Page 47 of You're All I Need

She nods, taking the door and closing it tightly once I hit the sidewalk. I climb into my SUV and start the vehicle, smiling as I gaze up at her townhouse.

What is it about this woman?

I wish I knew, but something tells me I’m not ready for that answer, so no point in dwelling on it.

Instead, I focus on today, and today is a workday. Driving home, I’ll jump in the shower, head to work, and then hit the gym afterward. Maybe I’ll check on Adrienne later. You know, just to see how she’s feeling after last night. This morning when I slipped from her bed to head home, she looked good, refreshed. She said she didn’t have a headache, and even though she was a little tight in her back and neck from the fall, she wasn’t in any pain.

When I return home, I go about my morning routine, making a pot of coffee and jumping in the shower. Dressing in a basic T-shirt with our business logo on the front and jeans, I lace up my boots and fill a travel mug of black coffee before climbing into my work truck. Just as I fire it up, my phone rings.

Glancing at the name on the screen, I almost let it go to voicemail, but I know my dad. He’ll just keep calling until I finally answer.

“Hey, Dad,” I greet as I start to back out of my driveway, making sure my device is connected to the Bluetooth.

“Morning, Caden. How’s it going?”

“Not too bad. On my way to work, so I only have a few minutes,” I tell him.

“You’re the boss,” he states with a chuckle.

I don’t comment, even though I want to. Instead, I wait him out to find the reason for his call. Finally, he continues, “Talked to Scar last night. She mentioned you’re going to the wedding.”

Ahhh, there it is.

“Gram asked me to.”

“That ol’ woman,” he mutters. “I guess I’ll see you there,” he adds. “I’m bringing Mel.”

Mel? Who the hell is Mel?

“What happened to Veronica?” I ask, hoping that’s the last woman he was dating, but to be honest, there’ve been so many, Veronica could have been one from a few years ago for all I know.

“She was husband hunting,” Dad informs me. “Not my thing.”

At least now I know where I get it from.

“Talk to your mom lately?” he asks. At some point, he always asks me about mom.

“A week or two ago,” I reply casually, hoping that’s the end of the conversation.

“I was thinking of giving her a call when I’m in town.”

The hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I find myself straightening in my seat. “Dad,” I warn, hoping he drops it right now.

“I just want to say hello,” he replies.

The truth is Dad will probably always love my mom. Too bad for him, she hates his guts after the hell he put her through. He cheated on her repeatedly and treated her like absolute crap, pointing his finger at her to keep from manning up to his own shortcomings. Their divorce was rough, neither side wanted to yield for a single second. When it was all said and done, Mom ended up moving closer to her younger sister and family about thirty minutes away, and Dad has been all over the place.

“Let it go, Dad,” I state, praying he takes the advice and doesn’t reach out.

“Yeah, maybe you’re right. I’m bringing Mel to the wedding. You’ll like her. She’s the manager at Victoria’s Secret at the mall.”

I almost groan out loud but reel it in before I let it fly. “Great.”

“Scar says Warner’s not comin’ to the wedding with her.”

“Good.”

“He’s a decent guy,” Dad says, causing me to roll my eyes. I can’t believe he’d defend the guy who repeatedly hurt his daughter, but then again, Dad repeatedly hurt our mother.

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