AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Worried the secret would be out, and we won’t have this relationship we’ve healed anymore.
When I sayhealed,I mean healed in every sense of the word. Not just from my previous mishaps but also my life.
Things have never been so good between my father and me, and it’s because I’ve proved my worth and made him a fortune with my presence here.
The smile on his face as he walks in is a testament to that. In just these few months, I’ve taken Dubois Developments to another level. Since then, my father has treated me like a son. He’s no longer rubbing shoulders with Carson like they’re twins, or rather like he wishes the goody-two-shoes prick were his son instead of me.
“The company anniversary event is coming up, and I wanted to find out if you wouldn’t mind speaking,” Dad says, and my eyes fly open.
I straighten up in my chair and look at him properly so I can check that what I’m seeing and hearing is truly what’s happening.
“Me, Dad?”
“Yes.” He pulls up a chair and sits in front of my desk. “We’ve had a good year, son, and that’s because of you. I have requests pouring in for work just based on word of mouth and, of course, the good work that you’ve done. Your grandfather would have been proud to see what you’ve done. I’m proud of you.”
I never knew just how much I wanted to hear those words until just now.
Despite the euphoria rising in my soul, the shadow of worry creeps into my heart because I know if we lose everything, it will be my fault. The fall from this type of success and appreciation will hit me hard.
“Thank you, Dad. I appreciate that a lot.”
“I know you do. That’s why I’m saying it. I’m afraid your grandfather was more into football than I was, so I couldn’t really celebrate your success the way he could. I was proud of you then, too, even though I didn’t show it.” He stands. “I know I have a lot of things I have to make up for too. Maybe we can start with dinner tomorrow at the diner we used to go to with your mom. Tomorrow is Saturday.”
I haven’t been back there in years, and the years before were sparse. That diner was a place we’d go to every Saturday because it was where my parents met.
Saturday was date night. When I came along, that night turned into a whole day event they celebrated with me.
My father looks like the man he was when my mother was alive.
“I’d really like that.” I dip my head with gratitude, and a ripple of excitement runs through me at the possibility of fixing my relationship for good with my old man.
“Great. Does eight o’clock work for you?”
“Absolutely.”
“Alright, let’s do it. See you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow.”
I watch him leave, and as soon as the door closes, the heaviness of the secret pierces into me.
I get home an hour later and find Evie on the sofa in the living room watching a film.
Georgiou is working late, working overtime. Although he’ll never admit it, I think the secret is getting to him too, and he’s doing more work than usual.
Evie smiles when she sees me, and I move over to her to kiss her.
I love this part about getting home and seeing her. Admittedly, it’s also nice too when I get to play with her by myself for a little while.
The plan for her being here is she stays with us for a few nights a week and with Cordelia for the rest of the time. Granted, she is with us more days than her cousin, but I wish she were with us all the time. We’re just doing it this way to keep things as legit as possible in case Donny ever checks in. It’s near enough to what it was like when she was coming here after the auction.
The three weeks she’s been here have been a dream to me, and she feels like the missing piece of my life. The house feels like a home now when I step inside.
Fuck knows what we’ll do if this all blows up in our faces. It’s bad enough when I come home, and she’s not here. I don’t exactly know what I’ll do if things go back to being without her.
“What are you watching?” I ask when we pull out of the kiss.
I glance at the widescreen of the TV, and while it looks like an old horror film, I can’t quite place which film it is.
