Page 42 of Dare to Need

“There’s no way. I mean the last time we spoke he had tears in his eyes over another woman. Plus, he may be an asshole, but I don’t think he’s stupid enough to think for one second that I would even consider taking him back. Especially since I’ve already moved on and he knows I’m with Garth.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. It just doesn’t make sense that his legal team would advise him to have you as a witness given how you both ended things. So, what’s the next step? Do you have to show up in court?”

“I talked to Garth’s mom and she said I could talk to the family’s lawyer at no charge. But it looks like I will at least have to respond to the subpoena. The judge will be the one to decide if my rejection of being a witness will stand or not.”

“Damn. What a fucking weasel. First, he cheats on you and now he’s asking you to not only face him but the woman he cheated on you with. I could seriously strangle him for you.”

I let out a pained laugh, continuing to put pressure between my brows. “I appreciate the dedication to our friendship, but Connor isn’t worth jail time.”

“Good point,” she sighed. “Shit, Eva. You really do have a lot on your plate. But everything’s going to be okay, I promise. Lucas and I will be there as soon as we can.”

“I still can’t believe you’re leaving Italy for me. But, thank you. I love you, Drema.”

“Love you too, Eva. I’ll always have your back.”

After our call ended, I dragged my sorry ass up to our room. Maybe it was the exhaustion from the night’s events or maybe it was the alcohol, but I drifted off to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

ChapterSeventeen

GARTH

“What’s wrong, son?”

My father’s voice was stronger than it had been just a few days ago. He was getting healthier every day while I was growing more insane by the minute.

I lifted my head from where I was cradling it with my hands. “You should be sleeping, dad.”

He grunted. “It’s nearly impossible for me to sleep in this shitty bed as it is. I would have been up watching television anyways. Go on now. Tell me what’s got your mind all twisted in a bunch.”

A heavy sigh barreled out of me. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I haven’t even started the process of taking over your position and I already feel overwhelmed. I need your help.” It was the first time I said those words since I was a little boy. From the moment we had our first argument over the company, I refused to ask either one of my parents for help. I didn’t want to owe them more than they’d already given me.

Things were different now.Iwas different now and he was the only person who I thought could help me turn this ship around. Not just with the company, but everything that was going wrong between Eva and me as well.

“I understand what you’re asking me, but there are a few things I want to tell you first.”

I sat in silence as he shifted upward in the bed, smacking at the pillows behind him and his sides.

“Sitting in this bed for days on end has given me a lot of time to think. The truth is that facing your own mortality brings a lot of things into perspective. It forces you to take a hard look at all the decisions you’ve made over your lifetime, and well…some of those decisions leave you with overwhelming feelings of regret.”

His gaze wavered from my own and it made me take a pause. Healwayslooked people in the eyes when he spoke, but this topic was clearly something that made him very uncomfortable.

“And do you know what I regret, son?”

I swallowed hard as I shook my head.

“I regret that I spent so much time away from you boys and your mother. I was so busy chasing the dream and trying to make something of myself that I lost sight of the most important thing—time. All those years I spent traveling the world and building the Walker Corporation are years I will never get back. So many memories with my family that I will never have because I was gone.”

His eyes drifted away from mine again. “I thought I was doing the right thing. Building something that would last for generations so you boys and your future children wouldn’t have to endure what your mother and I went through. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I built the business. I’m thankful I was able to show your mother a different life and that I was able to provide for you boys. But I should have tried harder to be present. I should have spent more time with you, both.”

Sorrow clawed its way through my chest, making my heart ache with every beat. I grabbed my father’s hand and squeezed it.

“You did what you thought was the right thing, dad.”

“You’re right. And now I’m telling you that I made a mistake. That if I could do it all over again, I would make different choices. I’m telling you, son, that I don’t want you to make the same errors that I did.”

“I’ve made plenty of my own mistakes.” I ran a hand through my hair, pulling at the back of my scalp.

“And you will continue to make more of them. But if I can save you from making the same ones I did, then I can know I at least did right by you.”

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