I wanted to tell him everything, but it wasn't the time.
We pulled up outside the Monterey mansion, and I waited for Xavier to help Alice out of the car before I turned on Penn. "Is this actually your house?"
"Corsica?" The tone of his voice stopped me. Penn shifted across the leather seats and gathered me into his arms. "Thank you. I don't know what I would have done if she'd refused treatment. I was so scared."
"I know. I'm sorry." I hugged him tight.
"I don't care why you came along. I'm just glad you're here. You really are saving me," he whispered against my hair.
"I know what it's like." I caught myself in time and snapped my mouth shut.
Penn pulled back but kept his arms around me. "What do you know?"
"Ask your father," I muttered. "I'm sure he's looking further into it."
"Corsica, wait." Penn stopped me from grabbing the door handle. "I didn't ask my father to do a background check on you. I wish he hadn't, and I wish you hadn't told me. I wasn't kidding when I said I wanted to get to know you. I want you to be the one who tells me about your life, whatever you're willing to share."
"You deserve to know who you invited into your home," I said.
"I invited you." His brown eyes warmed. "I don't care about all the rest. I'm just glad that you're here."
Xavier made the mistake of returning to the car to get Alice's scarf just as we got out. Penn brushed past him with a hard shoulder. Then, he turned and confronted his father. Toe to toe, it was obvious they were father and son. Both stood over 6'2" tall and challenged each other with identical, hard expressions.
"You had no right to check up on Corsica," Penn snapped.
"You didn't even know her hometown," Xavier said. "How could I let you keep going on so blindly? Especially after you've been together so long. Didn't you ever ask yourself why she kept so much of her life a secret?"
"Not for the reasons you thought," I reminded him.
Penn had his opening, and I thought he was going to take it. It was the perfect time to throw our little charade in his father's face. It was Xavier, after all, who had made Penn feel like he needed a human shield.
"I'm not like you," Penn said. "I'm not in a hurry to figure everyone out. All I know is that I love having Corsica around. I love her in my life. We've been dating for a while now, but I trusted that she would tell me everything when she was ready. You've never trusted anyone in your life."
Xavier caught my shocked look. "You're right. I have trust issues. So, tell me. How did you two meet?"
Penn hooked my hand through his and escorted me up the front steps as he told his father our story. I was surprised when it lasted for more than two steps. "I met Corsica in a nightclub. Actually, I ran into her."
"You tried to claim I ran into you," I added. "But we both know you weren't my type."