AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’re going to have to let go,” Boone says. “You have no control over what happens. But if he does slip up, rehab is always there. Help is always there.” He stares deep into my eyes and speaks with deliberation. “I’m always there.”
That hits me square in the feels and my voice is hoarse with emotion. “You’re always so put together that I never feel like I can offer you much, but if you’re ever in a jam or feeling down or need me to have your back… I’m always there for you too.”
Boone smiles and pulls me across the space again to murmur against my mouth. “Guess that makes us perfect for each other then.”
CHAPTER 21
Lilly
Briskly rubbing mydamp hands on my jeans, I clasp them together on my lap and check the clock behind the receptionist’s desk one more time. I’ve been waiting only about five minutes for my father, but it seems like an eternity.
I started the morning off in Boone’s bed. We’d made plans for me to stay the night with him following the cookout at Baden and Sophie’s, and once again he managed to rock my world in ways I did not think were possible. We set the alarm to wake us early and he made love to me so very sweetly, which was drastically different from the slightly rough sex we had last night. We cuddled, talked and showered. I cooked breakfast and he played his guitar for me while I whipped up bacon and eggs. I can honestly say that Boone Rivers is at his sexiest when he’s plucking at his guitar strings and singing. His voice is hoarse, smoky with a sexy purr, and I almost burned the bacon because I got distracted.
After breakfast, he headed off to the arena and I drove to the rehab center where Dad has been for the last two weeks.
I hear voices coming down a hall behind a swinging wooden door and distinctly recognize my father’s. I stand from the chair, rubbing my hands one more time to dry them.
I shouldn’t be this nervous to see a man I love with all my heart. An amazing father, a gentle creature who, while he has his faults, has loved Aiden and me better than any father could have. A man I respect so much for knowing it was time to get help and for putting in the hard work so he could be a better person, not only for himself but for his children.
The door swings open and there he stands. For a moment, I’m slightly discombobulated over the change in his appearance.
It’s been almost three weeks since Boone took Dad from the hospital that day he showed up drunk. Five days of medical detox, followed by Dad’s decision to go into a two-week inpatient program. I can’t say that any singular change is glaring, but he looks… healthy. Not that I ever thought he looked unhealthy before, but maybe his skin was starting to look a little sallow, his face a bit gaunt.
Now it’s full of color and the smile he bestows upon me is bright and natural, not forced with an underlying hint of tension. His eyes are clear and keenly present. His clothes don’t look so baggy on his body.
All subtle things, but when you put them together, it tells one certain truth. Alcohol had been changing my father so subtly, I’m not even sure I’d begun to recognize it.
“Lilly Bug,” my dad says as he drops the handle to his rolling suitcase and opens his arms to me. I run across the dingy tiled floor and throw myself at him.
Yes… even his hug is stronger. More confident. As if he can shoulder burden.
“Oh, Daddy.” I press my face into his shoulder. “It’s so good to see you. Aiden and I have missed you so much.”
We hug for a long time, each unwilling to let the other go. It’s not until someone clears their throat that I realize we’re not alone.
My father’s counselor, Mary, holds out her hand to me. I’d imagined Mary was older, sage and filled with wisdom she’d bestow upon my father. I’m surprised to see that she can’t be more than her mid-thirties with a sweet cherub face framed with ringlets of chestnut curls. “It’s a pleasure to meet you in person, Lilly. I feel like I’ve gotten to know you and Aiden as well as your father the last few weeks. You kids have been the driving force behind his grit and recovery.”
“We’re just so glad he’s coming home.”
Mary turns to my dad and gives him a brief hug. When they pull apart, she tips her head down, lifting her eyes to peer at him intently. “What’s your homework?”
“Find an AA meeting today.”
I worry at my bottom lip. “Are there some sort of discharge instructions I need to help out with?”
My dad laughs. “No, honey. The game plan is very simple… and that is not to drink again. I’m already set up for the outpatient program and I’ll start that tomorrow, but I will try to get into an AA meeting tonight. I got the list your friend Harlow gave me, so it won’t be a problem.”
I throw my arms around his neck again. “Just so damn proud of you.”
We say our goodbyes to Mary and walk out to my car with our arms wrapped around each other as he drags his rolling suitcase behind us. Dad settles into the passenger seat and leans his head against the window as I drive to the hospital.
“It looks brighter outside,” he says in a gently reflective voice.
“Is that because you don’t have the fog of alcohol?” I ask.
Dad chuckles. “Pretty sure that’s exactly it, although spring has finally sprung around here, so there’s that.”
We chat during the drive and Dad tells me all about the past two weeks, which consisted of a lot of therapy—both individual and group—as well as self-reflection. He also started working out and is eager to continue with that.
