“That’s not what I meant, and you know it. You’re always welcome here.” I lean forward, trying to catch his gaze. “But I can see something’s on your mind. The sooner you tell me, the sooner I’m showered and eating Fruit Loops on my couch.”
That earns me a chuckle, but still, he doesn’t look up.
My dad has never been one to dance around words. He’s a straightforward, no-bullshit man, often without a filter, or maybe he just doesn’t care enough to have one. Which makes his hesitation now unnerving.
Without thinking, I reach for the ring around my neck, thumb brushing the signet face, the Ares emblem. To the world and to the organization that once claimed him as one of their best, Derek Cain is a ruthless and dangerous former assassin.
But to me, he’s just my dad. The most important man in my life.
“Vali,” he finally says, his tone gentle. “Be careful.”
“Be…careful?”
He exhales heavily. “I know you’re not a little girl anymore. But you’ll always bemygirl.”
“I know that.” I reach for his hand, and he sandwiches mine between his. The emotion in his voice burns a lump in my throat.
“And I can’t stop you from making certain choices…at least not any that won’t get me into trouble with your mom,” he adds with a hollow laugh.
“What’s this about?” I ask, though deep down I already know. His showing up this late, the way he’s circling the truth. It has Maksim written all over it. But I need to hear him say it. Need to understand his why.
“Maksim has a lot of ghosts, baby. And he’s made even more enemies. I don’t want you caught up in that shit.”
“Maksim is family.”
My dad’s blue eyes cut into me. “You know he’s not.”
“That’s not fair.” I push to my feet, ignoring the stab of pain. “What do you have against him? What happened with his father wasn’t his fault. He was just a boy.”
My voice trembles, betraying me. Maksim’s past claws its way to the surface—the abuse, the blood, the life carved into him by violence. Atrocities my father set into motion. And still, after all these years, he refuses to let go of this stupid grudge.
“None of that matters to me. You think I’m that unreasonable?”
“Then what is it? You came here to tell me to be careful of Maksim.”
He stands. “Because he’s not good for you.”
A bitter laugh escapes me. “Unbelievable. For one, Maksim and I are just friends, making up for lost time. And two, I don’t really think you’re in any position to judge.”
The words sting even as they leave my mouth. I love my father with everything I have, and I never want him to think I see him as anything less than the man I admire most, despite his past. But I can’t just sit here and let him dictate my choices.
He hadn’t liked Cole either, but that was different. Back then, it was as if he already knew our time was doomed to burn out. Aside from the occasional death glare, he’d kept his distance.
Does he sense something different in Maksim?
When our eyes meet, I see the hurt there, and it kills me.
“Papi,” I murmur, squeezing his hand. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
He offers me a fragile smile and pulls me in. “I know.”
I press closer, nuzzling against him and whisper, “Te quiero.”
I like to think he learned Spanish because of me. It was our thing when I was a little girl. I’d read and speak to him in Spanish, quiz him every night, and only laughed at his accent when he wasn’t around. The memory tugs a smile from me.
His chest rumbles with a soft laugh, like he’s dipping into my thoughts too, and his arms tighten around me. “I love you, too. Always.”
Mom told me how distraught he’d been after my accident, restless with what-ifs. Maybe it was all finally coming to a head.
