Page 85 of Tied in Knots
“Always, baby girl,” he murmurs, kissing the top of my head and staying right by my side. “I’m sorry we let this happen to you. If we had been a few seconds earlier…”
I adore him so much in that moment. He didn’t blame me by saying, ‘if you hadn’t gone’, but at the same time it makes me feel sad that he’s blaming himself.
This situation sucks.
Thinking about other people sucks.
Actually, no it doesn’t. It’s just this situation.
“I’m sorry for disappearing. I absolutely will not in the future.”
“Are you saying thereisa future?” he asks carefully.
“Yes. A long, beautiful, bright one, if you’ll have me.”
“Fuck’s sake, baby girl. You’re going to be the death of me.”
I grin up at him and he smiles back, bending down to kiss me on the mouth. He, they, all of them, still owe me a full explanation of what the fuck is going on with my dad, but knowing that he might be alive, and they are trying to find him, is enough for now.
ChapterForty-Five
Faith
A couple of hours later, all casted up and the pain numbed again, I sit in front of Ben and Harvey with a contrite look on my face, in Sebastian’s austere office.
“I’m sorry for being a tit and running off like that. I wasn’t thinking about anyone except myself. You must understand that is the way my mind works. It’s not an excuse, I’m just explaining the way it is. I’ve been taking care of myself since Pete the prick started being a knob. I don’t want it to be that way anymore. I want to consider you all, Iwillin future. Please forgive me for scaring you, and for making you come and get me.”
“Oh, petal,” Harvey says, coming to me and kissing the top of my head. “We don’t give a fuck that you went out, but it’s that you didn’t tell us, tried to do it on your own, nearly lost a butt cheek and an eye in the process, got your arm snapped and nearly abducted.”
“Nice recap,” I murmur. “Thank you for that.”
He snickers and I know we’re okay. Ben though, heisin a mood.
“I don’t care about people,” he states bluntly.
“Oh.” My cheeks blush furiously at that not so nice piece of information.
“I don’t. Ask anyone. Okay, maybe these three pillocks, but no one else outside my family. So when you disappeared and we thought the worst, it felt like I was dying inside. It was horrible, absolutely fucking awful, and I don’t ever want to feel that way again. I need to be able to trust you, Faith, because if you ever do something like this again, I won’t be as forgiving.”
“I’m sorry I made you feel that way, Ben. I promise that I won’t ever do anything like that again.”
He comes to me, wrapping his arms around me, careful of my arm. “I’m beyond pissed off about this,” he says stroking my cast. “How am I supposed to tie you to a chair buck naked now?”
I giggle. “DFP said it wasn't that bad. Two weeks in this and then two weeks in a wrist strap thing.”
He frowns. “DFP?”
“Doctor Fancy-pants,” Sebastian says, his mirth bubbling up so badly, he snorts and then roars with laughter.
“Well, no one ever told me his real name, so I had to make it up,” I state huffily.
“St. James,” Ben grits out. “He’s my dad.”
“Noooooooo!” I wail. “Are you joking?”
He shakes his head, a smile playing on his lips.
“Oh, please don’t tell him!”
