Page 102 of Into the Light

“You,” I pointed to Mr. Ortiz. “Whether it was a mistake or not, there has already been so much life lost. Your wife, my mom, Rain’s dad, your son and…my daughter.” The last word came out softer.

“Please,” I begged. “We need this violence to stop.”

There was a long silent pause in the room.

“Okay, then.” Mr. Ortiz finally responded. I hadn’t expected some grand revelation from him, where he’d suddenly confess to being the worst father. I had to accept what we could get.

“Pico will take over after graduation. I’ll need one month to train him, but then he’ll take over. I’ll remain on the advisory board,” Rain added.

“There is one more thing,” Rain whispered as he pulled out the will that was notarized by the lawyer. “This is the will that Ash left. He had an account with money that he received from his mother’s death settlement. The money won’t leave the account, so whatever debt you have to pay back, you’ll need to figure a way out on your own. This money isn’t yours.”

Mr. Ortiz ripped the paper out of his hand, scanning over it quickly.

“What the fuck?” he demanded, his voice now high and mad.

God, this man was a fucking joke. Talk to him about his son’s death and he is emotionless, but when you start discussing the money that was never even his, he starts to go ape shit.

“It’s mine,” I conceded coolly. My dad and Walsh wanted to jump to my defense, but I held up a hand. “Period. You fucked yourself. Got yourself in a hole. Now you’ll figure out how else to get the money back into the pots you skimmed.”

“Fuck,” he growled.

This time Rain stood up.

“This conversation is over. You are to leave.” He was so fucking sexy I could have ripped—

“Now.” My panties were one hundred percent soaked. I was so hot and bothered, and while I loved my independence, my feminism ran out the door while watching Rain stand up for me.

Mr. Ortiz grumbled something about how he’d get with us about the change in leadership because there was some traditional event they needed to hold, and then walked out the front door. The little bell rang in his wake. A blanket of silence swept over the diner before Walsh started to slow clap.

Rain grabbed me by my waist, hoisting me out of my chair and spinning me around rapidly.

“We did it, mi pareja,” he announced.

He set me on my feet while I glanced over at Walsh and my dad before turning back to look at my favorite pair of deep blues.

“We . . . did it,” I repeated.

Walsh came over and I turned, only to get wrapped up in one of his big, bear hugs. Something that I admit I missed so much over the last year. Right as he dropped me to the floor, I locked eyes with my dad.

“Ember . . .” his voice trailed off in a quiet, saddened way.

“It’s okay, Dad.” I went over to him, letting him wrap me up in my arms. “My little baby girl had to go through that all alone. You felt like you couldn’t come to me, let me help you, let me protect—”

“No. I am tired of having the men in my life protect me.” I turned so I was speaking to my dad, Walsh, and Rain. “You all need to stop. I begged Ash to stop. I am now desperately asking you all the same. I am perfectly capable of defending myself. This entire day should prove I don’t need anyone in my life. I am strong. I am resilient, and if you are just recognizing it, then I am sorry you haven’t been able to see it for a while.”

I paused, closing my eyes before exhaling. “But please do not ever protect me from the truth again without my explicit permission. Just because I am a woman doesn’t mean I need a man in my life. I choose to have you all because I love you.”

They all shook their heads slowly. “You were right, Ember. I remember when you told me that you wanted to facilitate a meeting with the two dads right before Ash’s death. I thought you were crazy because there for sure was going to be someone dead by the end of it. But you were right—”

“Words are a very powerful weapon,” Rain finished for him. He knew exactly how powerful they were as an aspiring writer himself.

“They are,” I added for effect before I gave my dad and Walsh a quick kiss, promising them I’d see them soon.

“Sir?” Rain spoke up as they headed toward the front door.

“I . . . I just want you to know that I love your daughter.” The words emerged raw and throaty, accompanied by a swallow. “This past year has been the toughest of my life, but falling in love with her has been the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”

My dad’s gaze shifted between us, transforming into a surprised grin. “I know,” he whispered. “I know. Thank you for loving my daughter the way I do. She truly deserves it.” He sniffled. “I am sorry about your dad.”

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