“I’ll get you some water,” she said once he was seated. She turned toward the fridge and grabbed a bottle, using the moment away from her dad to pull herself together. His diagnosis wasn’t about her. He needed her to be strong.
Once the lid was uncapped, she turned and set it in front of him. There was a tremor in his hand as he lifted it. Her father looked into her eyes once the bottle was down…like,reallylooked at her.
“It’s okay to not be okay with what’s happening to me, Callie.”
She blew out a long sigh of air. “I want to be okay for you.”
“I know you do, honey. But I’ve accepted my diagnosis. And I’m choosing to focus on the good.You’remy good. The years I’ve had with you. The years that are still to come.”
She slipped her hand into his. “You’re my only family.”
“I don’t know if that’s going to be true for long.”
“What do you mean?”
“Lockis your family too. And his family will become your family. And you’ll eventually start one of your own.”
A family of her own…maybe with babies. She swallowed the lump in her throat, because the idea scared the crap out of her. “We’ve just started dating again. I’m trying not to look too far into the future.”
“That’s fair enough, but I want you to promise me something.”
“Anything.”
“Don’t shy away from building a life after your loss.”
Her heartbeat did one of those little stumbles. That was her dad…always seeing her fears even when she hadn’t voiced them. “I’ll do the best I can.”
“That’s all we can do. And just so you know,youare the best thing that I ever did. So I’m all for creating family.”
“And you’re the best thing to happen to me.” She wrapped her arms around her father’s shoulders. “I love you, Dad.”
“I love you too, honey.”
She stayed for an hour. Talking to her dad. Being told off for attempting to cook and clean.
When it was time to go, it was too soon. But she had to make a quick stop at the studio to pick up her laptop to do some admin, and she’d promised Lock she’d be home before dark. If she was going to keep that promise, she had to leave now.
On the way to the studio, she checked her rearview mirror a million and one times, but there was never anyone there.
Yeah, because no one was following her, and no onehad beenfollowing her. She was just losing her mind.
She’d just climbed out of her car in front of the studio when her phone rang. Lock. “Hey.”
“Are you almost home?”
“I just pulled up at the studio. I’ll grab my laptop and come home.”
“Callie, I told you I’d pick up what you need if you left your dad’s too late.”
“It’s not late.” She jogged across the street and took out her key. “I’ll be home in two seconds. I just need—”
Something shoved her into the studio door, and she cried out in shock and pain. The phone fell from her fingers, the hard body behind her close. Way too close.
“It was one of your friends, wasn’t it?” a male voice snarled.
She tried to breathe, but fear tightened her throat. “What?”
He yanked her head back, then slammed it against the glass. Pain whipped through her.
