Page 53 of One Last Chance

“Okay.”

Chapter 16

Rowland

One of these days I’m bound to drop dead from a heart attack. I’m starting to think there’s no escaping it.

First, there was the tense morning handing over of the kids to Hope. I’ve been anxious and tense ever since, constantly wondering about what things Mac will see or hear there.

Then the stupid financial committee, which…I overloaded myself with, I suppose, so I have no one else to blame. And now the cryptic, out of nowhere message from Mina urging me to come home without an explanation.

She’s supposed to be with Hope, goddammit!

My stomach cramps as I turn into our street. Hard to tell if it’s from not eating anything all day or worrying about what kind of mess Mina got herself into. How did she get home? Why wouldn’t she tell me anything? Where is Hope and why wouldn’t she call me? Is everyone fucking okay?! The thoughts race inside my head and crash into each other, causing more mayhem and stress.

I almost hit the stone pillar of our fence before parking crookedly on the driveway. Like a racehorse with blinders on, I rush through the front door.

“What—”

All the energy and air leave me. Huffing in shock, I freeze in the middle of the entrance hall, staring at Mina sitting on the couch and…Dayton standing by it, arms folded over his chest.

Dayton. My chest swells and my cheeks fire up.

What is he doing here? How…?

Mina shoots up from the couch but doesn’t come to me. She shares a quick glance with him. When he nods, she faces me with the most horrifying expression of pure fear and desperation. Her eyes are watery and her lips pressed together as she makes one unsteady step toward me.

“What is…going on? Mina?” My mind feels like it’s going to shatter, not knowing what to panic about first. My heart pounds against my chest like a wrecking ball.

She seems so upset, so damn upset, so I walk toward her with my hands out.

“I’m so sorry, Daddy,” she whimpers.

Seeing her makes me want to throw up so I quickly step closer and bend down on my knee, cradling her shoulders. “Mina, what’s this about?”

With a sob, she falls into my arms, startling me. While she cries into my shoulder, I tightly hug her, glancing up at Dayton with a confused frown. Even with my little girl crying in my arms, I can’t help but feel…joy. Pure, unadulterated joy from seeing him again.

He doesn’t say anything. With those plump lips pressed into a straight line, he just lowers his brows and gives an expression that almost says it’s not his place to speak.

“Pl-please don’t hate me, Daddy. Please! I’m so sorry, I am!” Mina sniffs into my ear.

I sharply turn my attention back to her. “Hey, hey, calm down.” Pulling her away from me, I push the hair glued to her face with tears behind her ear and smile.What is the last time I’ve seen her like this? Or the last time she was even this close to me?“Sweetpea, I could never hate you. What are you…”

I drift off as a strange sensation passes through me. It’s like a weird sense of déjà vu, only not like that at all. A familiarity, an innate feeling from somewhere deep within recognizing something. There’s a warm, incredibly weak scent, like it’s always been there, so I can barely notice it. Like the smell of home one doesn’t really notice anymore.

Sucking in her lip, Mina tilts her head down. I frown, feeling utterly confused. “I read online that if you t-take these supplements before the blood test, they’ll…m-mess up the results, and you’ll come up as a beta,” she mutters, the words barely leaving her lips like she’s fighting them.

I widen my eyes. With a click, the puzzle piece slots in place.

“I’m so sorry for lying, I’m sorry!” she blurts, followed by more desperate sobs.

“She called me,” Dayton says, his voice causing me to both jerk in surprise and melt internally. He confirms to me that this isn’t a dream, or just some crazy scenario inside my head. “She got her heat and was terrified, so I picked her up and took her to my parents. I thought it would be good to give her some time before letting you know. My Mom hadthe talkwith her, calmed her down and gave her some suppressants. The low dose ones. You don’t have to worry,” he assures me.

How is he so calm? How is he back in my life, bringing nothing but the good once again, and how am I going to let him go this time?

“My god,” I mutter before pulling Mina in for another hug. I run my fingers through the back of her hair and hold her close, smelling a faint scent of jasmine. “Why wouldn’t you have told me? Mina, you could’ve…”

I know why she hasn’t told me—Hope. White-hot anger rushes through me like a tornado. I hold my eyes closed tight, doing my best to push it down and focus on Mina again.

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