I had the best night of sleep since I’d started college.
The next afternoon, after classes finished for me, Daddy picked me up from the Main Hall. Nerves made me slam my door too hard, which didn’t help the tension radiating from him before I’d even stepped in. He was upset, and I hadn’t even brought up the money yet.
“Hey, Daddy.” I kissed his cheek and settled into the passenger seat. He was in his typical black T-shirt and dark jeans. I ignored the anxiety threatening to crest and asked, “Are you okay?”
He gave me a gruff, “Yeah,” before pressing a kiss to my temple. “Better now that I’ve got you here.”
His tone was softer than his body language suggested. His jaw remained tight, his grip on the wheel just shy of white-knuckled. But he relaxed slightly once we both clicked our seatbelts.
“Surprised you wanted me to pick you up for the weekend,” he said, backing out of the lot. His voice carried careful weight, testing. “Is everything okay?”
The question held more than concern about school.
Daddy was asking how I was adjusting to being so recently reborn—just like he had been over a decade ago. While I hadn’t shared anydetails with him of how awful my first life had been, he knew I carried the dual memories from two wildly different lives with me.
And because he wasn’t an idiot, he knew that one set of those memories was pretty traumatic.
“Violet?”
I remembered he’d asked me a question and was waiting for a response. “Everything is fine. Classes are easy thus far. Nothing exciting to report.”
“You sure?” he pressed. Daddy was overly protective and trusted few people, so I knew he was always worried. He was a man who loved hard, clung harder, and feared losing his family to something he couldn’t fight.
I pasted on a soft smile, gentle enough to ease him back. “I’m sure. I’m okay, Daddy. Thanks for checking.” My throat burned with the lie, so I cleared it and turned to watch trees blur past the window.
We rode mostly in silence away from Shademore, away from Atlanta, back north towards the quiet and rural woodlands of my youth—back towards home.
After a while, I asked, “How’s Uncle Charlie and his hellspawn son?”
Daddy snorted as we turned down the road towards the house. “Hellspawn indeed. They’re fine. Sorry Rowan answered my phone the other day instead of me.”
“It’s fine. He’s just. . .Rowan.”
Daddy laughed. “Yeah, that’s a word for him.”
Uncle Charlie had been in our family’s life since I was nine, and his presence had always been a calm and welcoming one. After he’d adopted Rowan, the two of them spent most of their time at the Shaw household. It didn’t take long for us to become a two-family unit, more often together than apart.
I already knew the answer, but I asked the question anyway. “Is Mom working this weekend?”
Daddy chuckled, low and amused. “Not when she heard you wanted to come home. She’s invited everyone over for a barbecue.” He glanced sideways, catching my reaction. “I hope that’s okay?”
I hummed, more to myself than him.Of course, it isn’t okay. A full house meant no space, no privacy, no easy way to discuss money withoutevery ear perking up. Still, I forced my lips into something resembling pleasure.
“I guess it will have to be. Can we drive by the barn first, please? Check on things?”
He arched his brow, but nodded. “Sure. Most everything’s been squared away, but we can check.”
We drove in silence after that, filled with things I didn’t want to say and questions he wanted to ask but couldn’t force out.
Gravel popped under the tires as he turned towards the barn. The building rose against the forest backdrop like something from a postcard: majestic, weathered red wood catching late sunlight. I climbed out, stretching, breathing air that hit sharper here, clean and grounding in a way campus never was.
“I got to ride Hyacinth yesterday,” I said, unable to keep the smile off my lips.
“Oh, yeah?” His voice warmed. “How’s that hellbeast handling school accommodations?”
I laughed. “It shows in his flanks.”
“I’ve never known a more gluttonous animal,” Daddy said. “Make sure you remind that stablemaster to stay mindful of Hyacinth’s diet, or else you’re going to be waddling instead of galloping.”
