Page 44 of Rule Breakers Fall Hardest

I glance over at Rosie, who’s worrying her bottom lip, silently urging me to get this over with.

I swallow back the trepidation rising inside me. I might be a full-blown adult, but that doesn’t stop me from being mildly terrified of my father. As a teenager, I spent more than a few nights getting chewed out in this room. I earned each of those lectures, but that knowledge doesn’t ease my feeling of dread.

“Dad.” I clear my throat.

“Hmm?” He hums, cocking his head to the side. BeforeI can answer, he blanches. “You didn’t get her pregnant, did you?”

Rosie bursts into laughter. No doubt the little hellion is thinking to herself that no, she’s not pregnant, but I did knock someone up. I’ll give her credit, since she makes no move to rat me out.

“I’m not pregnant,” she says through her laughter.

“Oh, good.” His shoulders sag. “I’m too young to be a grandpa.”

“Uh… Dad? Asher’s married. I’m pretty sure you’ll be a grandpa in no time.”

He waves a hand dismissively. “They’ve been fighting since they got here. I’m pretty sure a divorce is more imminent than a baby.”

I frown. “Asher and Veda are having problems? I… I didn’t know.” I actuallylikemy brother’s wife. She keeps him in line and is a pretty cool chick. They’ve been together for years. The idea that they could split has a pit forming in my stomach.

“You could pick up the phone and call your brothers now and then.”

“We text,” I say, though his comment hits with perfect accuracy. I’ve done a shitty job of staying in touch.

“In a group chat?” he asks, chin dipped and brows raised.

I run a hand down my face and swallow thickly. “Yes.”

“And you think Asher is going to talk about it in a group text chat? Come on. You know him better than that.”

I do. No one would describe my oldest brother as rowdy, like they would the rest of us. He’s the kind of person who bottles up his emotions. So maybe it’s possible that his marriage is struggling. If he can’t communicate, then it’s hard not to think he’s destined to fail.

“I’ll talk to him while I’m here,” I mumble.

“Anyway,” he leans back against his desk, “what was it you were going to tell me?”

With my heart in my throat, I loop an arm around Rosie’s waist and tug her against my side. She’s soft against me, her sweet-smelling perfume permeating the air.

My dad’s eyes light up as he takes us in. “Are you two dating? I’ve been waiting for this day since?—”

I clear my throat. “We’re married, actually.”

If I had to guess how my father would react to the news, I never would have even considered what happens next.

“What?” he asks, clutching his chest. “M-Married?”

“Dad?” I lunge forward, grasping his arm as he sways, unsteady on his feet. “Dad?” I say, louder this time.

His legs give out then, but before he can hit the floor, I catch him.

Behind me, Rosie screams.

Panic floods me, but I have the wherewithal to check his pulse. I find it, but it’s weak.

“Call 911,” I tell Rosie.

I think I just killed my dad.

12

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