Page 132 of Embrace

I laugh, thinking of how his personality has always been intact. No matter if it’s freshman year or senior year, Kian’s always been himself.

“Is Dad mad?”

She gives me a look that says I should know better than to ask.

“He looked so angry that morning, Mom. I’ve never seen him like that.”

“Scar, he loves you. The man hasn’t been able to say no to you since the first moment he met you. He’s not mad.”

“Disappointed?” The word claws its way out.

She pauses. “Not in you. More with how it played out. The sneaking around, the shock of it. He didn’t love seeing his right-winger’s hands all over his daughter.”

The blood drains from my face and I groan. “Did he say that?”

“He might’ve used the wordmauled. I took some liberties.”

“He must hate me.” The words fall flat, brittle.

“No,” she says, firmly this time. “He’s been blaming himself for how he reacted that morning. You’re his whole world, Scar. He could never hate you.” She comes around the counter, her hands warm as she cups my face, her thumb brushing beneath my eye. “He’ll be home soon, you can talk to him.”

Suddenly, I can’t do it. All that cowardice I came here to shed climbs right back on, and I’ll carry it like a backpack if it means I don’t have to look into my dad’s eyes and see his image of me completely altered. “I think I should go.”

She doesn’t stop me as I head outside and into my car, gettingready to pull out of the driveway. That’s when headlights cut across the quiet street and Dad’s truck turns the corner. His tires crunch against the gravel as he pulls in beside me in the driveway.

My breath hiccups, and I reverse without looking at him.

He doesn’t shout my name. He doesn’t wave me down or storm over. He just…stands there. Hands in his jacket pockets, the lines around his eyes deeper than I remember, watching me leave with a sad little smile on his face.

I step on the brake, pull back into the driveway, and shift into park.

The passenger door creaks open, and Dad slides inside, shutting the door gently, like he’ll startle me and I’ll speed off.

“Kian Ishida, huh?” His voice is quieter than I expected.

I brace myself. “Dad, I’m sorry—”

“No,” he cuts me off, finally turning toward me, his jaw tight and his eyes soft. “I’msorry. I shouldn’t’ve reacted that way,” he says, like he’s been carrying this around all week. “But I walked up and saw him—myplayer—with his hands all over my daughter, and every instinct I had lit up.”

He pinches the bridge of his nose. “You’re my little girl, Scar. I didn’t know what to do.”

I blink, tears hot at the edges of my eyes. “I know I shouldn’t have kept it from you. I’m sorry.”

“If I know you’re safe,” he says, “I sleep at night. That’s all that matters to me. Are you safe with him?”

My throat clenches so tight I can barely breathe. “When I’m with him, there’s not a single thing I worry about. But I don’t want this to ruin your relationship with him.”

His eyes close briefly, pained like he’s recalling the way Kian’s hands ran over my body in broad daylight. My insides recoil. “That’s not for you to worry about. That’s between me and him.”

My throat feels heavy. I did this. I made Kian lose someone he looked up to like a father. It wrecks me.

“I was the one who suggested we keep it quiet. People have opinions, Dad, and I didn’t want it to seep into this part of my life. I never wanted it to get to you.”

“I don’t care what anyone says about you. I only care about what you think of you.” Those words loosen the coils tightening in my chest. His hand squeezes my shoulder, gentle, rough, every version of love he can manage.

“It’s really not his fault. And besides, we’re just friends now.” I don’t know what we are, but I want to salvage this for Kian. I need my dad to see him for who he is, who he’s always been.

My dad doesn’t say anything, and it makes the weight on my chest heavier.