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Dad patted my knee and took a pull on his beer

"I never wanted anyone like I want her" I shut my oal in the game and I forced myself to watch and pet the cat

Dad was patient for a while but he got his questions in eventually "What did you do that made her leave you?"

It hurt just to hear the question "I lied It was a lie of omission but still I didn’t tell her the truth and she found out" I set the cat off my lap carefully and went into the kitchen for another beer I brought back two instead

"Why did you lie to her, son?"

II’d never said before It had never been true before "Because I love her I love her and didn’t want to hurt her by bringing up a painful one and fallen in love" He nodded his head knowingly and looked ns I should have realized when you showed up here looking like you slept under a bridge"

"She left me, Dad" I started on the third beer and pulled the cat back onto my lap

"You’ve said that already" Dad spoke dryly and kept looking ht not be his son at all but some alien imposter "So why did you lie to the woman you love? Best to tell it, Ethan"

It’s my Dad and I trust him with my life I am sure there is no other person I could tell, apart from possibly my sister I took a deep breath and told him

"I met Brynne’s father, Too We hit it off and he was good at cards Not as good as me, but we developed a friendship He contactedto do it I mean, look at what’s on my plate at the moment ork I can’t provide protection for an Aanize VIP security for the fking Olyot coot a look at the picture he senton the side and she is…so beautiful" I wish I had her portrait in my house already But the conditions for purchase were that it stayed on display at the Andersen gallery for six months

My dad just looked at allery show and buy the da poet or souard to keep her safe if need be" I shook my head "What the hell happened to me, Dad?"

"Your mother loved to read all the poets Keats, Shelley, Byron" He shtly "It happens that way sometimes You find the one for you and that’s all there is to it Men have been falling in love oan, son You just finally made it to the head of the queue" Dad took another drink of his beer "Why does…Brynne, need protection?"

"That congressot a replacement Name is Senator Oakley from California Well, the senator has a son, one Lance Oakley, who used to date Brynne There was some trouble…and a sex tape--" I paused and realized how horrible it irl--only seventeen--and terribly hurt by the betrayal Oakley was a right prick to her She sees a therapist…" I trailed off wondering howall this in I drank soot shipped off to Iraq and Brynne came to study at University of London She studies art and conserves paintings, and she’s absolutely brilliant at it"