Page 21 of Fate Heals

“It’s over. What are we going to do today?” she asks, still pushing me with her foot.

“I’m going to break your foot today, if you don’t stop,” I answer. I grab her foot and start tickling her.

“Okay, okay!” she squeals, pulling her foot out of reach.

She tucks her feet under her and stares at me expectantly. I lay my head back and look up. Can’t I just sit here and watch the Fixer Upper marathon? I don’t dare ask because she’d never let me.

I shrug, tilting my head in her direction. “What’s Damon doing?”

She shrugs back. “I don’t know. He said he had a date tonight.” My eyes widen.

“What? I thought you two …”

She waves her hand in the air. “I don’t even know what to think. He’s hot one minute, the next he’s cold. I don’t know what he wants. I don’t think he knows what he wants.”

“Well, he’s a stupid man not to see what’s right in front of him,” I say, smiling at her.

“Yep, his loss,” she says quietly, looking at the TV. I watch her for a few moments. I know they like each other so I’m confused. Seems there’s a lot more to the story than she’s telling me. Typical. It’s the same with everyone. They only tell me things they think I can handle. I sigh as I push off the couch.

“I’ll go take a shower so we can do something,” I say, dragging my feet to my bedroom.

As I turn off my hair dryer, I hear voices coming from the living room. I freeze, trying to hear who it is. Sydney laughs and then I hear a male voice. My hands fist and my body tenses up from anxiety. I take a deep breath and close my eyes. Addison, calm down. Syd wouldn’t be out there laughing if it were someone to worry about.

It’s not until I hear the male voice yell, “Add Cat, get out here,” that I know who’s here. My lips curl when I recognize Frankie’s voice. I walk out of my room and a surprise stops me in my tracks. A Caribbean, blue-eyed surprise.

“Travis,” I say. I look around the room as Travis, Frankie, and Syd all watch my reaction. I don’t even know what I feel. I haven’t seen him since the day I was kidnapped, and I didn’t leave there with any warm and fuzzies. But I know it’s because of him and Frankie that I was rescued, so there is gratitude. And a small part of me recognizes that he is my father, even though I know we can’t have a relationship.

He stands up from the barstool. “Addison, it’s good to see you,” he says, embracing me in a hug. My arms hang at my side because I’m confused about what to do. Do I hug him back, push him away, or just stand here hoping he’ll stop soon?

It’s not until I take a deep breath and his scent reaches me that I break. I wrap my arms around him as tears begin to fall. His embrace tightens. It feels surreal that I’m in my father’s arms. So many years I wondered what he was like and now he’s right here, holding me in his arms. Wavering emotions flow through me.

“I’m so sorry,” he repeats softly into my hair.

I blink my tears away and draw in a breath. My arms go lax as I step back, and I smile up at him.

“Thanks,” I say sheepishly.

“Anytime,” he says as he wipes away a tear on his own face. “You look great.”

I nod and let out a soft sigh. I look at his dark denim jeans and off-white sweater. If it weren’t for his salt-n-pepper hair, I’d have a hard time thinking he was old enough to be my father. He definitely looks better than the last time I saw him.

“You do, too. Orange definitely wasn’t your color.”

His powerful laugh echoes in my small apartment. “I hope to God I never have to wear it again,” he chuckles.

“C’mere and give me a hug,” Frankie says with his arms open wide. I walk over, laughing at his big, goofy smile.

As soon as my arms wrap around his neck, he picks me up and spins me around. I cherish the moments when someone does something, not expecting me to break. I think that’s why I like to go to the gym a lot with Tony. Shit, sometimes I think he’s actually trying to break me—but in a good way.

“Well, I guess we’re even,” I say when he puts me down. If it weren’t for Frankie, I would have died in that prison. It’s eye opening to think about why a person was placed in your life. When I met Frankie, I would have never figured that he would be my angel. I thought I was his. But our relationship was bigger than that. And I’ll forever be grateful for him.

“We’re not keeping tabs, Add Cat,” he says, his voice turning serious.

“I know,” I whisper. “Thank you. For everything.” He nods in understanding. “So, do y’all want something to drink?” I ask, needing to do something. I walk to the kitchen, grab a bottle of water, and hold it up. “I have … water.” I laugh when I look back into the refrigerator and notice it’s almost empty except for the waters. I guess I should go grocery shopping today.

Grabbing one for everyone, we all sit in the living room. I sit in the cushioned chair, Sydney and Frankie take the couch, and Travis grabs a kitchen chair. He sits in it, leaning back with his leg propped up on his knee.

“So what brings you to New York City?” I ask, looking between the two guys.

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