He gives my shoulder another squeeze. “I get it. You were all set to go back to school and have your own place. It can still happen. It just might take longer. As soon as—”
I get to my feet and glare at him. I still have to tilt my head back to meet his eyes, but it feels closer to equal footing. “This isn’t about me, Dad. This is about you being a father to your daughters. The father they need and deserve.”
“You’re leaving?” Emily’s in the doorway to the kitchen, her eyes already filling with tears. “Why are you leaving?”
Dad’s smile falters, and I’m glad to see he’s not totally unaffected by his choices. “Trisha and I have to move on, kiddo. We’ll be back to visit real soon. I promise.”
She throws herself at him, hugging him tight. Sophie steps into the kitchen, her expression hard and angry. “Come on, Emily,” she says. “We need to get to school.”
“She’s right.” Dad pats Emily’s back. “I’ll be here when you get home, and we can talk some more.”
Emily steps out of the hug and looks up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. “You promise?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t lie to you.”
She gives him one more hug. “Please stay,” she says in a garbled voice, before she tears herself away and follows Sophie out of the house.
I hurry after them and catch up next to the beat-up two-door red car that used to be mine before I moved back home.
“Emily,” I say. “Are you sure you’re okay to go to school?”
She turns to me, her eyes red, her glare fierce. “I have a test today, remember?” She steps closer. “This is your fault, Gentry. Your friends pushed too hard, and now he’s leaving.”
She’s not wrong, and I feel her anger like a well-deserved punch to the gut. “I’ll talk to him. I’ll try to fix this.”
“Don’t bother,” Sophie says. “Knowing him, he was just looking for any excuse to leave.”
“That’s not true,” Emily says. “You’re just mad you won’t be able to take your stupid gymnastics classes anymore.”
“Whatever,” Sophie says. “Let’s go. I don’t want to be late.”
I watch them drive away, feeling like the worst sister in the history of sisters. Then I get over myself and go back inside to convince a man I don’t trust or even like very much to stay.
Chapter Thirty-One
Levi
Pounding on my door wakes me from a dead sleep. “Go away,” I yell at whichever of my brothers is there, probably Sebastian getting me up early to discuss plans before the day starts.
I’ve been putting off his requests to discuss things until I get Gentry’s house saved, but my time of putting him off is over, just not at… I glance at my watch.
It’s only one in the morning? That’s way too early even for Sebastian.
“Get your ass out of bed,” Deacon yells. “Gentry’s here, and she’s really upset.”
I leap out of bed and race for the door. I swing it open and step out, but Deacon slaps a hand over his eyes and shoves me back inside. “Dude. Put some clothes on.”
Right. I sleep naked. I toss on the sweatpants and t-shirt I was wearing last night and hurry out the door past my brother. Gentry’s on the landing right behind him, murder in her eyes. I can handle her anger, it’s the sadness that’s behind the anger I can’t handle.
Her eyes are red and puffy like she’s been crying, and I hate that I haven’t been able to be here for her.
“You went too far, Levi,” she says, her voice raspy like she’s been talking a lot, or yelling. “You drove Dad away. We got home tonight, and he and Trisha were already gone. They took everything they had brought with them, leaving all our furniture in the garage. They just left, and it’s your fault.”
My heart breaks for Gentry and her sisters. I’d really hoped Harley might step up and be the father he should have been to them. My heart breaks for me too, because there’s no way in hell she’s going to forgive me now. “Aw, sweetheart,” I say. “I’m sorry.”
Deacon slips past her and away, smartly getting the hell out of the crossfire.
“Don’t apologize to me,” she says. “Apologize to the little girl I held all night while she cried because her father left without even saying goodbye after he promised he would.”
