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“Okay, baby. Love you.”
Oh how I loved hearing him say that. “I love you too.”
I ended the call and drove over to my parents’ house. As usual, it looked cozy from the outside and I found myself smiling and humming softly as I parked and went in.
“Mom? Dad?” I called.
“We’re in the kitchen, flower,” Mom said.
Dad was dressed in a faded flannel and jeans with a battered baseball cap on his head. The flecks of sawdust on his shirt made me wonder what he was building. Mom’s shirt had a yellow paint splatter on the front and her hair was up.
“Hi.” I gave them each a hug then took a seat at the table with them. “You two look like you’ve been busy. What are you up to?”
“Just chopping wood,” Dad said. “Had to take down a tree in the back, but it’ll make great firewood.”
I reached over and brushed his shoulder. “That explains the sawdust.”
“Thanks,” he said. “Honey, we need to talk to you about something.”
His tone made me nervous. He sounded so serious. “Is everything all right?”
“We’re fine. But your mom and I are concerned about you.”
I wondered what they’d heard. Generally, my parents were more insulated from town gossip than most people. Dad didn’t bother listening and Mom tended to be in her own world too much to get caught up in other people’s business. But had they heard about me and Zachary? I wasn’t sure why that would make them concerned. It must have had to do with Preston.
I’d been hoping to avoid telling them the whole story. I knew Dad would overreact. But it was probably best to fill them in.
“There have been some things going on, and I haven’t had a chance to share everything yet.”
“All right then, go ahead,” Dad said.
“You know I started seeing a man named Preston Bradford. That’s over. He wasn’t right for me. But he got angry when I told him, and there was… an altercation.”
Dad’s eyes widened and he almost got up from the table.
I put up my hands. “It’s okay. I’m fine. And I told the police. They’re handling it now.”
His nostrils flared and Mom put a consoling arm around him.
“I promise I’m okay. I’m not minimizing what he did, but he didn’t injure me and it’s all over now.”
“When did this happen?” Mom asked.
“A few days ago.”
“You should have called me,” Dad said.
I didn’t blame my dad for being upset at hearing someone had hurt his daughter. Of course he would be. But I didn’t know how to tell him I hadn’t called him first because having him rampage around town wouldn’t have done anything to actually help me. It would have made the whole situation worse.
“I’m sorry, I felt it was better to call the police. And I wasn’t alone. I called Zachary Haven as soon as it happened and he came over.”
My parents didn’t seem to react to that, which was odd. They just watched me, as if waiting for me to continue.
“Which leads me to a little bit of news. Zachary and I are together. As a couple. That might seem like it’s coming out of nowhere, but we’ve had feelings for each other for a long time. And I know it will make you feel better to hear he’s moving in for a while so I won’t be alone. At least until we know what’s going to happen with Preston.”
“How is that supposed to make me feel better?” Dad asked.
“I thought you wouldn’t want me to be alone.”
