Page 69 of Relinquish

Did he get stopped by someone getting Reddi-Wip from the kitchen? I need to save him before he’s arrested by the kitchen police. I dart out of his room and jog to the stairs with my feet flapping on the wooden floor. Where should I look first? Dining room? Kitchen?

When I reach the bottom of the staircase, I walk past my father’s study on my way to the dining room. Everything is back to its pre-fundraiser status. Not even an empty champagne glass remains.

“Lola?”

I turn at the sound of my father’s deep voice calling from the depths of his office. “Hey, daddy.”

He moves swiftly from his desk to the door. Even after all these years, he still spends too much time working. The man needs to relax.

“Where are you headed?”

“I’m trying to find Cade. Have you seen him?” I search behind me and listen for his voice. Nothing.

“I need to talk to you about something.”

“Okay?”

“I ran into Cade about twenty minutes ago. He was on his way back upstairs.”

I glance at the stairs. How did I miss him? I shake my head and turn back to my father. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Come inside and have a seat.”

“I don’t have much time. What’s up?” I follow behind him and take an open seat.

“Why did you lie about you and Cade being in a relationship?”

I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “At the time, it wasn’t a lie. I didn’t know he felt the same about me as I do about him.”

“So, you two are a couple?” He arches an eyebrow and eases into his chair.

Happiness wells in my chest. Why haven’t I told Cade how I feel? “I love him and believe he feels the same way. I realize he’s not what you were expecting in a son-in-law, but he’s an amazing man. With time, I believe you’ll see him as I do.”

He pulls his glasses down to peer over the frames and taps his fingers on a folder. “Do you think you know him well? That he doesn’t keep secrets from you?”

“I might not know everything about him, but he’s a dependable, hardworking, honest man. He’s a good friend to those he cares about. Those are the most important things to know about a partner.”

“Has he told you about his childhood?”

What in the fuck? He had him investigated, didn’t he? What an ass. “What’s in the folder?”

“You didn’t think I would let you be involved with a man and not have him thoroughly vetted, did you?”

“This is ridiculous. When are you going to learn to stay out of my life and let me make my own decisions?”

“You’re my daughter. I will know everything that’s going on with you.”

This is ridiculous. “Cade told me his father has never been in his life and that his mother died when he was young. After she died, he lived with a children’s services worker who became his surrogate mother. After that, he joined the Navy and served his country admirably.”

When will I stop believing he’ll change? I should have warned Cade how manipulative he can be. He better not be the reason I can’t find Cade. If my father has scared him off, I’ll never forgive him.

“You didn’t mention anything about your new boyfriend’s felony record.”

“You’ve got to be joking. Seriously, that’s too much, even for you. I can’t believe you’d resort to lying.”

“He didn’t tell you he was arrested for robbery when he was a teen? He must have kept that little tidbit to himself.” He puffs his chest out and tents his hands on the desk surface. “I’m not lying. He was arrested. Even for me, it isn’t easy to break into sealed juvenile records, but I’m going to turn over every rock to ensure someone doesn’t take advantage of one of my children.”

“Leave it to you to go above and beyond.”

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