My hand slaps the water. “Fuck him!” I yell.
She's been through so much these past few weeks. I've tried my best to protect her, but the one person who intruded on her life was my own father. She means everything to me; I will fix this. Whatever it takes.
The thought propels me out of the water, to dry off, and back to my bed. Tomorrow’s going to be a busy day, so I need to at least try to sleep. With one more look at my phone, I see she at least read my text message. That’s all I need…hope.
After tossing and turning all night, I roll out of bed. I glance at the time on my phone; it’s 5:44. Perfect, I’ll grab coffee for Kendall and Gram, make a delivery, and then head to Gram's. Thankfully, it’s not too early to show up at Gram’s, so I call her on my way to the coffeehouse.
“Hello, dear.”
“Good morning, Gram.”
“It’s early for you to be calling. Everything okay?”
“I’m going to come over for breakfast.”
“This sounds serious. I’ll start breakfast and see you when you get here.”
“Thanks, Gram.”
I hang up the phone, step into the coffeehouse, and order. When my name is called, I collect all the coffees and drive to Kendall’s.
After arguing with myself all the way to her house, I decide to leave her coffee and cinnamon rolls at her front door and text her.
Dane:
Left you something at your front door with a note.
You mean the world to me. I promise to treat you well, care for you, and protect you. Don’t withdraw from me. I know you need time, and I respect that. I will hold to it as best as I can, without losing my mind. I don’t know what the future holds, but I hope it includes us living happily ever after as soulmates.
With everything that I am,
-Dane
I walk slowly back to my car, hoping to catch a glimpse of her, but there's no response, and the door stays shut.
I drive straight to Gram’s. When I walk through her door, the smell of bacon and coffee tickles my nose. My stomach grumbles. I follow the smell, but she still yells, “In the kitchen.”
My Gram’s house is like walking back in time. Wallpaper on the living room walls, the furniture that is in pristine condition, like no one ever sits on it.They don’t.She has a recliner with a special blanket on it, where she sits to watch her shows or read her books.
She finishes cooking, and we sit at the table. A big sigh comes flying out of my mouth. I don’t hold back. “Dad went to see Kendall.” I continue to tell her exactly what happened. Stabbingat my eggs like they offended me, my fork drops out of my hand, and it clanks on my plate.
“Kendall needs some time?” Gram asks, her voice carefully neutral.
“Yeah. I didn’t want to give it to her. But there was no way she was going to allow me to stay with her. She said she needed space to think and process everything. But Gram, it hurts like hell.”
“You care about her.” It comes out as a statement. Gram taps my hand that’s resting on the table.
My head is turned down as I move my eggs around, but I'm not actually eating them. “Gram…I’m in love with her. She found me—we found each other, and I never want to let her go. I see a future with her. A future of me spoiling and supporting her in every way possible.”
“I had a feeling you two would hit it off. But to hear you say you love her after a short period of time…”
“Gram, she fits with me. Her ambition matches mine; I’m consumed by her. There’s never a time when I’m not thinking about her. Yes, it hasn’t been that long. But like you said, Gram, when you know, you know. And once I spent time with her, she was for me.” My smile widens as I think about her again.
“Your dad has been burned by your mom. He’s probably trying to protect you from the hurt he endured with all the cheating, and she took advantage of him. But that’s no excuse for what he did. Dane, if you explain to him how you are feeling, maybe he’ll understand.”
“Ugh, I think he overheard me talking with Logan. It’s the only possibility that makes sense. I was talking about her being the one. However, I also mentioned that she was upset with me about something related to her stalker and that she was disappointed about my having to go to work. Otherwise, he’d never have found out about her, not yet anyway.”
“It’s time to have a frank conversation with him. Threatening her reputation, accusing her of things she didn’t do, and trying to pay her off. He might need more help than I thought. Start with a conversation, but you might need to lay it on the line for him to see you’re serious. If she really is the one…then you need her to feel comfortable with the family.”
