But before I can think too much about that, she opens the door.
“Hey. Come in,” she says with a small smile.
I shut the door behind me and pull her in for a hug. Those stunning baby blues look tired and swollen, like she’s been up all night.
I hold her face and look at her. “Are you okay?”
She closes her eyes and shakes her head. “Not really.”
My stomach bottoms out at the worry in her stare, at how weak her voice sounds. The urge to comfort her, to protect her, to make whatever is upsetting her go away, overtakes me.
“What happened?”
She grips her hands around my wrists and takes a breath. “I need to tell you something. After you and your family left Sweet Cheeks yesterday, your dad showed up.”
“What?” I’m sputtering.
“He, um, he came up to me as I was taking out the trash.”
“He what? What the fuck?” A tidal wave of anger levels me. What the fuck was my dad thinking, sneaking up on Becca at night when she was alone? He probably scared the shit out of her. And how the fuck did he even know about her or where her shop is?
I pull my hands away from her and shake them at my sides.
“Gage, it’s okay. He just wanted to talk.”
“About what?” Fury drips from my hard tone. I force myself to take a breath. I’m beyond pissed right now, but none of this is Becca’s fault. I don’t want to sound angry when I’m talking to her.
“He wanted to talk about you. He said he’s been trying to get ahold of you for a while now. He wants to apologize for how he hurt you. And he wants to make things right with you, but he hasn’t been able to get ahold of you after you cut him out of your life.”
She explains how my dad admitted to following my social media and that’s how he found out about her and Sweet Cheeks. The whole time, anger steamrolls my insides. The fucking nerve of him.
“He mentioned seeing you in the Sweet Cheeks TikTok videos,” she says. “I guess he thought that since he couldn’t get a hold of you, he’d try me.”
A bitter laugh drops from my mouth. I tug at my hair, infuriated. “Typical. He’s such a fucking opportunist. Doesn’t care how he makes others feel. Only cares if things work out for him.”
Becca lets go of my hand. She looks jolted at what I’ve said. I close my eyes for a second, then I grab her hand in mine and look at her. “I’m sorry,” I say in a softer voice. “He was out of line to approach you and put all of this on you. He practically stalked us both on social media, then cornered you to get to me.” Just thinking about the lengths he’s gone to makes me want to rage. “He had no right to do any of that. I’m so sorry he put you in that position.”
“Gage, it’s okay.”
“It’s not okay.” I pull my phone out of my pocket, fury surging through me. I give Becca’s hand a gentle squeeze before letting her go and dialing his number. I walk down the hallway toward her bedroom, my heart thrashing against my chest as I count the rings.
“Hello?”
“Dad, it’s me.”
“Gage?” he stammers. “I-I can’t believe you called.”
I can tell he’s smiling as he speaks, and it makes me even angrier.
“Son, it’s so good to hear from you. I’m so happy you—”
“Stop,” I boom. My voice bounces against the hallway walls. “Listen to me. You crossed a line last night. How dare you corner my girlfriend to get to me.”
“Wh-what? No, that’s not—”
“Don’t you ever come near Becca again, do you hear me?”
“Gage, that’s not—listen, I’m sorry if I made her uncomfortable, but—”
