would that i • taylor swift

Chapter 4

"There is no impending wedding."

Kelsea Cavell opened and closed his mouth. "Excuse me?"

"I told her that you wouldn't force me to marry her." Marina took a deep breath, gawking at her father's rocky expression. Just rip the bandaid off. "I told her I didn't want to move to Pennsylvania."

"Hold on, Mari. If you.... rejected her—which I can't believe you did without talking to me first—then why has Swift continued to come here everyday?"

She looked down at her feet. "She's dating me," she said, muffled.

"I'm not as young as I used to be, girl, so speak louder!"

"She's taking me on dates," she said, her voice louder. "She's 'dating' me. That's what she says, anyway."

Her father's lips jerked.

"Are you laughing at me, Dad?"

"Right now, yes, I am." He sat back in his chair, an infrequent smile on his face, making him seem lighter. "Just be aware that Taylor Swift is not like her father."

That made Marina freeze, and she went back to her chair. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, no, no, no. You've kept me out of this whole thing, and you can keep it that way. All I meant was that she doesn't do anything in jest, sweetheart. She hasn't come to be where she is by accident."

Glowering, Marina leaned forward. "Dad, 'where' is she, and how do you know about it? You haven't even said her name in the past year."

Her father chuckled. "Let's just say that I've paid attention to her career over the years. I've spoken to her." He opened a book on his desk. "Now, I have work to do."

"You aren't very helpful."

"It's not like you have been either. You should have communicated with me more before you turned her down."

Still glowering, Marina left his office and went to the living room. She was expecting her father to be angry with her when he asked her to come to his office and talk about Taylor Swift. The Pennsylvannian, who apparently had some secrets.

She'd barely gotten to open her book when she heard someone knock on the door. "Come in," she called, smoothing her dress and trying to pretend her heart wasn't racing. Taylor had come to see her everyday, and there was an ice skating party that afternoon.

Her mother entered. "Marina, Liam Lodge is here to see if you're home."

"Liam? Tell him I'm here." She'd barely thought of Liam in almost a week, only to cancel the museum visit he planned.

He entered, removing snow from his blonde hair. "Marina," he said with a smile, walking forward to hug her, "I'm happy you're home."

"Yes. I've been pretty busy the past few days."

"Taken is more like it," Liam restored. "May I have a seat?"

"Of course."

He sat down in one of the chairs, and Marina sat across from him on the couch. She'd known him since she was eighteen years old, and as she thought about it, he'd always been available for her when she needed company.

"Are you going to the Peterka skating party?" he asked.

"I was invited. I'm not sure yet whether I—"

"You mean to tell me Swift hasn't asked you to go with her yet."

"Liam, I have to spend a certain amount of time with her."