He nodded. “I went back to my place and was going insane. So I called your father.”
“My dad?” I grabbed for the cake, picking at it as my stomach rolled. “Why?”
“Because I wanted his advice.” He took a drink. “Believe it out not…I don’t have a lot of friends.”
I nearly snorted wine through my nose. I coughed. “You don’t say?”
He laughed, but then his smile fell. “I called because I wanted him to tell me it was okay if I chose you instead of waiting for my mate.” He grabbed the bottle of wine and just took a sip from the bottle. “You can guess how well that turned out.” He snorted.
“What did he say?” My words were soft.
“He said that we had to play this smart, and getting together at that point would have put a target on your back. Vince, Brandon, they wouldn’t have touched you with a ten-foot pole. And your dad needed you to get close to them.” He took a longer pull from the bottle. “He told me to create space between us. That he would explain it all when the time came, but for our plans to play out, I needed to leave you alone.”
My heart cracked open. “Your letter said you and him made the plans…but I didn’t know he told you that.”
“You read the letters?” He looked a little lost.
I nodded. “When I found out about them…a few days ago.” I grabbed a bottle of my own and popped the cork. Might as well. “Before that, I was kept in the dark. You had just left me, and then you ignored me.”
“Ignored you?” He shook his head. “I never ignored you. I called, I emailed. You didn’t answer. So when your dad came to me about helping you…I created Thoth.” He emptied the rest of the bottle. “Not like it mattered.”
I growled. “Not that it mattered?” I slapped a hand on my chest. “It mattered to me.”
“You ignored me!” He screamed back. “I was drowning without you and you ignored me.”
I stood up. “I never fucking ignored you. You ignored me.” I screamed the last part as everything came rushing back. “You fucking left me when I needed you the most and then you wouldn’t answer my calls, my texts. Nothing. I FUCKING LOVED YOU AND YOU LEFT ME!”
He stared at me with his mouth slightly opened. “I messaged you Amy. I emailed you, I called. But I was blocked.” He pulled out his phone and placed it on the table. He clicked the contacts and clicked my name. I pulled my phone out and waited.
“The customer you have called is unavailable.” My eyebrows shot up.
“That’s not right.” I put my phone down. “We spoke when I was getting fixed up in the hospital.”
He nodded. “You called my office line, not my cell phone.” He sighed. “It’s a desk phone I check every day. I could still call you from that number…” He looked at me with a pained expression. “But it’s not secure, and what I wanted to talk to you about was personal.” He looked away. “But.” He waved his hand at his phone. “You blocked me.”
“But I didn’t.” I pulled up my block list, which was empty, and showed it to him. “See.” I then scrolled to his number and hit call.
“The customer you have called is unavailable.” The same voice rang out, and I raised my eyebrow.
“You blocked me.” He shook his head and did the same as me. He pulled up his block list, and it was also empty. “How the fuck?” There was a soft click and my door swung open. My father walked in with a sheepish look, holding his phone in his hand.
Chapter Nineteen
Ifelt my stomach drop. “Daddy?” My voice sounded small to me.
“You tell the truth, Gav, or I swear.” My mother’s angry voice rang out from his phone.
“Mom?” I looked at my dad. “Why are you here?” My father wouldn’t look me in my eyes. “What did you do this time?”
My mother scoffed. “Your father likes to play puppet master. What do you think he did?”
“Hey now.” He furrowed his brows.
“Gavin!” my mom yelled.
“Daddy?” I tilted my head, and Rowan stood from his chair, hand still clutching the bottle of wine.
My dad started to pace a little. “Look. Don’t get mad.” My stomach rolled. The food in my stomach now feeling like it was bubbling back up.
