Page 40 of Doubly Tied

“The toughest one, you mean. Where is Brody?”

“He is with Callan and Landry. Don’t worry, honey, he will be back when it begins. You get a half hour break now.”

“Thank fuck. I have to pee. And I need to change my Crocs!”

Chapter 12

“Ani!” Ginger knockedon the door to the trailer she was using to regroup and entered with Sage in tow.

“I’m in the bathroom,” she replied, washing her hands.

She just finished washing the horse poo off her Croc, but still opted to wear the purple pair she’d bought in addition to these when she’d gone shopping with Mayne and Brody the day before. Dusty, hurting in places she didn’t even know she had, Ani looked in the mirror.

“Come on out, hon,” her older sister crooned through the door and Ani sighed heavily.

“I don’t know, girls. I feel like I am really gonna blow this one.”

“Ani, come on. You saved that horrible companyEarthOilwhen the global media thought for sure they were gonna lose everything. You are brilliant. I know you can do this.”

“I don’t think so. Not this time. I mean, I’m no cowgirl, Ginger! My brains won’t help me here.”

“Anise Freeman,” a deep, familiar voice said behind the still closed door. “I didn’t raise any quitters. Now you get your little butt out here and tell me your plan.”

“Oh my God!Daddy?!”

Ani rushed out into the trailer to see Mark Freeman standing there with his hands on his hips. The older man looked great for a guy hitting sixty. He was lean, with silver hair and a sharp look in his blue eyes as he opened his arms wide for his youngest.

“We thought seeing Dad would cheer you up,” Ginger said, and Ani heard the tears in her voice.

“I missed you all so much,” their father said, hugging each one of them.

“After Sage visited me and explained what had happened on your vacation, I decided then I needed to confess something to you all. But I wanted to wait until you were all together.”

“You mean, you’re not upset? About us being involved with, um, well…” Ginger tried to search for the right words, but Ani beat her to the punch.

“You’re not mad we’re kinda getting it on with two guys each?”

“Ani!” Ginger swatted her, but she was too busy laughing through tears to care.

Mark Freeman rolled his eyes and rubbed his face. He gestured toward the sofa and chairs in the cramped space, and all four went to sit down. Whatever he was going to say, it was so good to have them all together, Ani was sure she wouldn’t even mind the ass chewing she was bound to get.

“Girls, before your mother passed, she shared a secret with me. Something I should have told you a long time ago. You see, your maternal grandmother was aseer.”

“A what?”

“Aseer. Like a fortune teller. Anyway, she told your mother that her daughters were fated to be part of something different. She wrote down your futures, leaving just two sentences for your mother and I to see.”

He reached for the bag he’d brought inside with him and pulled out a large manila envelope. Inside, there was another, much older one with something handwritten on the top.

“See here, she wrote this here. ‘To my granddaughters, you will each have aternfor true happiness. Meet your destiny with open arms, and know you are loved.’ At the time, we thought she meant turn and simply misspelled it. But after Sage explained your situations to me, I did a little research. A tern is—”

“Another word for Triad,” Ani finished for him, covering her mouth.

“That’s right. I’ve always believed there was more to the world than what meets the eye. And as for you three, my beautiful, bright daughters, I want only the best. If your Triads bring you happiness, then I am happy. Don’t worry about anything or anybody else.”

“Are you sure, Daddy?” Ani asked in a small voice.

“Do you love them, honey? All of you. Do all of you love your men? Do they love you?”

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