Page 57 of Knot Broken

“Your dad’s home,” she says, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “You should go say hello.”

I take a sip of the hot coffee before looking up at her. “Is he mad?”

“Can you blame him if he was?”

I shake my head and sip more coffee. “Do you think I could skip seeing him tonight? I’m still so exhausted, I feel like going back to sleep.”

A frown twists her lips. “Don’t do this, Rory. You have no idea how worried he’s been about you.”

“I know,” I say. “It’s just...” How do I explain that my mind is too shaken up by the nightmare I just had? My stomach is still churning, making me feel ill. The hot coffee is helping me feel better but I’m still going to need some time to feel well enough to face Dad.

“Is Rory up?” A different voice sounds from the doorway.

Heather and I both turn in that direction.

Dad’s standing on the threshold, staring right at me.

A painful ache goes through me at the sight of his familiar face. Putting the coffee mug down, I rush to him and throw my arms around him.

“I’ve missed you so much!” I say, pressing my face into his soft chest. The subtle scent of apples wafts into my nostrils. I never thought I’d see him again.

A rush of emotions surges through me and suddenly, I’m sobbing like a crazy omega.

“I’ve missed you too, kiddo,” he says, patting my back.

My arms tighten around his big, soft belly.

“Hey, look at me,” he says, wrenching me away from him. “What’s the matter with you? Why are you being so dramatic all of a sudden? Are you in some kind of trouble again? Is that the reason you’ve been avoiding me?”

A skeptical look has settled on his face. The bald patch on the top of his head seems to have grown an inch wider. A sliver of guilt settles in my gut as I try to remember the last time I hugged him so enthusiastically.

“Aren’t you happy to see me?” I ask in a choked voice.

He lets out an annoyed huff. “Of course, I’m happy to see my only daughter. But, answer me this. Have you been following some kind of diet?” he asks, his gaze roving all over me. “You look so damn thin, I can barely recognize you!”

“She’s going to be living here,” Heather speaks up from behind me. “I’ll make sure she eats at least four meals a day from now on.”

His eyebrows arch high. “You’ll be livinghere?”

“If that’s okay,” I mumble.

“What’re you talking about? Of course, it’s okay,” he says gruffly. “This is your home. But, what about yourmate?” A disapproving frown twists his mouth. “Will he let you stay here?”

“I broke up with him,” I say quietly.

Surprise flickers through his eyes. “What’s that?”

I nod and look at my knees. “I broke up with Jake.”

“Is that the reason you gave up on food?” he shouts, looking furious. “Is that the reason you look like you’ve crawled out of hell? What the hell has that man done to you? Tell me right now, young lady. Do I need to go kick his ass for you?”

My teeth sink into my bottom lip as more emotions surge through me. I’ve been such a horrible daughter but he never gave up on me. Just seeing him riled up on my account makes me want to hug him tighter and protect him.

“I’ve forgotten about that asshole,” I say, pretending to be nonchalant. “He means nothing to me anymore.”

I thought he’d be relieved to hear me say that but he continues to look worried.

“It couldn’t have been easy to give up on him,” Dad says in a low, gentle voice. A heavy sigh escapes him. “I never liked Jake in the first place. He was so much older than you and seemed to manipulate you into doing things you hated. Even then, I made my peace with it because he made you happy.”

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