Page 139 of Worth the Risk

“Hello, Sophia,” Nash says, breaking the silence.

“Nash?”

Nash nods.

Shifting on my feet and not needing to be here for this reunion, I say, “I’m going to see Dad. Let me know what else you find.”

* * *

After spending time with Dad, I head home. He’s crushed by the turn of events. After finding out about the embezzlement, he received word that the fake company email account for me was made at the request of Oliver. Even knowing Oliver might have had a hand in what went down, he still held onto a bit of hope that his friend would never betray him like this.

When I enter my penthouse, I find Riley sitting on the living room floor, playing with her dolls. Hearing me, she jumps up and into my waiting arms.

“I missed you, Daddy,” she says, squeezing me. I love coming home and seeing her excitement when I come through my door. Having them here makes this place feel like a home.

“I missed you too, Princess. Where’s Mommy?”

“She’s in the kitchen making supper.”

Placing her back down, I head into my kitchen, where I find Kylie at the stove, making lasagna.

Looking up, she smiles when she sees me, and I wrap her in a hug and kiss her on the forehead.

“How was your day?”

Kylie has been volunteering at the outreach program where Sierra is a social worker, tutoring children during the day, and she’s enjoying it. She is able to take Riley with her, and she feels like she’s making a difference. She didn’t want to spend her days waiting around for me to come home.

“Good. How was your day?” she asks and leaves my arms to keep cooking.

“We got him.”

Stopping what she’s doing, she shifts on her feet to me. “Really? Was it Oliver? It was, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. Dad is taking it hard, though. As happy as I am that we got him, I feel bad for Dad. It’s hard to celebrate it.”

“I’m so sorry, Leo. Is there anything we can do for your dad?”

“I’m glad you asked. I want us to spend some time with him. Make sure he’s okay. He took Mom’s leaving hard, and I don’t want to see him go down that road again from being betrayed by Oliver.” Although I hope he won’t be as wrecked as he was when Mom left, he has once again been betrayed by someone he trusted.

“Absolutely. We must be there for him.”

I lean my hip against the counter. “There’s something else. Nash believes he may have done more than take money and deposit it into your account. He needs some more time to go through everything. Are you okay with staying in New York longer?”

“Funny enough, Sierra asked me the same question. She wanted to know how long I planned to stay and if I’d be willing to consider tutoring this summer. I wanted to talk to you before I gave her an answer.”

Will she stay forever if I ask her?

I wrap my arms around Kylie’s waist. “If it were up to me, it would be a yes. I want you to stay, and not just for the summer. If fact, I never want you to leave.” I peer into her eyes, letting her see the sincerity and honesty in mine.

“Really?”

“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it. In fact, would you consider moving in here with me? I want you two here always.”

I place my hands on her face and stare into her eyes.Please say yes.

“I want to be with you too, Leo. You moving to my hometown would never work for you, but I’m willing to try living here.” She pauses. “But I want to visit my mom and Manda often.”

Knowing how close she is with them, I would want them to spend as much time together as possible.

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