Page 120 of Bad Seed

Jason blinked, startled by the tone in her voice. “Oh, stop worrying. I told you I was sorry, and he’s just one man. Not God.”

She sighed. “You apologized to the wrong person, and you don’t believe in God.”

And then there was a knock at the door. “I’ll get it,” Jason said.

She frowned. “Then the first words out of your mouth better be, ‘I’m sorry, Harley.’”

Jason wasn’t accustomed to being in the wrong and was defensive as he strode to the door, but when he opened it, he almost didn’t recognize his own daughter. She looked beautiful in love. Then he had to look up at the man standing slightly behind her.

“Come in,” he said, and then gave Harley a quick hug. “I owe you an apology. I’m sorry I was rude, and I’m so sorry you were hurt.”

“Thank you,” she said, but it was Brendan’s hand on her shoulder that steadied her most as they entered the room. “Mom. Dad. This is my fiancé, Brendan Pope. Brendan, my parents, Jason and Judith Banks.”

“Your fiancé?” Judith cried, and then saw the ring on Harley’s hand. “Oh, honey! It’s stunning. Congratulations to the both of you.”

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you both,” Brendan said. “Although we’ve spoken to each other on the phone before, a face-to-face meeting is always better.”

Jason heard the challenge. He remembered their talk. And wearing shoes, Jason Banks was still two inches shy of six feet tall. They used to make jokes about how Harley wound up taller than both of them, but this man was huge and intimidating, and Jason didn’t do intimidating.

“How was your flight?” Brendan asked.

“It was fine,” Judith said, “and we really appreciate you being thoughtful enough to choose to eat here. It’s just an elevator ride to get where we need to go.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Brendan said. “I’ve made reservations, and Harley needs to eat pretty soon. She’s still on antibiotics and can’t take them on an empty stomach.”

Judith paled. “Oh my God, I didn’t even ask about your wound. I didn’t see a bandage and I guess I thought it was healed.”

“Not yet. Just hidden in all these curls,” Harley said, and gently pulled back the curls enough so they could see.

Jason was horrified at the long, shallow groove at the side of her head.

Judith teared up. “That’s where you were shot.”

“He missed. I didn’t,” Harley said.

The meaning of those words shocked Jason to the core. His daughter had shot and killed a man in self-defense, and yet was so matter-of-fact about it.

“The concussion she suffered was far worse than the wound,” Brendan said. “Besides headaches for days, she lost her sense of balance.”

Harley laughed. “Every time I stood up, the room spun around me. I don’t know what I would have done without Brendan.”

“We would have come,” Jason said.

“He carried me everywhere for days. You couldn’t have done that. Besides, all your presence would have done was put us in danger. I was in lockdown. The federal agents managed to keep the news of the hit man’s death a secret, in the hopes that whoever hired him would assume he was still looking for me, or that I was dead. But you two showing up would have blown that cover and put all of us in danger again,” Harley said.

“It wasn’t personal. It was a necessity,” Brendan said. “Now, sir, what do you say we go get our ladies fed?”

Jason glared. Harley was his, and Pope was claiming her.

Brendan saw his flash of anger. “She’ll always be your daughter. But she’s going to be my wife,” he said quietly.

Jason sighed. “Yes, of course. Lead the way. We’re right behind you.”

Harley reached for Brendan’s hand as they started up the hall toward the elevators.

Judith saw him look down and smile at her and, in that moment, knew her daughter was so precious in his eyes. She glanced at the dour-faced man beside her and sighed. Jason was out of his element and out of sorts, but he’d get over it. As soon as he got back to his propulsion lab, he’d be fine.

She had a moment of regret that there would be nolavish wedding to plan, no trips to the dressmaker, no wedding showers, no pastor to reserve, no church to pick out. Then she shrugged it off. She and Jason had a wedding like that, and in the end, all it had amounted to was a flash in the pan. Frenzied joy that didn’t last.

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