“Good because I need your full cooperation.”
Samari smiled because his words were promising, but the look attached to them was a guarantee. One she was beginning to depend on as her new normal.
“Where were you today?” Samari asked, shifting her eyes to Asao who had his on the road. After he glanced her way quickly, she added. “Dom asked when you got back, which means you were somewhere other than here?”
He was aware that she’d added the last part as a way of clarifying she was only questioning him because the information was openly shared. The clarification wasn’t necessary, which he made clear.
“You don’t need permission to know what’s going on in my life.” His gaze met hers briefly. “I drove to Druid County.”
“To see your dad?” Although Asao hadn’t mentioned where his father was serving time, she assumed, based on the popularity of inmates transferred to Druid from Crescent Falls, that was his reason for the drive. Their facility was larger and distant from the city.
“Yeah, he asked me to drive up.”
“Everything okay?” Her brows pinched with concern. Their conversation about his father had been limited but she sensed the two were close.
“Yeah, better than I expected. He’s getting out in two weeks.”
A smile blossomed on Samari’s face. “That’s good, right?”
“Hell yeah. Been a long time coming. I’ve been counting down but honestly I wasn’t expecting to get that news. He had six months left on his sentence but got time reduced because ofa mentoring program he’s in. I’m happy as fuck. He gets to come home but he’s stressing.”
Asao recalled the discussion they’d shared about his mother. Years had passed and so many things had changed. His father had left behind the woman he loved and a ten year old son and was returning to a thirty-three year old man. The biggest concern for Leedren was returning to a wife he still loved who he feared might not feel the same because he’d shut her out.
“Why is he stressing?” Samari placed her hand over Asao’s which still rested on her thigh. She linked her fingers with his, providing support. He appreciated that she cared.
“He refused to talk to my mother. The last time he saw her was at sentencing. That was also the last time they’ve talked outside of the letters he writes to her once a month.”
“She doesn’t write him back?”
Asao shook his head. “Nah, not that I know of, but if she did, she never sent them.”
“Why not?”
“He refused to let her do the time with him. He needed the separation to keep his head level. No calls, no visits, no contact.”
Samari frowned. “But you talked to him?”
“Yeah.” Asao nodded. “I never understood why when I was a kid, but it makes sense now. Everybody is different. Some people need the connection and some can’t handle it because the reminders make it hard to survive the time. He cut her off and now he’s worried she won’t let him back in.”
Samari’s brows pinched. “Will she?”
“I don’t know what’s in her head but I know she loves him. Her life was on pause when he got locked down. She never dealt with anyone else, but she also never divorced him. She never broke him down to me as a kid. She always praised the man he was with love and respect.”
“Twenty years, right?”
“Twenty-three.” He turned his eyes on her.
“That’s a long time.”
“Yeah it is. I respect my father’s decision, because had that been me, I would have done the same.”
“But what if I refused to let you?”
“I don’t plan on doing a bid, but if that were the case, it wouldn’t be about you letting me. The decision would be mine to make.”
“You would leave me?”
“I would set you free. Two very different things, and considering how fucking selfish I am, that’s love, Mari.” He turned his eyes on her again and smiled arrogantly. “Now let’s talk about how you’re trying to do a bid with me?”
