Page 97 of Quake

“It’s perfect,” she says in a hushed tone. “Absolutely beautiful.”

Madison grabs the phone from her, taking it all in, and I see the moment her eyes snag on the painted stool. Jade leans over her shoulder, and a smile turns her lips up.

“My turn,” Dad says when he can’t wait any longer. He snatches it out of Madison’s hand, causing her to giggle.

He and Shay take it all in as I wait in silence. His eyes finally look up to meet mine. “Lark, this is…” His words get cut off as he chokes back emotion. “That man loves you,” he says, his tone reverent.

And at precisely that moment, I realize the truth behind his words. As if hearing someone else point them out was just what I needed to get them through my thick skull. More than that, I realize I feel the same.

I’ve fallen for this man. So deeply that I don’t know how I’d ever dig myself out of the valley of my despair if I had to go back to living in a world without him.

Sudden sadness starts to seep in, the feeling crushing me as I think about how my dad must’ve felt to lose the love of his life. I look over his shoulder to see how relaxed Shay is with him, her hip connected with his and her eyes filled with all the love she’s been holding back all these years as they fought their emotions.

“I’m so glad you two finally gave in to each other,” I tell them, my voice sounding strange to my own ears as I hold in the tears clawing their way up my throat.

Dad looks over to Shay, squeezes her hand and kisses the top of her head. “I am too,” he admits. “And it looks like my little girl has found the one who makes her heart happy too. And that absolutely thrills me,” he tells me. “Even if heisone of my players,“ he jokes with a wink to lighten the mood.

The next couple of hours are a lot lighter as we eat dinner, bullshit with each other, and eat tons of dessert.

Once we’ve walked Kira and her mountain of gifts to her car, Madison and Jade leave with her. Unfortunately, I have to head to work for the night, so I won’t get to join them for movies and a sleepover.

Once they’ve pulled out of the parking lot, Dad brings Shay to his car, opening the door for her and buckling her seatbelt.

It’s nice to see him happier than usual and, of course, always the gentleman.

Once her door is closed, he rounds the car to start it for her, calling over his shoulder at me, “Just one minute, little bird!”

“Take your time, Daddy-O,” I tell him.

He walks me over to my car, stopping to open the door of my Firebird for me. He pulls me in for a tight hug before I get in, but instead of releasing me right away, he tells me, “Gianni is a good guy, and he clearly makes you happy. I’m not sure what’s holding you back, but based on the way he’s come out of his shell for you, I think it’s safe to say he feels the same. Maybe it’s time you make a move, just like Shay did.” He chuckles.

That surprises the hell out of me because Shay has always been the quiet type. My eyes bug out of my head, and I pull back to see his shit-eating grin. “There’s no point in waiting when it feels so damn good to finally claim them as yours. Find those big-girl panties of yours and put ’em on, little bird. I’m pretty confident in saying that you won’t regret it.”

“Thanks, Dad. I’ll figure it out soon,” I promise.

“Glad to hear it, little bird,” he says, releasing me. I bend down to get into my car and buckle my seatbelt. Before he closes the door, he says, “One last thing before I head out.”

My brow lifts in interest. “You work too damn much, and you shouldn’t be missing girls’ nights with your friends because you don’t have the staff available to cover a shift for someone else. I’m paying to hire two new docs, and don’t worry, you can hold all the interviews.”

I start to interject, but he holds up his palm to stop me. “Please, Lark, just let me do this for you. It’s a literal drop in the bucket for me, and it would make me feel better to know you aren’t working all hours of the night and missing out on life.”

I give him a smile, resigning to this because itwouldbe nice to not constantly have to turn down plans with my friends or Gianni.

“Okay, fine. Thank you,” I tell him.

He goes to close the door, but a mischievous smile quirks his lips before he does. “Oh, and I fired Val. Betty called me to complain, and you know I can’t say no to that woman. Besides, Val needs to get her head out of her ass.”

That makes me burst out laughing as he slams the door shut, heading back to his car with Shay waiting inside.

***

It’s late, and there’s no one in the waiting room, so I should sleep, but I can’t stop thinking about what my dad said before he left.

As usual, he knows exactly what he’s talking about.

Gianni is the most thoughtful person I’ve ever met. The constant stream of red and pink peonies on my counter, which he miraculously refreshes just before they start to get droopy, is just one of the seemingly insignificant reminders of just howgoodhe is. To his core, Gianni is agood man.

Everything about being with him feels soright.

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