Page 355 of Branded
Another breath and then I gave him more honesty. “I’m not used to a father who’s interested in my life.” I cleared my throat, tone a little quieter. “I’m not used to a father who likes his kids, let alone one who looks at his kids like you do.”
Silence.
Long. Not particularly comfortable.
Then, “How do I look at them?”
My throat was tight, but I pushed the words through. “Like you love them.”
He inhaled sharply enough that Cas called out, “Gorgeous?”
Seeing me. Watching out for me. Protecting me.
I turned, forced a smile, and directed it at him. “I’m good, honey. Promise,” I added when he didn’t look convinced.
“I hate that for you.”
I blinked, glanced back at Luca, met eyes that were Cas’s eyes. And just like Cas’s, they were warm and gentle and kind. “Sorry?”
His hand came back, only this time it wasn’t just for a light squeeze. He covered my hand with his and left it there. His skin was a little rough, but the hold was all gentle. “I hate that someone as deserving as you didn’t have something good at home.”
His tone was gentle, too.
And comforting.
And I didn’t know what to do with that.
So…I just breathed and held very still and deep down I hoped that one day it wouldn’t be so hard to accept that fathers could be kind. That one day I could accept it without a second thought. Then I slipped my hand free, having reached my limit of Dad-ness, and managed to pull myself back to today, to focus on happier topics.
“School,” I said, and he nodded approvingly as I got our conversation back on track. “The hope is that one day I’ll go to nursing school,” I told him. “But right now, I’m just slowly plugging away at all of my general ed requirements.”
He didn’t reach for me again, and he didn’t seem upset that I’d pulled back.
Patient.
Like Cas.
And maybe he liked me.
Like Cas.
“That’s good, darlin’,” he said. “Gotta take it one step at a time, especially with a little one at home and a full-time job.”
“Yeah,” I whispered. Then paused, stymied, not knowing what to say next.
Though I didn’t have to fumble for long. Luca filled the silence by asking, “Nursing, huh?”
Instinctively, I braced. Cas’s dad had been nice so far, but, in my experience, father figures tended to strike out at the time I was the most unprepared. For all I knew, there was a snarky comment about me not being smart enough to go into a field like nursing coming my way.
But when Luca just nodded, and I saw that same kindness Cas had demonstrated over and over again, I knew that bracing and preparing wasn’t something that I’d have to keep on doing.
Because Cas had to have gotten his kind and soft from somewhere—and it was clear the man sitting next to me had played a huge role in it.
Especially when he smiled and said, “I can see you as a nurse.”
My brows lifted.
“You’ve got a good heart.” A wink. “Plus, you’ll look good in scrubs.”
