Ready For You (34 page)

This was not my day—at all.
 

They all stared up at me expectantly.

“Well, just talk among yourselves!” I said, waving my hands.
 

I walked into the kitchen for a breather. I heard Liv and Mia continue their earlier conversation about going to the farmers’ market next week, and Clare joined in that she wanted to go as well.
 

Declan followed me into the kitchen, grabbing a couple of more cookies. He said, “It’s for the kids,” and then he turned as he was about to walk back out. “Hey, man, you okay? You seem a bit tense.”

I turned around, and he must have read something in my expression. Maybe it was because he’d been in my shoes before because his eyes suddenly went wide.

“Oh! You’re gonna…oh! Here? Okay. Shit. And we keep interrupting. Yeah, that sucks. Okay, uh…I’ll go make Leah hurry up.”
 

He dashed out of the kitchen, and within a few moments, Leah was flying back into the living room, flashing me a huge grin as she found her seat. I took a deep breath and came back into the room.
 

“Okay, so what I was saying was, Mia and I really appreciate each and every one of you, which is why I wanted all of you to be here.”
 

I hadn’t even turned to her. My hand had barely made a single twitch to move to my pocket when Logan’s cell phone went off.
 

“Motherfucker,” I cursed under my breath.
 

And now, I was cursing in front of my widowed mother.
 

Awesome day.

“Sorry! I’ve got to take this. It’s the hospital.”
 

I waved him off, and he dashed into the office for privacy. Two minutes later, he returned. He broke the news that there was an emergency at the hospital, and he’d been called in. Clare rushed into action and offered to drive him. Within minutes, they’d kissed everyone and rushed out the door with the kids. Mostly everyone followed their leave, and soon, Mia and I were left with Declan and Leah, who are both dragging their feet.
 

Leah gave me an apologetic hug as I shook my head.

“It’s okay,” I whispered in her ear. “There’s always the Super Bowl.”

~Mia~

I bent down and picked up the pillow off the floor. I placed it back on the couch, fluffing it as I did. Next, I refolded the blanket the kids had pulled down to make a fort in the dining room, and I draped it over the arm of the chair. Stepping back, I admired our cozy little living room. Looking back, I remembered what it looked like when I’d first moved in—a couch covered in plastic and a pile of wood flooring. Now, it was warm and inviting and more than I could have ever imagined. I’d never imagined this house becoming my home in so many ways.
 

I’d bought it as my huge step out on my own. I’d thought I needed to be on my own to find myself. It had turned out that I wasn’t searching for myself. I had been searching, reaching, and clawing my way back to Garrett. There were pieces of myself I still had yet to discover, but I hadn’t done it alone. Coming back here to this house, this city, and this man had helped make all of that possible. I was whole again because he helped make it possible.
 

I no longer dwelled in the past, afraid of my future. I had no idea what our future would bring, but that was part of life, wasn’t it? The great unknown. I knew there would be more tears, more struggles, and more heartache. But with them, there would also be tears of joy, happiness, and love. Life was a balancing act. Sometimes, there were moments that tipped the scales, and we found ourselves walking in shadows, but as long as we had those who loved us, we’d always find the light again.
 

“What are you thinking about?” Garrett asked against my ear as his arms wrapped around my waist.
 

“How wonderful you are,” I said with a grin as I snuggled up against his warm body.
 

“Mmm…is that so? I think you should show me.”
 

His hands tightened around my waist, and he spun me around until we were face-to-face. His eyes glimmered, and his mouth was curved into a wicked grin.

“Oh, yeah? And how exactly would I do that?” I asked, feigning innocence. I might have batted my eyelashes for effect.
 

His hands went to the hem of my dress, and he started to pull it up, higher and higher, until my black thigh-highs were exposed.
 

“Fuck, it’s a really good thing I didn’t know about these when my mother was here.”
 

A giggle escaped my lips. “That would have not happened while your mother was in the house!”
 

He gave me a dubious look. “Do you not remember the many study sessions in my room or that time in the garage when my parents were inside making dinner?”

My cheeks instantly heated at the memory. He always had been a bit of a daredevil.

“Okay, point taken. But we’re older now and responsible!” I added.
 

“Mmm…challenge accepted,” he purred in my ear as he curled his palm around my backside.

“You’re seriously deranged.”

“That’s why you love me,” he said.
 

His lips met mine, and his hand slid up my thigh and over the lacy edge of my thigh-high. He pulled my leg around his waist. He lifted me and carried me over to the couch, and as my head hit the freshly fluffed pillow, the doorbell rang.
 

“Seriously? I just can’t catch a break today!” Garrett cursed, causing me to snort out a laugh.
 

I stood, adjusting my dress and smoothing out the wrinkles, and I walked the short distance to the front door.
 

“It’s probably Leah or Liv. They must have forgotten something,” I suggested.
 

I looked around for any missing toys or Tupperware. I didn’t see anything, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t anything lurking around. There were tons of hiding places.
 

As I pulled open the door, a gasp escaped my lips, and I froze. There, standing before me, was someone I hadn’t seen in years, someone I hadn’t expected to see again.

“Dad!” I exclaimed as Garrett’s hand curled around me.
 

He didn’t look anything like the man I remembered. Standing before me was someone I would have never recognized as my father if I happened to pass by him on the street or in a congested crowd.
 

He was dressed down, wearing jeans and a black button-down shirt. He still looked put together and handsome, but I couldn’t get over the jeans. Never in my life had I ever seen my father in denim. My mother would have had a stroke.

“What are you doing here?” I asked. I was still completely bewildered by not only his physical appearance but by his mere presence alone. I hadn’t even known he knew where I lived.

“Are you going to invite me in?” he asked with a slight grin. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he rocked back on his heels in what appeared to be a nervous gesture.
 

“Oh, of course. Please, come in. Would you like some coffee? Dessert maybe?” I offered awkwardly.
 

Maybe you’d like to explain why you are standing in my foyer after eight years of silence?

He politely declined, and I took note that his impeccable manners hadn’t diminished over the years. He’d always carried himself well even if he was on the quiet side.
 

“You remember Garrett, don’t you, father?” I said, nearly choking on the rusty paternal word for the man standing before me.

My father nodded, and I watched him turn his attention to Garrett, who had remained noticeably quiet since my father had made his grand entrance. His body was tense at my side, and I knew it was taking great restraint not to take charge of the situation and defend me against the man who had caused me so much pain. Instead, he was pulling back and allowing me to lead. He was allowing me to make up my own mind, and it was one of many reasons I loved him.
 

“Yes,” my father answered, sticking out his hand in a formal gesture toward Garrett.
 

Garrett stared at his outstretched hand for a moment before finally giving in and taking it in the quickest handshake known to man.

“Good to know you two made it back to each other,” he said.

“It wasn’t without difficulty,” I said, firmly meeting his gaze.
 

He let out a deep breath and turned away, shoving his hands back in his pockets again. He paced the small space in circles, like he was churning up the courage to speak.
 

“I left your mother,” he finally said to my utter astonishment.
 

“What?” Garrett and I both said in unison.
 

“The divorce was finalized last week. I’ve been living in a separate apartment for five months, waiting for everything to be settled. I wanted to be sure before I contacted you.”

His pacing was driving up my anxiety, so while I tried to process everything, I ushered us into the living room. I watched him take a seat in our flea market chair we’d recently bought. It was antique and had needed a bit of love, but after some new fabric and a bit of elbow grease, it had turned out great. Seeing my father in my living room, sitting among my things, was odd.
 

“Why? Why did you leave her?” I asked finally.

He cocked an eyebrow as surprise spread across his features, so I amended my question. “I mean, why now? After all this time?”

He nodded in understanding and settled back in his chair.
 

“It was you honestly. It should have always been you. I should have left her a long time ago, but I was too weak and afraid of what would happen to my life if I did. Everything I did completely and utterly revolved around that woman. I feared what would have happened to me. Hell, I feared what she would do to me if I left. I let her run my existence. I even let her destroy the one relationship I cherished more than anything. That was you.”

I was flabbergasted. I always knew he loved me. He was never short on showing affection, even when my mother frowned upon it, but he had broken free from her for me, and I couldn’t comprehend that.
 

“The last straw was when she told me you came to visit,” he said.

My eyes widened, and I felt Garrett’s fingers weave with mine in silent support.

“I knew she recognized me,” I whispered.

“Yes, she did. She just wanted to hurt you, and from your reaction, I can see she did. When she told me you ran out of the building, most likely in tears, I knew I had to leave. Even if she ruined me, I couldn’t stay chained to a woman who would do that to her own child.”
 

“So, what now?” I asked hesitantly.
 

“I don’t know. I’m moving back to Richmond. I always liked it here. I don’t expect anything, if that’s what you’re asking. I know I wasn’t innocent in all of this. I was as much to blame for all the pain and suffering you endured as your mother was. But I’d like to be here…if you want me to be.”

My father was back in my life.

Did I want him to be?

Chapter Twenty-Seven

~Mia~

“So, your dad is back? How’s that going?” Liv said.
 

I balanced the phone between my shoulder and ear while attempting to stir the pot of boiling pasta on the stove.
 

Is it supposed to be murky-looking like that?

“It’s going, I guess,” I answered vaguely.
 

After giving the water another swish, I turned down the temperature to medium, fearing it would boil over. That had happened last time, and it hadn’t been pretty.
Water could boil at medium, right? Eventually, I’m sure.

“So, how is Garrett taking it?” she asked.

“Well, he’s obviously cautious. He’s letting me decide which way I want to go.”

“And which way is that?”
 

I sighed. I’d been back and forth with my decision over the last week. I had gone through several emotional stages with my father’s reappearance in my life—surprise, anger, annoyance, elation, back to anger, and finally, numbness. I liked numbness the best. It lacked any highs or lows and didn’t require decisions. Of course, it hadn’t helped a damn bit either.

“I don’t know. I want to believe he’s being genuine. I mean, he did divorce the woman. That’s pretty convincing to me.”
 

“Damn, I would have loved to see her face when he dropped that bomb. That had to be priceless,” she said with amusement.
 

I tried not to grin, but she was right. It was hard to picture my mother in a situation she couldn’t control, and she had definitely been able to control my dad.
 

“Well, you know I’ll support you no matter what,” Liv said. “I’ll hug him and welcome him back to the city, or I’ll kick him in the balls. Whatever you tell me to do, babe.”

That brought a smile to my face, and I could not help but laugh. “Thanks, Liv. I’ll keep you updated, but I’ve got to go. I’m making dinner for Garrett, and then I’m headed out to dinner with my father.”

I heard an audible snort before she said, “You’re making dinner for Garrett? Are you trying to kill him?”

“No! I just wanted to be nice. He’s been so nice this week with everything, and I feel bad for ditching him, so I wanted to have dinner ready for him when he gets home from work.”
 

“Okay, babe, but you would have been better off ordering a pizza,” she said before laughing and hanging up.
 

I looked down at the pot of water filled with half-limp pasta, and I sighed in frustration.
Does food hate me? I followed the directions, didn’t I? Liv was right. I should probably just order a pizza.
 

Picking up my phone again, I headed upstairs to freshen my makeup and grab my boots, so I’d be ready when my dad arrived. He’d called a few days ago and asked if I wouldn’t mind going out to dinner with him, and I’d agreed. I knew he was making an effort, and even though I was still wary of falling back into a relationship with him, I wanted to allow him the opportunity to at least try.