"What happened?"
"I was going to ask you the same, Dad. He's not there."
"Fuck."
"How trustworthy is your source?"
"Don't question me," Dad snarls. "I'll look into it though."
I'm about to hang up when he speaks again. "How's your sister?"
I almost drop the phone. But I take a breath. "Still in shock, a little." She isn't. She's resilient as fuck. "But she's okay, otherwise." Then I swallow and offer the olive branch. "You can come and see her if you'd like."
"I'm too busy."
I press my lips together, my head starting to pound.
Excuses. Like always. Same old every fucking time.
Dad has never had time to be a father to Lyndall, so why start now?
When I hang up, I gaze up the stairs.
I haven't seen Lola since the midnight visit and going down on her, playing into our Alex fantasy.
But I don't go there. Instead, I head for my suite.
I'm not up for another fight right now, and I'm sure she's itching for one.
Fighting with her can be...enticing, energizing, but right now I don't have the energy.
Shit, maybe sex can assuage this deep-rooted anger but won't get rid of it completely.
And maybe some of it is directed at myself, because while my excuses make sense and what I did all came from a good place, maybe I'm mad at myself, too.
What I did was, on some level, unforgivable, regardless of my intentions.
Worse.
What do I do if she can never get past it? Is there any point in trying?
But I don't think I'll be able to help myself.
Lola is...special.
And my life will feel empty without Lola in it.
I have to win her over, make her see it from my point of view. Because her not forgiving me isn't an option.
I'm going to have to wait as long as I need to.
Chapter Nine
LOLA
I'm not goingto bang on the door. I'm not.
Even though a part of me wants to.
