"Complicated."
"Yeah." I swallow hard, tears stinging my eyes. "I thought I could let the building go, but then I fell in love with Lincoln, Dad. I'm afraid that this whole building situation is going to ruin what's between us."
"You wouldn't let that happen, Lilah," Dad says softly. "You've always been slow to trust, but once you let someone in, they're in for life. You love with your whole heart and can forgive damn near anything, just like your mom. If he were to take the building, you'd forgive it. It might hurt for a while, but you wouldn't let it ruin something that matters to you. You weren't built that way."
"Maybe not," I whisper, praying that he's right. But I'm fucking scared that I'm going to screw this all up and cost myself everything.
"Whatever his bid is, we'll match it."
"That's not fair to you. You've already given us so much."
His gruff laugh squeezes my heart in a vise. "You think I wouldn't give every dime to make you kids happy, baby girl? I can't take a goddam cent with me when I die. I'd rather you spend it on the things that matter to you than for it to sit there, collecting interest that'll never matter a single fucking bit more to me than you girls, your brothers, and your mom do."
"Dad," I whisper, my throat raw.
"I'm your dad, Lilah. It's my job to help support your dreams. Whatever the bid is, we'll match it. You're keeping your building."
"Thank you," I whisper. "I'll find a way to pay you back."
"The hell you will," he growls. "You'll take the money, and paying me back won't ever cross your mind again. That's what I want from you."
"But—"
"No buts. Those are my stipulations." He pauses. "And I want to meet your Lincoln."
"I want you to meet him." I bite my lip, suddenly worried. My dad is overprotective on a good day. He'll give Lincoln hell. "But you have to be nice, Dad. I'm grown now. I can torture him myself if he makes me sad or breaks my heart. I just need you to give him a chance, okay?"
"He means that much to you, huh?"
"Yes."
"Then let's buy this building so you can bring the man to see me," he says.
"Will you be nice?" I ask, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Just bring him to meet me, Lilah Jean."
"Dad!" I cry, not missing the way he refuses to answer me. I know damn well that means he doesn't plan to be nice. He'll threaten Lincoln, put him through the wringer, and then do it again, just for fun. Honestly, my dad is a menace. And I have two brothers who will gladly help him.
"Lilah," he says, mimicking my tone.
"You're impossible, you know that?"
"Your mom may have told me that a time or two," he says, a smile in his voice. "Just bring him, Lilah. I won't kill him if he's worthy of you."
"He is," I whisper, absolute conviction in my voice.
"You want to talk to your mom?" he asks.
I hesitate because, yes, I always want to talk to my mom. "I'll call her in the morning," I decide, looking around at everything I still need to do here. "I need to finish closing up the store for the night."
"Send me the info on the bid, and I'll draw up the paperwork. We'll get it submitted by the end of the week so you can stop stressing about it." he murmurs. "I love you."
"I love you too." I swallow hard. "Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me, baby girl. All you have to do is live your life. That's all the thanks your mom and I need."
I blink away tears, my grip tight around the phone. My parents are the best. They really are. I think that's why I hate relying on them so much. They've always been there, willing to sacrifice anything for us. I want to make them proud and prove that everything they did for us wasn't for nothing.
