Page 51 of Beck and Call

My eyes snapped to his face, and I saw my father fighting to control his temper. Perhaps we were more alike than I thought. "You thought I didn't know? Do you really think you could pay for one of the most expensive treatment facilities in the state since you were eighteen years old and I wouldn't have found out?"

"What does any of that have to do with what kind of leadership I could provide Anderson Global?"

"Absolutely none. I wasn't interceding on behalf of the company, but for my son. You need to settle down and start a family. Stop torturing yourself because of a tormented girl who didn't see a way out. Her fate is sad, and I feel for her, but you can't give up your life because hers is irrevocably changed."

I looked out the window, overcome by emotion and not wanting to show it. "And if it's my fault?"

"You didn't cause her mental illness." I turned to look at him, and he nodded. "I've seen her medical reports. She was diagnosed bipolar around the same time she attempted suicide. They had yet to find the right meds for her. None of that was your fault. If anyone is to blame, it's your mother and I for not going straight to her parents about our concerns about how the two of you were acting. It wasn't a healthy relationship for you, and it still isn't."

"It sounds like you expect me to abandon her too," I muttered.

"If she hadn't tried to end her life, you'd already have parted ways. She was never the one, and eventually you'd have grown tired of the games she played."

I shrugged. "I broke up with her that day."

He nodded. "I guessed as much. You should have been able to make that decision for yourself without her reacting in such an extreme manner. It was never about you, though. She'd been crying out for help and all of the adults around her missed it. It's our fault, not yours."

"It doesn't feel that simple," I replied.

"You haven't told Evie, have you?" he asked.

"Why would I taint our relationship with this?"

"Because she could help you carry this burden. You've done it alone long enough. Not telling her has already put enough strain on your relationship, don't you think? If you intend to marry her, trust her with this."

"Do you and Colter read off the same script?"

He didn't respond. Not that my childish comment required one. Instead, he pulled over in the loading zone in front of my apartment. "Don't forget to call your mother. She has wedding fever."

* * *

Evie

My plan was to begin my search for a place to live once I got back to Beckett's. It seemed I had time to do so, since I returned alone. I set my laptop on the coffee table, and the next thing I knew I heard my name being called from the foyer.

Beckett entered the living room and rushed to my side. "Are you okay?" His hands touched my head.

Blinking, I quickly began to wake up. "What time is it?" I asked.

"Only a little after six." He kissed me on the head. "Have you eaten?"

I shook my head. "No, it appears I fell asleep the moment I sat down."

He pulled me into his arms. "How does a quiet night in sound?"

"Dangerous," I whispered.

Another brush of his lips against my temple. "How?"

"When it's just the two of us, when whoever stands invisibly between us steps aside, I feel myself falling."

Again his lips touched my skin, this time the corner of my jaw near my ear. "Let yourself fall."

I turned my face and brought our mouths within a millimeter of touching. "But will you still be there to catch me if your ghost creeps near again?"

He sucked in a breath, and I took that as my answer. I rose from the couch and made to leave, but he grabbed my hand as I started past. "You are the one that said we needed time to get to know each other. Can't you give that to us?"

"So you can push me away again? It's obvious to me there's something or someone lurking in the shadows, holding you back. If I give you time, are you going to be able to free yourself?"

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