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I was afraid to argue with him It was obvious he would move heaven and earth to make sure she was happy I sure didn’t want to be the one to upset her

I walked over to her, and she followed my every move with her eyes Her eyelashes batted quickly and she h," Dad said "Don’t make her nervous"

I stopped

"She looks like you Can you see that? She has your beautiful mouth and hands And her hair--that’s all you God knows mine is shit," he told her affectionately

Her body leaned over toward Dad I wasn’t sure if she just slipped or if she was trying to get closer to hiht here with me I wouldn’t let anyone in here hurt you, would I? You know I take care ofa kiss to her head

The emotion in my chest exploded and I understood it now This wasn’t about me This wasn’t about what I had been denied The bitterness of betrayal faded to sorrow in that iven a chance to know my oing to cry He was killingo into the other room a moment," I told him as my eyes filled with tears

"Go on," he said as he turned Eet a drink and rest She’s traveled a long way to see you today," I heard hi to her Did she even understand hi to her to make himself feel better because heroo downMy strong, hard, powerful father, who loved to tell the world "fuck you" and live like he had no worries, was sitting in there holdingher like a queen As if she were thein this world I had always known he loved her He made sure everyone knew that the day he lost her marked him for life But the scene I’d just witnessed? Oh, God, end He had it all They worshipped him Yet none of the and impossible to hurt I knew that wasn’t true anyone My father hurt He hurt ined

I sank down onto the sofa and buried my face in my hands and cried I cried for the woman in there whose life was cut too short I cried for the little girl who never got to know her But mostly I cried for the ain be the one he fell in love with

Grant

TheI reached for it and saw Nan’s nanore it but decided it was ti to hide the fact I was seeing Harlow Besides, she ith August

"Yeah," I said She et that out

"Where are you?" she deone, and Mase is gone Where the fuck are you?"

"You need to keep up with your roomies better," I drawled, bored already by this conversation

I needed a cigarette whenever I talked to her I was doing good I hadn’t had a smoke in two

"I don’t give a shit where those two are but I want to know if you’re with them I won’t let that happen Do you understand me?"

I understood that she was delusional, as always

"Nannette, if I start sleeping in Harlow’s bed, there ain’t a da you can do about it So back the fuck off It’s over I’e i her off

For so long I had just wanted to make her smile I had wanted to save her fros init inme the moment she needed someone I had let her useneeded was soht it would make me feel like I had a purpose What I hadn’t realized was I had beco out of her life hadn’t been easy, but once I had s for her and accept that she was bitter and angry, and that I could never change that, I had been a happier person Sleeping with her when I was drunk was just easy I knehat to expect in thein love with her

"Is this because I’ childish I told you I just wanted to do the friends with benefits thing for a while I don’t like serious, and you wanted serious"

I’d been fucking insane She’d saved us both from hell--I should thank her for that

"I’ is over We’re in the past I don’t want it from you anymore You can fuck whomever the hell you want to, and I’m okay with that Hell, if he needs a condom I’ll tell him where I left my stash"

Nan squeaked in disbelief "You think she’s sweet and pretty, but that’ll get old, too She’s uptight and boring When you’re done trying to fuck Harlow, don’t co back to me when you realize it wasn’t worth the effort"

I didn’t take the bait She was fishing I wasn’t stupid and I wasn’t about to give her anything to throw in Harlow’s face later Nan played gaames

"Who I decide to spend time with is my business I’m not yours, Nan Never was Now, if you’re done I have iet to"

"Where are you?!" she screa up the phone and dropped it Nan had been a hard lesson to learn She was the kind of girl her father had warnedI never really fell in love with her

My phone rang again before I could think too much about Nan

This time it was Rush

"Hey," I said, thankful for someone I could actually talk to

"Just talked to Dad," was his only reply

"Yeah It’s fucked up I’o alone but I want to be there when she leaves"