Page 68 of Relinquish

With any luck, there’ll be some fruit left from brunch. Lunch. Supper. Whatever. If not, I’ll head to the kitchen and sweet talk one of the staff into letting me get something from the refrigerator. With all the calories we’ve burned in the last few hours, we need all the energy we can get.

By now, she should be taking a shower. I offered to help soap her back again, but she insisted I find something to eat before we pass out. When I made it to the door, she asked me to bring back a can of Reddi-Wip, which piqued my interest and delayed my food scavenging.

I whistle as I step into the empty living room. I can’t wait to get back home. Where we don’t have to worry about anyone hearing us.

My flight leaves early in the morning, and hers isn’t scheduled to depart until tomorrow evening. We tried to change our departure schedules to coincide, but the airline had no openings on the earlier flight to Kansas City, and I must be in the office by noon. My bags are already packed to give me as much time as possible with her before I leave.

As much as I don’t want to, I’m sure I can make it a few hours without having her by my side. More like reasonably certain. I never thought for one second I’d fall this hard or be this happy about it.

On top of the table is an enormous bowl of bright red apples, yellow bananas, and tangerines. Excellent.

“May I ask what your plans are for my daughter?”

I stop in mid-whistle. How had her father managed to sneak up on me? Easy. I’m acting like a lovesick fool. I may not be who he’s looking for in a son-in-law, but I love her, and I’m not the penniless kid who snuck food out of dumpsters to survive. Okay, you’re in the dining room stealing food. How different is it?

“Congressman Sutherland, I didn’t hear you come in.” I spin to face him. “I’m not sure I can say what my plans are for her. She has a lot to say regarding what occurs.”

“You might as well call me Edward. You’ve spent all day in my daughter’s room.” He advances into the room with something tucked under his arm. “I should thank you for saving her.”

Today he seems more approachable. Instead of a three-piece suit, he’s wearing a sweater and khakis. “Thank you, Edward. I have feelings for her, and I believe she has feelings for me. But I don’t know where things will lead.”

He picks up an apple and wipes it on his pants. “Well, I can only hope those feelings are temporary because I have plans for my daughter, and they don’t include you.”

Wonderful. So much for the possibility of her father supporting our relationship. That just means I’ll have to work harder for his approval. I’ve never been afraid of hard work. “Sir, I understand your concern regarding your daughter being in a relationship with someone you don’t know, but–”

“Young man. I know all I need to know about you. Enough, that is, to conclude you, a man that practically flunked out of high school isn’t the right type of suitor for my daughter.” He yanks a folder out from under his arm and waves it in the air.

My stomach sinks. I shouldn’t be surprised he had me investigated. Just when I thought I could overcome my past, it comes at me full blast and smacks me in the face. How much did he uncover? Fuck. Stop it. You aren’t a scared little pussy.

It doesn’t matter what he uncovered. I’m not ashamed of my past, and there’s little remaining that Lola doesn’t already know and nothing that would cause her feelings for me to change. “I’m sorry you feel that way, Edward. However, if Lola will have me, I plan to have a future with her. I understand you aren’t going to be pleased with the fact my father has never been in my life and that my mother died when I was young. But I’m not going to apologize for my mother dying of cancer or for struggling in school. It was a painful thing to watch.”

He flinches as if he remembers Lola’s mother’s battle with cancer. “I want my daughter to marry a man that has a family with the right connections. A college education. And financial resources that you obviously don’t have.”

“She has the right to make that decision. Not you.”

“I beg to differ. In this family, I hold the purse strings, which leaves me the one who makes the decisions. If my daughter even considers marrying you, I’ll stop her monthly allowance. She will get nothing, and the girl loves to shop. Can you afford to spend $3k a month on clothing? And God forbid she would marry you against my wishes. She’ll no longer be a part of the Sutherland family. My attorney is on speed dial, and it’ll only take a minute to change my will. Do you want to be the person responsible for Lola being without resources or a family? If I read your file correctly, your mother was cut off from her family due to her relationship with your father.”

I swipe my sweaty palms on my pants and swallow over the dryness in my mouth. Shit. He’s right. My mom chose my dad, and look where that got her. Dying alone. Penniless. No insurance. No way to fight her illness. A kid to raise. There were no family dinners. Or wrapped Christmas presents under the tree. No grandparents to watch my attempts at sports. How could I do that to her or our kids? I already know what it’s like to go through life having to fend for myself.

All my life, I’d resented my father. I’d blamed him for my grandparents not being in my life. Do I want to be that person? “That might be true, but it was their loss. They let their anger deny them a grandchild and seeing their daughter before she died. Do you want that same fate?

Edward bristles. “Son, you’d better watch your tone with me.”

“You were expecting me to cave. To walk away. That’s not going to happen.” I turn on my heel and walk toward the entryway. At the threshold, I face Edward. “I appreciate your concern for your daughter’s future. I’m sure I would want the same things if I were in your shoes. However, this is Lola’s decision, and I’ll leave it to her to determine if she wants a relationship with me.”

“We’ll see.”

I walk back to the table and grab a couple of bananas, but decide to skip the kitchen. It’s time we had a serious discussion about the future. I don’t want to cloud the issue with sex.

When I reach the foyer, my cell phone vibrates in my pocket. Ripley. I step outside for some privacy.

***

Lola

I poke my head in Cade’s bedroom after putting on a pair of faded blue jeans and an oversized sweatshirt. “I’m starving. What took you so long?”

When there’s no response, I glance around the room. All his gear is packed with his luggage parked near the door. Damn it. I wish we were on the same flight. The thought of spending even a few hours apart makes me sad. My stomach growls. It’s been hours since breakfast. Where is he?

---