AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I doubt I’ll ever be standing here again.
My father refuses to look me in the eye as I trail Gage out of the house. The new front door lock clicks behind me.
Gage snaps his fingers at the movers and orders them to follow him for a short drive.
He watches me open the door to my own car. “You all right?”
Not really. “I’ll live.”
The day’s turmoil has left me drained, exhausted. I’m glad Gage is willing to seize control of the situation. At the house he shares with Dani, he tells Fred to unload everything in the garage. As for my luggage, Gage carries that into the house himself.
Should you find yourself in the midst of a personal crisis, Gage Silvestro is probably not someone you would call for emotional support. However, today he seems like nothing less than a saint.
I’m still trying to gulp back my sobs before sharing these recent developments with Micah when I hear Gage in the kitchen, murmuring in a low voice.
“Don’t get crazy. She’s all right. She’s here with me.”
Micah.
He’s talking to Micah.
A dull ache throbs behind my eyes and I wrap my arms around myself. It’s going to take a while before the shock wears off.
Gage returns with a beer. “Here, you look like you could use this.”
“Definitely.” I wait until he twists the cap off. “Thanks.”
Gage takes a seat in a suede armchair. He watches me drink the beer and taps his fingers on his knee. There’s a pattern, as always.
“Micah’s on his way,” he says. “And Dani will be here soon.”
I take a hearty swallow of beer. I wouldn’t mind being drunk right now. A loud hiccup rips from my throat. Spotting a set of cork coasters in the middle of the table, I use one to set the beer down.
“I owe you, Gage. Thanks for everything.”
He leans back in his chair and sighs. “I know how it feels to have an evil bastard for a father.”
“I’m sure you do.” The sour taste in my throat warns that there might be tears after all. “It hurts, doesn’t it?”
He nods. “Yeah, but you learn to move on.”
I swipe a tear out of the corner of my eye before it falls. “I guess I’m homeless for tonight.”
“Nah, you can stay here with us as long as you want.”
I breathe through the pain. “I never knew my father could hate me.”
Gage frowns and taps his knee again. “I know his type. He’ll bleed you dry. Once you’re no longer any use to him he’ll make you suffer.”
“When you threatened him, was it for real?”
He raises an eyebrow and doesn’t blink.
Yup, it was for real.
“Good, it will give him something to think about.” I grab my beer again and hold it up. “Here’s to those of us born to rotten parents.”
He salutes. “I would drink to that. If I drank.”
