AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A shiver crawled along her skin, lifting the hairs on her arms. As lonely as she’d felt over the years, she’d never truly been alone. Somehow in allowing herself to fall for Wade, she had managed to make herself so much more vulnerable than she’d anticipated.
Now, he was holding back from her—keeping something from her.
They stared at each other—a battle of wills. Should she go along with him so they could spend some much-needed time together, or would doing so crush the already fragile state of their budding relationship? She wasn’t sure she could spend the evening with a man who wasn’t capable of confiding in her.
Brielle cleared her throat and let out a sigh of resignation. “If you’re not up for dancing, then maybe we just call it a night and plan something else later.”
A myriad of emotions washed over his face, but what she noticed most was that he didn’t argue with her. He didn’t insist that they should spend time together, and he didn’t give in and take her dancing like he’d said he would.
By the time she trudged up the steps to her home, alone, she wasn’t certain of anything anymore. The rose-colored glasses she’d been wearing when she’d kissed Wade had worn off. She didn’t know what she should do.
Brielle dropped her keys on the kitchen table and then moved toward the fridge to get something to drink. Exhaustion weighed on her, heavier than anything she’d experienced to her physical form. All she wanted to do was head up to her room and go to sleep.
She stared at the pitcher of lemonade, then thought better of it and shut the fridge. When she turned around, she yelped. Her father stood in the doorway of the kitchen. There was no telling how long he’d been there, and she wasn’t about to ask.
He lifted a brow as if waiting for her to start the conversation. Well, he was going to be severely disappointed if he thought she was going to say a single thing to him. She’d already had enough stubborn men in her life for the day.
She grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water. “Goodnight, Dad.”
“I thought you were going out tonight.”
Brielle couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze. Based on his little lecture about settling down, she should have known he would notice if she came home early from a date.
“I know you’ve been seeing Wade Keagan.”
Her eyes flitted up to meet his.
“And his cousin,” he added.
“Yeah,” she drawled. “What about it?”
Zeke moved farther into the room. “Doesn’t look like you’re very happy.”
“Yeah, well, when your future doesn’t turn out the way you expect it to and you’ve found yourself regretting several life choices, you don’t tend to wear a smile all the time.”
He shook his head. “It’s more than that.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Brielle muttered.
She’d expected his gaze to be hard like it had been for most of her life. Over the years, he’d gradually changed—she just hadn’t noticed. When had he become the fatherly figure that seemed more approachable than the hardened man who’d lost his wife? Zeke raked a hand down his face, slowing to scratch at the scruff on his jawline, then dropped his hand to his side. “I haven’t been the best father. Heaven knows your mother has probably been watching with disappointment all these years, but each of you has turned out just fine.”
Goosebumps attacked her skin, making it tight and uncomfortable. This was the first time her father had given her such a compliment.
“I only got to spend a short time with the woman of my dreams. Your mother was the best thing that ever happened to me. When I—we—lost her, I’ll admit that I should have been better with you girls. It’s taken me a long time to come to terms with that, and I’m still trying to improve.” His brows creased, and he took another step toward her. “None of this is coming out like I wanted it to. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I want you to be happy. If that means finding someone to love who loves you back, then so be it. If it means that you don’t want to tie yourself to anyone, then I’ll support you either way.”
She stared at him like he’d sprouted antlers and would soon be out wandering the woods with the other deer and elk who lived there. The confession from her misguided years nearly exploded from her lips. This was the closest she’d ever come to telling him what she’d done. But something still held her back. She didn’t want to be the daughter who destroyed all the progress he was making.
There was no telling how he’d react once he found out that she’d gotten married when the rules had been in place. Her eyes dropped to her hands as she wrung them tightly. “Thanks, Dad.”
He was quiet for a little while and she nearly thought he’d left the room, but then he spoke again. “If you ask me, I think you’ve already decided your future. You know what you want to do and who you want to be with.”
She lifted her eyes to meet his. Instinctively, her thoughts shifted to Wade and at the very same time, an ache sliced through her chest, dragging with it the small amount of joy she’d found when she’d kissed him. She’d always had a problem with throwing herself into a decision that wasn’t good for her.
Had she done the same thing with Wade? Picking him could have been her way to avoid doing the right thing, which was allowing herself to fall for the man she was already married to.
20
Wade
