Page 32 of Unbreak Me
“Thank you,” I say softly. “You don’t know how much it means to me that you kept my things. I thought you had gotten rid of everything.”
“I wanted to,” he admits. “After a year, I couldn’t stand to be surrounded by all the painful memories, so I put everything in storage until I was ready to get rid of it.” He walks to the fridge and pours a glass of water. “I need to call my parents and Savi tonight.” He obviously wants to change the subject. “They need to know about Ryland, and I’m sure they are going to want to talk to you. I thought we could do it after Ryland goes to bed then tomorrow we can FaceTime them so they can meet her. I didn’t want her part of the initial conversation.”
“I don’t either. It’s going to be hard enough on them as it is. They will need some time to process it all before they see Ryland for the first time.” I frown as I start to worry about what they will think of me. I brush back Ryland’s soft curls and try and focus on something else.
“They will understand once you tell them why you did it,” he says, reading my thoughts.
“I hurt their son and kept their granddaughter from them. If the roles were reversed, I wouldn’t like me either.”
“You also protected their children from your dad. Hell, you probably protected them as well. He could have easily gone after them too, destroying all my parents built.” His jaw hardens, and his eyes start to burn with fire.
I nod, but the pit in my stomach doesn’t go away. A part of me will always wonder if I did the right thing.
“I should give her a bath now. It’s almost her dinner time.” I walk to the bathroom, and he stops me.
“Is it okay if I give her the bath tonight? I feel like I’ve missed so much already, and I want her to know she can depend on me to take care of her, too.” I see the sadness briefly in his eyes before he shoves it away. I swallow the lump in my throat and nod my head.
“Of course. She’s your daughter too. You don’t have to ask for permission to do things for her. I know you missed a lot, and I can’t imagine how badly that hurts. I want you to spend as much time with her as you need.” I break away from his intense eyes before the guilt I feel suffocates me. “Daddy’s giving you a bath tonight, Rybug. I’ll get dinner started for us.” He holds his hands out, and she goes straight to him.
“Let’s get those bubbles going in the bath.” He grabs the rubber ducky from the pool bag and hands it to her.
“You’re a natural. Ryland is lucky to have you as a dad.”
“You obviously don’t remember the first time I held Max. I was so afraid I was going to drop him.”
“I remember everything about that day. I knew in that moment that you were going to be a great dad someday.”
“I thought the same thing about you,” he says quietly. “I used to love watching you with Max and always sat there picturing you with our kids. I think Ryland is lucky to have us both.” He walks away, leaving me standing there as he heads to the bathroom.
I lean against the kitchen island and hear the bathwater start. I’m lost in the past with my thoughts when I hear my phone ding.
Agent Davis
I wanted to give you an update on your dad. They are pushing up the sentencing because of the high-profile people he was working with. They want this over and done with as quickly as possible. Your dad is facing a maximum of thirty years. Because he’s a flight risk, he’s being held without bond.
I grip the phone tightly and stare at the text. Thirty years? I expected it to be a lot, but I wasn’t prepared for the maximum.
Eve
What about my mother?
Agent Davis
She’s denying that she knew anything about it, and without her name tied to anything, there’s not much we can do. He’s backing up her story.
I have no doubt she knew her husband was doing something illegal, but it was easy for her to look the other way when their bank accounts were growing.
Eve
Thanks for the update.
Agent Davis
No problem. I’ll let you know when it’s over. We appreciate your help on this. We were able to put away some people that we’ve had our eye on for a while. I really hope you get what you are looking for in Florida. You deserve to be happy again. Take care of that little girl.
Eve
I will. Thanks.
