Page 78 of Unbreak Me

Before I could say anything, Day cut in with a sharp reminder of our priorities.

"Okay. So we have this settled. Can we go free my dad now?"

Both Jared and I froze, realizing we’d completely forgotten about Day’s dad.

"Are you going to take any action against me?" Jared asked quietly, almost frantically rubbing his still-wet face with the back of his hand, smudging the remnants of concealer.

Day sighed. "I don’t want to drag you into this. It’s your husband who needs to pay, not you. I was mad that you didn’t stop him from filing that lawsuit, but I also get it—you were scared of that monster. I appreciate that you tried to make things right by sending me the money. I can see you wanted to do something good. And I believe you came here thinking it was the only way to save what’s left of your family. But Jan is right—maybe there’s a chance for you to find a better, safe family—and real love. If Storm Nolan gives you some information, trust him. The guy’s gift might be strange, but you can’t deny it works."

Jared nodded slowly, his eyes still shimmering with moisture.

"Alright. Let’s go free your dad," he said quietly.

We stepped outside, where the muffled sounds of thumping came from the trunk.

Clearly, Day’s dad hadn’t lost his fighting spirit during the hour and a half he’d been stuck in there. Jared, though, looked absolutely miserable.

When we opened the trunk, Day’s dad practically leapt out. He would’ve lunged at Jared if Day hadn’t physically held him back. A stream of curses and insults poured from the older omega’s mouth—some impressively foul—but Jared stayed silent. He kept his head bowed, refusing to meet the man’s eyes.

"I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I don’t know what came over me," Jared whispered.

Once Day’s dad was safely away from the car, Jared turned and quickly climbed into the driver’s seat, eager to speed off.

But suddenly, Day let go of his dad and ran after Jared, grabbing the model’s hand. Their eyes met.

"Jared. I will be the one. I will pray for you to Fate."

There was a moment of silence; even Day’s dad stopped his long rant of curses. I felt a treacherous moisture threatening to form in my eye. Day forgave Jared, and for some reason, it made me happy. Day was a truly special person—I wouldn’t have been as eager to do the same.

Jared nodded briefly, holding back tears, and closed the car door. Then he sped off without another word. Day’s dad was at it again, calling after him and shaking his fists, with no forgiveness in his heart. Clearly, Jared wasn’t keen on enduring the older omega’s wrath any longer than necessary.

And that’s how I finally met Day’s dad.

Within minutes, he was commenting that my house looked ‘like a rich man’s place’ and subtly suggesting I lend him somemoney since he needed to get some ‘work’ done around his house. Apparently, that’s just how things were in the Sanderson family.

Thankfully, being kidnapped by Jared didn’t seem to leave any lasting trauma—or at least not on his appetite. He demolished the breakfast Day had made with remarkable enthusiasm.

He also turned out to be a relentless chatterbox, constantly commenting, critiquing, and cracking jokes that weren’t all that funny. After a while, he tried playing with my dogs and cats, though they weren’t particularly interested in him.

Finally, we told him the BIG news about us being True Mates, and he practically swooned with happiness, showering us with congratulations and hugs. Seeing his excitement, I realized I’d soon have to tell Frank the same thing—and endure yet another round of "I told you so, the fair was a great idea…"

Day’s dad stayed for another hour, eating even more, but I didn’t mind. I couldn’t really be annoyed at anyone that day.

Also, I could see how much it meant to Day—what Jared said about the parking lot kidnapping situation. His dad didn’t turn out to be such a shitty person after all. When it came to the truly important things, he was willing to sacrifice his life for his son. He clearly recognized how selfless Day had been throughout the years. He was the one who made sure Jared didn’t show up here with a loaded gun, and for that, he deserved acknowledgment.

Later, we drove Day’s dad to his house, where I also met his alpha father for the first time. It went more smoothly than I had anticipated. Day seemed happy about it; he hugged his parents a lot, and I could tell how much it meant to him to see them accepting me into the family.

In summary, nothing could ruin my mood that day. I’d found my True Mate! That’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing, after all.

???

Later that afternoon, as we were back at home, more news about Ferguson started coming in, confirming some of my suspicions.

The first headline on theEast Timeswebsite read:

"Even More Allegations Against Senator Candidate Mark F.?"

It didn’t take long for articles to literally flood the internet.

---