Page 149 of Veil of Lies

He nodded. “Yes, I’m free. Come here, Estella, I need a hug from my baby girl.”

I leaped into his arms, my heart pounding in my chest. This was the first time he’d hugged me in well over a year. The first time we’d had any kind of physical contact in that time.

“I’ve missed you so much, Dad,” I sobbed, tears streaming down my face.

“I’ve missed you too, baby girl. Things are going to be different now. Being in prison has made me review my life choices. I missed too much of your childhood. Now I’ve been given a second chance, I want us to spend more time together.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. I know you’re all grown up with a life of your own, but I’ll be there whenever you need me. No excuses. No more traveling for months at a time.”

“I’d like that, Dad, but what about the business?”

“There is no more business. Silva saw to that. I can’t ever work in finance again, even with the charges dropped. People will always believe there was no smoke without fire. Investors would never trust me with their money.”

I pulled away and stared at him. “But that was your life, Dad!”

“It was. Not anymore. I want a fresh start.”

“But we have no money,” I pointed out. “Are you planning on bussing tables?”

He chuckled. “No, but I will find something to pay the bills while I put my plan into action.”

“Are you going to tell me what this plan is?”

“Not yet. First, I need a pizza. I’ve been dreaming of pizza for months.”

Quinn chuckled. “Now I know where Stella gets her love of pizza from.”

I spun around and frowned. “FYI, Dad likes Hawaiian too.”

“And you are?” Dad asked Quinn, his voice a lot cooler all of a sudden as he spotted the tattoos and visible piercings. Quinn’s lip ring wasn’t my favorite - that one was well hidden - but it came a close second.

“I’m Stella’s boyfriend, pleased to meet you.” He stepped forward and shook Dad’s hand. “One of them,” he added with an evil grin.

Dad’s jaw dropped and I sighed.

Oh boy, this was going to be a fun conversation.

Chapter 113

Stella

The words on the page blurred and I rubbed my eyes. Exams had been kicking my ass all week and I was exhausted. The only upside to sitting exams was that Brax was back, as college had refused to let him sit them remotely. We’d had a whole week together, all four of us, which had been amazing.

The semester was nearly over and then we had an entire summer to look forward to. Quinn had rented a beach house and I could not wait to throw off my clothes and dive into the ocean. My skin looked pasty as fuck thanks to all the late nights and early mornings, and I desperately needed some Vitamin D.

Both kinds.

It was my birthday in a week. We planned to take off to the beach Friday night, straight after the last exam. Brax was going to spend as much time as possible with us over the summer, but we all knew he had a lot going on right now. It was a full-time job managing his grandmother’s stake in the business now she was in jail. Frankly, I was worried about him, but he seemed to be coping and the shareholders were happy with the transition. I just hoped things settled down once he had found his feet, so we could finally spend quality time together.

I pushed the textbook aside and stood. There was nothing else I could possibly cram into my brain right now. I was done.

Two strong arms slid around my waist from behind and a husky voice whispered in my ear, “Are you hungry?”

“Always.”

Harley laughed. “Good, ‘cause Quinn has cooked lasagne.”

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