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“You are next to him… but you are laughing so hard. The dimples are back. He made you smile.”
Robbie grunts and I grin.
“Daddy, that’s the night Robbie’s dad discovered we were dating. It was a humiliating incident.”
“He wants her,” Robbie groans.
“Tell me more,” Dad says, and I roll my eyes.
For the next hour, we tell my dad everything going on in our lives. He takes the time to question Robbie about his life, and I’m surprised when Robbie retells the incident in Afghanistan.
Finally, I gain the courage to bring up Serena. “Daddy, I wish you didn’t give Mom all that money.”
“I want her to stay away.”
“But I’m okay now. I can stand up to her.”
His eyes soften and he pulls my forehead to his. “Baby, I ignored things for too long. Please, let me take care of you the way I know how.”
“Robbie found some information. Natalie’s doing drugs.”
“I know. Don’t waste a second of your thoughts. Things will work themselves out.”
“I’ve got her covered.” Robbie breaks in, reaching across the table to my free hand. “She’s not going to ever feel their wrath again with me in the picture.”
My dad looks at him hard, and I wait for an impending explosion. The man who always looked out for me was just challenged. Instead of a shit storm, my dad laughs. He kisses me on the cheek, his body vibrating.
“I had no chance. I thought being a jailbird would possibly scare this guy, but no. You picked a badass. Proud of you, Ember Lyn.”
Robbie startles me by laughing as well. Shaking his head rapidly, he says. “Jailbird? You think you’re a jailbird? Nah, man, I think you’re the man my girl worships. And, by the way, there’s no scaring me.”
“Hope I never have a reason to test that theory.”
The testosterone in the room goes up a notch, and I double over in a fit of laughter until my sides start to ache. Dad and Robbie chuckle as a complete sense of peace washes over me.
“Enough, Daddy. We only have a little time left. Let me tell you about some of my new designs.”
For the remaining hour, he looks over my work with pure pride. Robbie watches us with a soft expression. My heart swells with love and acceptance.
Robbie
My dad looks over the folder once more, making notes, and then looks back to me. His eyes are hard, his expression unreadable. In situations like this, I’ve learned to give him time to gather his thoughts, so I wait.
“I did some more digging. Knowing only what you both told me wasn’t much to go on, but it’s apparent Thad Walker was given a shit deal. One reason was that the young man he put it the hospital was the son of a prominent local politician. He was also an up and coming football star. The injuries and coma put his scholarship in jeopardy. The other man was fine after he sobered up, but he jumped on the bandwagon to paint Thad as an animal. The District Attorney threatened to bring attempted murder charges against him. He pled out a deal. But that’s not the worst. I dug deep into Ember’s history, as well.”
“Why? What could you possibly want to know about her?”
“Everything. And I don’t like what I found.”
“Has Ember told you anything else about her life at home? Before and after Thad was sent away?”
“Yeah, all shitty things.”
“Robbie, her medical records show a series of injuries from the time she was fifteen through eighteen- sprained ankles, sprained wrists, busted lips and chins. The trip to the ER when she was sixteen wasn’t the first time she received stitches.”
My blood runs cold, my heart racing. The thought of her being hurt so many times causes my gut to clench. “What the fuck? Why wasn’t there a red flag in the system? Isn’t it required that medical workers report this to child services?”
“Only if there’s a reason to believe foul play. According to the charts, Ember always took the blame, claiming clumsiness and lack of athletic ability.”
