I couldn’t say I was sad to see him go but I was upset and worried for Ariel. She’d come here wanting answers from him and all she’d gotten was more bullshit and head games.
When was enough going to be enough for our girl here?
“Quinton was wrong to send you here without me,” Rain said in a gentle voice to his daughter.
She shook her head and looked down at her boots. “I’m a big girl, dad. I make my own decisions. This had nothing to do with Quinton.”
That wasn’t entirely true because it had all been Quinton’s decision. But I kept my mouth shut because there was a time and a place for everything and now was neither.
“Did you find what you were looking for?”
She shook her head again and she looked so dejected my heart broke for her.
“That’s because you’re looking for something no one can give you, baby girl. It’s horrible and I hate it for you, but it’s just a fact of your life that you need to come to terms with. And the sooner the better, Ariel, because you can’t keep chasing after something that’s not there.”
“Now hold on a goddamn second, Rain.” Simon stepped up next to Ariel and wrapped her up in his arms. “It’s not over for her yet. That man could still hold the answers that she’s looking for, even if it is to find she needs to close this chapter in her life. She’s not wrong for seeking answers and she’s not wrong for coming here without you.”
Simon’s right, dammit.
Rain opened his mouth, but I spoke, cutting him off. “They’re both right and you’re only going to argue with them because she’s your daughter and you care about her. That’s understandable, but you need to remember she’s an adult nowand gets to make her own decisions. And you need to respect them and her for it.”
Rain turned his glare on me but I didn’t shrink under it. I respected the man more than anyone else, but when it came to Ariel and my brother I wasn’t about to back down.
And if anyone ought to respect me for it it should be Rain.
He kept his mouth shut and didn’t try to argue with me. I’d accept that from him because he had to be feeling a lot at the moment too.
“I’ll ride back to the cabin with you guys and we’ll see if we can get you guys set up with one near ours. I’ll also show you the storage unit. Simon is going to take Ariel back to the cabin to regroup and figure out what’s the next step we’re going to take. Now that we have a plan let’s get the fuck out of here.”
I’m relieved when no one argues with me. I hadn’t expected Ariel to because I was taking her back on this a hundred percent. And I’d just finally made that known. But I expected Rain to argue with me or tell me he was in charge here and I needed to shut the fuck up.
I didn’t know what was scarier, the dead look in Ariel’s eyes or the fact that Rain was taking orders from me.
Whatever, I didn’t put too much thought into it.
It looked like I was in charge right now and I needed to get shit done.
15
Magic Vagina
Ariel
The man wasn’t going to be able to give me what I wanted. I knew that was going to happen. Deep down, I knew it, but disappointment was still a horrible bitch.
A horrible bitch I was all too familiar with, if my track record was anything to go by.
“Trenton was going to throw down with your dad,” Simon said in a voice full of awe. “One little taste of you and he’s ready to rumble. You got a magic vagina, babe.”
I gaped at him. “Don’t ever say that in front of my dad. Please. Dear god.”
He laughed and I might have smacked him in the arm if he wasn’t behind the wheel and driving at the moment. But I could hold a mean grudge and I would absolutely save it for later.
“I’m not stupid.” he grabbed my hand and threaded his fingers through mine. “It’s nobody’s business and I hope youknow I’m joking. That has nothing to do with why Trenton took your back with Rain. It’s our job to have your back, but it’s also more than that. It might just be because of who you are. It might have started because you own a piece of our souls. Either way, it doesn’t matter because it’s there and it’ll never go anywhere. That might be the most unromantic thing that I ever say to you but it’s the honest truth and you can always expect the truth out of me.”
I squeezed his hand. “I know, Simon. That connection goes both ways here. You both own a piece of my soul too and I feel it just the same as you do. It’s there. It isn’t going anywhere. At first it scared me because I didn’t choose this and my choices in my life are very important to me because I’ve had them taken away from me for the majority of it. But I also know that’s not fair to say to you because neither of you chose this or me either.”
He’s quiet for a second, thoughtful. “I know some people wouldn’t understand or maybe even be resentful. I’m thankful you’ve never shown either because neither Trenton or myself chose you in particular either. But we did grow up expecting it and we were always hopeful we’d find you some day. And we got lucky that we did. You might be the absolute biggest, most stubborn pain in the ass ever, but you’re definitely worth it.”
