Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Her face falls, “Oh, honey! I’m so sorry. Of course we can sit. Let’s go outside. It’s such a nice day.”
Linking her arm with his free one, she leads them to the backyard, and Nox turns to wink at me. Shaking my head, I smile and bite my lip to stop my laughter. The goof is giving me time by distracting my mom.
I love that man.
Watching them all exit through the double doors, I take a moment to prepare myself for this encounter. I love my dad. I do. But I wish he’d done things differently.
It’s too late to do anything about that now, but it still bugs me.
Quietly making my way down the hall, I stop by my dad’s office and listen in.
Nothing. Not a sound.
Peeking in, I see my dad at his desk, going through a photo album. I assume he wants privacy, so I turn to leave, when I hear, “Nothing scarier than almost losing a child.”
Stopping in my tracks, I listen as he goes on, “Losing a child, as in your wee one passing away, I think ye could come to terms with. It’s so final. I’m not saying it would be easy, just that it’s permanent. But almost losing a child…” He clears his throat. “…It’s a very hard thing to witness. Ye do the best ye can to hold it together for yer family. Somehow, it always comes back to that day. The thought of ye being out of me sight for even a minute was enough to make me loopy.”
Turning, my eyes met my father’s as he continued, “Because if ye were out of me sight, I couldn’t protect ye, love. It’s a father’s duty. And I only did what any father would do. I could handle ye thinking I wasn’t fair. As long as ye were safe, I could deal with yer attitude, Lily.”
And although I don’t completely understand, I get it somewhat. Nodding once, I shift from foot-to–foot, suddenly nervous.
A smiling Dad breaks the tension with, “So he fought the underworld for ye?”
Not able to keep the smile down, I whisper, “He promised he’d come back for me.”
He looks serene as he says, “Must love ye a lot, Lily girl.”
Dipping my chin, I tell him, “He says he does.”
Dad returns in perfect Irish sarcasm, “I’d be inclined to believe him. Coming back from the dead is overkill, but the gesture was nice.”
And I laugh softly, shaking my head.
Standing, Dad smiles up at me. “Missed ye a lot, darling. Do ye think…ye think I could get a hug?”
Not wasting another second, I cross the room in a second flat and wrap my arms around my father’s waist. Placing my cheek to his chest, I take in the warmth and love being given in this moment. I mutter into my dad’s shirt, “I’m getting married.”
He sighs and strokes my hair, “I know, sweets. It’s time for me to let go and place ye in the hands of someone who deserves ye. And I think Nox deserves ye.”
Squeezing my dad, I assure, “He does deserve me. As much as I deserve him.”
He pulls back a little and smiles softly, “Shall I go meet my future son-in-law then?”
“Yeah. I think that would be nice.”
Wrapping his arm around my shoulder, we walk together to the back patio where everyone sits chatting. Terah’s leading the conversation, as always.
Nox turns to the doorway and smiles, seeing me and my father wrapped up. Taking his cane, he stands a little unsteadily, and walks towards us. My father holds his hand out. Nox takes it. And I’m a little stunned when Dad pulls him towards him and hugs him tight.
My throat tightens. My eyes burn.
Still in a manly embrace, my dad says, “Owe ye everything, son. Ye need or want anything, ye just ask.”
Nox earns a point in my dad’s book when he utters, “I’m quite partial to your daughter, actually. I was kinda hoping I could keep her.”
Dad bursts into laughter and claps him on the back. He chuckles, “I’d love to say yes, and ye’ve got me permission.” He looks over to me. “But it’s up to her.” He smiles at me, “If it’s any help, I think she’d follow ye to Hell and back.”
They release each other, and Nox steadies himself on his cane. He turns to me. “She already has.”
***
The guys stay gathered in the dining room, while us ladies clear the table.
We’ve been chatting about our men and wedding stuff. Terah says, “God, sometimes I look at Jon and think ‘how the Hell did I manage to get you?’ We’re so lucky.”
Mom adds, “They are very handsome.”
Terah and I scoff. Shaking my head, I say, “Handsome is something. And Nox is handsome most times. But, by God, he is hot. Hotter than Hell, Mom. I never thought I could love someone so much. I can hardly keep my hands off him.”