Page 47 of Keeping Guard
Noah leaned against the wall outside her father’s office. “I’ll be right here.”
She purposely left the door open because she wanted him to know she wouldn’t keep secrets from him. Maybe he’d get the message, but probably not. Her father glanced up from the computer screen when she walked in.
“Hi, Dad.”
“So you’ve finally come to your senses?”
“In what way?” Why was her heart pounding so hard? This was her father, the man who’d raised her. She shouldn’t be so nervous that her knees had turned to jelly. Before her legs betrayed her and she face-planted to the floor, she lowered to the chair in front of his desk.
“Did you know Eddie went on strike?”
That wasn’t an answer to her question, but what? “Because?”
“Said he wouldn’t come back to work until you did.”
She laughed. God bless that old man. There had been times when he’d been more of a parent to her than her own father. With Eddie’s belief in her, and his taking a stand on her behalf, her nerves settled.
“It’s not funny. He said he’s ready to retire, but you’re the only one he’ll turn over his brewery to. Like it’s his brewery and his decision.”
“Well, without him, you’ve got no beer.” Or without her, but if her return was dependent on marrying Dalton, she definitely needed to continue her job search.
“You need to come back, and then he’ll stop his foolishness.”
“And you won’t expect me to marry Dalton?”
By the expression on his face, one would think she’d just said she was going to dance naked through downtown Asheville. “Dalton loves you, Peyton. He’s worried about you. He said you have that man from the waterfall living with you. What in the world is going on with you?”
If Dalton was in front of her right now, she’d punch him in the nose. She stood, dropped her hands to his desk, and looked her father in the eyes. “Dalton does not love me. All he wanted was control of Elk Antler.” That was what she’d decided, anyway. She’d thought about his behavior a lot since becoming a runaway bride, and why else was he so determined to get his hands on her shares?
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Why do you think I ran away from my own wedding? He told his best man he was marrying me for my shares of Elk Antler. And you know what else your precious Dalton did? He let himself into my home, and when I locked myself in the bathroom, he broke the door down. Told me we were going to Vegas and getting married whether I wanted to or not.” She banged a fist on his desk. “And then he lied and said you were dying, and me marrying him was your dying wish.”
She waited for him to deny it, but he wouldn’t even look at her.
“Dad?” Her knees buckled, and she sank down on the chair. “Oh, God. It’s true, isn’t it? When were you going to tell me?”
“After you were married.” He finally met her eyes. “I wanted to see you happy and taken care of.”
If she hadn’t just learned her father was dying, she would be angry. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. But that’s not the important thing right now. Talk to me. What’s wrong, and what are we doing about it?” She was... She didn’t even know which emotion to grab hold of. Shocked? Afraid? Hurt that he hadn’t told her before now? Terrified he would die never having loved her? As long as he was still living, she had hope that the day would come when he’d learn to love her. Tears burned her eyes, threatening to run over. She willed them back. If ever her father needed her, needed her to be strong for him, it was now.
He blew out a breath. “It’s lung cancer.”
“But you don’t smoke.”
“Lung cancer doesn’t always care if one smokes or not.”
He couldn’t die. She wouldn’t let him.
Chapter Sixteen
Noah had been surprised that Peyton had left the door open, and he shamelessly eavesdropped on their conversation as her father told her about his treatment. When her voice trembled, he pressed his feet to the floor to keep from going to her.
A man came around the corner, and he stared into the face of her ex-boyfriend. The man was headed for the office, and Noah stepped in front of the open doorway. “You can’t go in there.”
Dalton scowled. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Making sure you stay away from Peyton.”
