Page 38 of Shattered Union

"What happened?" The anger in those words is like a whip.

"I'm going to need a drink for this conversation. Maybe ten," I mumble.

Dad's arm around me tightens and pulls me closer into his body. "It's going to be okay, princess, I promise."

Tears clog my throat, but I manage to nod. I know if anyone would make it okay, my dad would. I'm a daddy's girl through and through.

"Lunch," he says and leads me out of my pub and onto the street. I hand him my keys and watch as he locks up.

My phone buzzes with an incoming text. I reach into my handbag and pull it out. My heart skips a beat when I see who the text is actually from. Denis. God. I miss him.

He has been true to his word. He hasn't let me go, thankfully; he hasn’t tried anything either. He's ever present in my pub when I'm at work. Every single night his arse is parked in the corner of the pub, Michael seated beside him. I can feel his eyes on me with every movement I make. It's unnerving, but I love he's there. That he's truly staying around.

I'm stupid to think his marriage will ever be over. It's been twenty years and they're still together. He kept something from me. Something that is a major deal-breaker for me. Lies are something I will not tolerate, nor are half-truths. I can't trust him, and I'm unsure if I'll ever get that trust back.

Denis: I'll be in London tomorrow. If you're still there, I'd like to have dinner with you.

My pulse races at his message. Do I want to have dinner with him? Yes, I do. I want to see him again. I want to be with him again. But can I do it? No, I can't.

"Everything okay?" Dad asks when he comes to stand beside me.

I nod as I slide my phone back into my handbag. "Everything's fine. Now, where are you taking me?" I smirk at him.

He chuckles. "The cheek of ya," he grunts. "Where do you want to go?"

God, my dad is the fecking bomb.

An hour later and we're seated in a fast-food restaurant, waiting on our burger and chips. "Tell me, Callie, what's happened?"

I fiddle with my straw before closing my lips around it and taking a sip of the coke that's in the glass. "Do you know Denis Gallagher?" I ask him when I gather the courage to speak.

I watch as his brows snap together. "The mafia boss?"

I nod as guilt hits me, and confusion seeps into his gaze.

"Are you in trouble, Callie? Do you need money?"

God, he's the best.

"No, Dad, I'm not in trouble. Denis was the man I was dating." I rip the plaster off, get it out and into the open.

His mouth opens, his eyes get wide, and he swallows harshly. "Want to repeat that?" he growls.

"Dad," I say softly, hoping he'll listen to what I have to say. "I met him one night. I didn’t know who he was. I'm not stupid, I knew there was something dangerous about him." I shake my head. I should have listened to the gnawing in my gut.

Dad shakes his head. "You've always had a thing for the older guys, the men that never toe the line." Thankfully, there's no heat in his words.

"We had one night and then he had business and I was in London. It was a month before we saw each other again. I fell in love, Daddy," I whisper. It's been years since I've called him daddy, but the way his eyes soften, he knows what I'm saying to him.

"I fell so hard. I thought I found my one. Just like you have with Mam. I was so bloody happy. I was planning for the future."

His expression falls as he spots the tears in my eyes. "Please don't cry, you know I can't deal with those tears."

I suck in a deep breath, trying to stop them from falling. "His wife showed up," I tell him, the pain piercing my chest as it does every time I think about Zoe turning up to my house and dropping the bomb that she and Denis had been married for twenty years.

"Oh, Callie," he breathes. Softer than I've ever heard. "Are you okay?"

I shake my head. "Not really. Things are so up in the air. I love him, and he says he loves me. But he's married, Dad. Married. Has been for over twenty years. He says he's not losing me, and as soon as he and Zoe are divorced, he’s going to marry me."

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