“Hey, baby girl.”
I worried for nothing. His voice hadn’t changed a bit. I felt him standing by my side. I wanted to jump into his arms and beg him to come home, but I was too afraid of the answer.
“Hi, Daddy,” I whispered my greeting to the table.
“I’d believe that if you actually looked at me.”
Shit.
Here goes.
I tore my gaze from the table. The first thing I noticed was his chest. It was bigger than I remembered. The next were his shoulders. They were broader than I remembered. It was obvious he spent his time packing on muscle.
My gaze continued their journey until I was staring into eyes so identical to mine.
They were greener than I remember.
“Hi, Daddy.”
“That’s much better.” He opened his arms, and I leaped from the chair and launched myself into his arms.
I wasn’t going to cry.
Crying was for pussies.
I shoved my face in his chest and bawled like a baby.
“I’ve missed you too, baby girl.” He held me for as long as he could until a guard ordered us to break apart.
He squeezed me once and then moved away.
I’ve missed his hugs.
We took our seats and just stared at one another until we burst into laughter. “You look good,” I remarked. He did look good. I wasn’t sure what I expected, but it didn’t appear he was suffering.
He ignored the compliment and studied me. “You don’t.”
“How perceptive, Father.”
He wasn’t amused. “Mian.”
“You’re a grandfather.”
The atmosphere around us changed with the simple flip of a switch. He blinked and sat back. Then his hand shot up, and he ran it down his face. “No. No. No. No,” he chanted. “Mian—” His voice caught.
“I’m sorry, Daddy.”
His eyes glistened with unshed tears. “How did this happen? This is not what I wanted for you.”
“It doesn’t matter now. He’s here, and we need your help.”
“He? You have a son?”
“Yes. His name is Caylen Theo Ross.”
My father’s lips trembled. He tried to smile and failed. “Do you have a picture?”
I flinched. “No. I’m sorry. I didn’t think—I mean I wasn’t sure—”
“It’s okay,” he cut in. “Next time.”
No, it wasn’t okay. I didn’t have many photos of Caylen, but he deserved to have one. “Yes, next time.”
“Is he why you’re here? When was he born?”
“October 30th.” Confusion twisted his features. “What’s wrong?”
“That was almost nine months ago. Why am I just now finding out?”
“You forbade me to contact or visit you, remember? I’m only here now because I have no choice.”
“Ben should have told me. Is he here with you?” His tone was frigid now. “I’d like to speak with him.”
“Daddy… Uncle Ben and Aunt Gretchen kicked me out before Caylen was born. I haven’t seen them in over a year.”
He leaned forward and growled, “What?”
Oh, God. I took a deep breath to prepare myself for the shit storm. “Aunt Gretchen wanted me to terminate. It was too late, so I refused, and they kicked me out.”
I watched his fists curl around the edge of the table. His knuckles were white and his face was red fury. “I gave those motherfuckers every dime I had to look after you. I’ll kill them.”
“Daddy…” I looked around nervously. I was sure threats like that wouldn’t be taken lightly in prison.
“Son of a bitch.” He snatched his hands away from the table and ran his fingers through his hair. “I should have never trusted them with you. I had no choice baby girl, you have to understand.”
“I know, Daddy. It’s water under the bridge now.”
“The hell it is.”
“Please, calm down.”
“How can I calm down? You’ve been on your own for over a year, and I had no idea. Are you doing okay?”
“No, Daddy. I’m—we’re—not. I have no money, and we’re almost out of food.”
He frowned. “What about the money I left for you?” My father had built up savings in my name in the event I ever needed it. When he got knocked, the savings had accumulated to twenty grand.
“It’s gone.”
“How could it be gone?”
“I had no medical insurance for Caylen’s doctor’s visits. Our expenses were too much even when I held a job. I had no friends or family to babysit so I could work. There was just so much, and I couldn’t get ahead. I’m sorry. I—”
“No, baby girl. Stop it. I know you did the best you could.”
“But we’re going to starve,” I cried.
“You won’t let that happen.”
I sat up straighter to appear strong. Here comes the hard part. “No, I won’t and you won’t either.”
“Mian… I have no money. I gave everything I had to your aunt and uncle in order to convince them to take care of you. I—”
“I know that, but there’s another way.”
“How? Anything.”
“Your last job. I want to know who you were going to hit and for how much.”
“What?”
“I’m going to finish what you started.”