Page 83 of Sunflower

Thanks for that, asshole.I glared at him while Dad joined in on Erin’s theatrics.

He simply smiled angelically, like butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth.

“I’ll get you back for that,” I murmured low enough that only he would hear.

He grinned evilly. “I look forward to it.”

Returning the same look made his falter. “I’ll remind you that you said that when I’m edging your ass later.”

A slight flush appeared on his cheeks before he swallowed audibly and looked away.

Oh, I was going to have fun getting my revenge.

“How long?” Erin demanded, finally gaining some control over her outrage. “How long has my son been working for you, George?”

George took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Six months.”

Slowly pushing her chair back from the table, Erin stood up and clenched her jaw so hard that I thought she was going to crack her teeth. “Whenexactlydid you approach Callum, George?”

He ran his trembling hand through his hair, then looked up at her as she approached him. “The night of your wedding.”

She slapped him so hard across the cheek, his head snapped from one side to the other. “You bastard.”

Curling his hands into fists, George swallowed heavily and tried to rally, but everyone in the room knew it was a lost cause. “Erin—”

“No.” She stood over him, her hands on his hips as she glared venomously at him. “How fucking dare you! They’remy boys.”She pointed towards us, her focus still entirely trained on George. “You know how dangerous this life is, and you approachedmy sonatmy wedding?Why? Because you’d lost me, so you thought you’d go after my fucking son? Are our powersthatfucking necessary when you have people like Tama and Marcy?”

“Mam—”

She swung her ferocious rage on her son, shifting her finger slightly to aim it directly at Callum. “No. Don’t you dare. I’ll get to you in a goddamn minute.”

Callum wilted under her ire and closed his mouth.

I snuck a glance at Dad, who was taking all of this in quietly. Looking grim, he stared at the table while he let his wife ream strips off George. This was dangerous, because I didn’t know which way he was going to lean when she’d finished saying her piece. Dad had always absorbed all points of view before coming to a decision on something serious, even before he’d met Erin. In this instance, most people would assume that he’d side with his wife, but the odds were even that he could just as much side with George.

“Erin,” George started, then paused as she targeted her enraged eyes back on him. He chewed his lip as he thought about how to proceed. “Callum’s abilities are unique,” he said steadily, never wavering from her eyes. “He doesn’t only have your powers, he’s also a seer.” He paused again before straightening his shoulders and going on. “And with Joey boosting him—”

“No.” Quick as a viper, she smacked him hard across his other cheek, the sound echoing around the room. “I won’t have youtake my other son. I won’t allow it.” She grabbed the top of his shirt and twisted it until it bunched under his chin. “How fucking dare you eventhinkabout putting both of my boys in danger!”

Having kept my eyes on Dad, I noticed when he slowly raised his head and stared steadily at me with very little expression on his face. As Erin railed against George, he nodded once, his decision seemingly made. “Joey, do you want to work with Callum?”

“What?” Erin stopped and spun on her husband. “No!”

I kept my eyes on my dad’s and nodded once. “I do.”

The color dropped from Erin’s face. “But—”

“Honey, it’s not our decision to make,” Dad said, his eyes still unflinchingly focused on mine. “They’re both adults. If working for George is a mistake, then they’ve earned the right to make that mistake.”

Erin fell desperately to her knees next to Dad. “Barry, you don’t understand. This work… It’s beyond dangerous. They could end up dead…”

Only now did Dad drag his eyes from mine and focus on his wife, grabbing Erin’s hands and holding on tight. “They could work in a corporate office in the city and one day walk outside to grab lunch and get struck and killed by a drunk driver.” He brought their clasped hands up to his mouth and pressed his lips to her knuckles. “We can’t protect them from everything. Living a life in fear is not living, it’s surviving. Let themlive,Erin.”

Letting out a breath I didn’t even know that I was holding, I tightened my grip on Callum’s hand in victory. Dad was on our side. I turned my head to glance at Callum, only to find him already staring at me in astonishment. So many of my worries melted away as I felt a tiny smile tease at my lips.

“I do have one demand, however,” Dad continued warily.

The beginnings of my smile disappeared into the ether. Nothing could ever bethateasy, could it?

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