Page 54 of The Last Ones Standing, Part Two

“Once a week. On top of the trips to the bookstore and random boxes of books here and there. Some mob boss,” he snorts.

My hackles go up a little. Elijah has a right to sound bitter, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it. I go over and take a seat next to him. Leaning over, I bump him with my shoulder.

“Talk to me, Dad. What’s going on?”

He scoffs. “Twenty-six years is a long time to wait for the love of your life to come back to you. I’ve been understanding, I’ve been patient, I’ve been here.

“I haven’t complained about raising you girls because it’s been one of the greatest parts of my life. I wouldn’t change a thing about stepping in to be you girls’ dad.”

“I hear a but coming,” I murmur.

“But I sit here thinking about how long I’ve waited to put this ring on Gwen’s finger, and then I think of you. You don’t talk to me, but I watch.

“I know you’re not happy. I know things have changed between you and Gio. I also figured out you’re seeing Jace too. This breaks my heart because I know you’re going through twice the heartbreak.

“But I can’t help you because I’ve lost myself so much to all of this and I wouldn’t know how to tell you to fix it. I know Gwen can’t have children, but she’s used that as a shield all this time. I love her, we could have adopted or gotten a puppy. Anything, as long as I had her.

“You girls needed me, and I’ve been here for my best friend’s daughters. I see the end nearing, but I also see the fear in Gwen’s eyes. She has nothing else to hide behind.

“I’m real, we’re real, my love for her is real. I’m tired of her sneaking in at night and sneaking back out before Lizzy wakes. I can’t remember the last time we went on a real date. Trying to keep my hands off her kills me,” he says into his palms.

“I’ve never understood why you guys kept this going for so long. Lizzy is old enough now. She’ll understand.”

He sighs heavily. “If we tell her, she’ll make the connections. For some reason, Gwen or Gio don’t want that to happen.”

I sit, working my jaw. Gio…Gio doesn’t want it to happen, and I know why. He’s still planning to hook my sister up with his married brother.

I reach for Dad’s hand and cover it. “Don’t worry about me. I made my bed and now I have to lie in it.”

“You’ve never needed me, but I wish I could have done more,” he says.

“I did need you. I can remember all the times I was so angry and ready to tear shit up and you’d give me a hug and tell me to be patient. Those moments held me together and kept me sane.

“My thing with Gio and Jace started long before I lost my parents.”

“You were fifteen. You’ve been dating them for all this time?”

I smile at him and reach for his glass to drain it. “Oh, Dad, the things you don’t know about me.”

“That’s the thing. I want to know. I want to understand. I wish you would come to me more.”

I tilt my head and look into his blue eyes. This man has shown me and my sister nothing but love. Genuine love. I hate to see him like this.

I blow out a breath. “From the outside looking in. I probably looked like a fast-tail little slut, but it wasn’t like that. I’ve always loved them. They were my friends, my partners in crime, my other halves.

“Gio and I had just started to date when I babysat for this couple. It was a weekend traveling job, so I spent three days with their family. They were into polyamory. In my fifteen-year-old brain, this was the perfect way to evolve the relationship I’d grown up with.

“I felt the spark between me and Jace. He was just less outgoing than Gio. I started to join forums and researched the lifestyle, and that’s when I got to talking to the guys about it.

“We were all mature at that age and I thought it would work out. Then Jace sort of suggested we kiss. You know, to see if it would even work out.

“It seemed like a good idea. I thought I had it figured out, so I kissed him, and all hell broke loose. From that kiss, my entire life changed. We’ve never been the same… it’s like we’re broken,” I say, this time staring into my own palms.

“But you guys have been together for years. Am I right?”

“Yeah, we have. And we just keep breaking down with time. I get what you mean about twenty-six years being a long time to wait for the love of your life.

“If… if I could walk my time line and find where I lost my way, I’d go back and fix so much. I don’t regret my love. I may have been naive in thinking I could have them both, but it was never out of lust.

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