“What?” I asked breathlessly.
“Do you like it?” he asked.
My lower lip quivered. “Ghost, I love it. Thank you so fucking much.”
He cupped my face in his hands. “Just to let you know, that termination email is nothing more than?—”
I nodded and cut him off. “Ranger told me it was just them covering their tracks in case I tried to pop up and sue them for something.”
He smoothed his thumbs along my cheeks. “Did you confront your father after you figured out he was taking out credit cards in your name?”
My brain came to a grinding halt. “What?”
I tried to move away, but he held me firm in his grasp. “Just answer, Jaz. It’s not a bad question. You’re not a bad person.”
“I know I’m not,” I said, my voice a bit weaker than I wished.
He dropped a masked kiss on my forehead. “Did you confront him after you tried buying that car and figured things out?”
I sniffled. “No.”
He pulled me into another embrace and settled his chin on top of my head. “Why not?”
I just slowly shrugged. “Because my father’s had a shitty life. Lost the love of his life when she gave birth to me. The V.A. screwed him over every chance they got.”
“Your father’s a vet?”
I nodded softly, pressing further into his body to seek out his warmth and comfort. “They did nothing but fuck him over, all the while telling him he didn’t have shit when he knew he had it. He got desperate, and I know that’s why he took out the credit cards. It wasn’t all booze, either. Not when I backtracked through the statements as I was able to gain control of the accounts. Sometimes it was bills for therapy. Other times, bills for groceries we couldn’t afford otherwise.”
I blubbered by the time I was done explaining, but he was so patient with me. Ghost, this gruff, rough, gravely veteran who never showed his face held me like I was the most precious thing in the world.
I was only barely aware of him laying the two of us down in bed as I cried against him.
“You’re okay,” he whispered softly as he pulled the covers over us, “I’m right here.”
My chest jumped with my sobs. “But I just can’t… leave him. You know? He’s… he’s my dad. He… did his best, you know? Raising me. S—ingle father a-a-and… everything.”
“Ssshh, sh, sh, sh, sh,” he shushed softly as his hands mindlessly slid up and down my back.
My side.
Through my hair.
Anything to get me to calm down.
“A-a-a—and now, h—he’s got… liver damage. A-a-and… the beginning stages of… dementia. And all of this is happening. And I’m not close to him. And I just—oh God, thank you for the camera-a-aaaaas.”
I knew it was hypocritical, thanking him for the one thing I chastised him for. But knowing I’d have eyes on my father whenever I wanted them brought me such relief.
Is that what he felt when putting those cameras up in my place?
A sort of relief?
My emotions ran away from me. “I wish I could see your smile just once. I bet it’s a beautiful smile. You deserve so much, just like my father. You deserve the world, not to hide away from it. And your eyes light up every time you smile. I know you smile under that mask. And I bet it’s?—”
“Jasmine.”
“—a wondrous smile. It ignites your eyes, I hope you know?—”
