Do I tell him I just can’t handle Mom anymore?
Do I make up some ridiculous lie in hopes he believes it?
I chew on my bottom lip and Dad frowns at me harder. I let my bags fall to the floor then I wrap my arms around my middle. I look Dad in the eye and say, “I’m going to be with Mars.” I try to swallow down my nerves but they cling to the sides of my throat.
“As in you’re running away to be with a boy? Sage, I know your mother doesn’t like him, but don’t you think this is going a little far?” His gaze drops to my bags then he looks into my eyes and I see sadness swimming in his. It smashes my heart into pieces.
“Dad, Mars isn’t just a boy. I love him. He gets me. He loves me for who I am and I don’t have to pretend. Mom doesn’t understand how important that is.” Dad sits on my bed and it protests under his bulk. I try to explain to him what is happening. I try to explain what kind of person his wife is. “She’s trying whatever she can to rip us apart. She went to Duncan just to set him up and get him in trouble with the sheriff. He can’t go back to Duncan, and Mom would have his head the second he set foot in Ashton Hills.”
“What has gotten into Eleanor?” Dad says more to himself than to me. His stare is far off, like he’s trying to figure out when Mom morphed into such a bitch. “Why would she go through so much just to get Mars in trouble?” I sit beside him on the bed and look at him incredulously.
“I told you she wants to keep us apart.”
“I get that. What I’m asking is why. I feel like you’re keeping the missing piece of the puzzle away from me. How can I understand if I don’t know everything?” His voice is stern but I can tell he just hates being kept in the dark.
By keeping everything a secret, I’m acting just like her.
I blink away the realization and focus on Dad.
“She’d do anything to keep us apart because he’s my brother.” The word brother no longer burns leaving my tongue. I leave my statement in the middle of the floor and for a while, Dad sits in silence.
“She kept it all a secret until she walked in on me and Mars fooling around.” My cheeks heat at the admission.
“So you fell in love with him before you knew who he was.” Dad’s eyes finally meet mine again and I nod in response. “Sage, why didn’t you come to me about this? That’s a mighty big thing to shoulder on your own.” His compassion is staggering.
“I know but Mom told me not to say anything. She told me it was illegal and that…I could never be with him.” I choke out the last words as emotion clogs my throat.
Dad pulls me in close and hugs me tight. Out of nowhere, I’m consumed with every emotion all at once. Sobs roll from my throat and sink into Dad’s shirt. After a few quiet minutes, he lifts my chin up.
“You think I’m sick for still loving him, don’t you?” I hold my breath while I wait for his answer.
He runs his thumb across the back of my hand and sighs. “No, Sage. I don’t. Love is a funny thing and it never does what you tell it to. It never stays in the box you try to put it in either.” His eyes crinkle at the corners as he regards me. “You love Mars and that means Mars makes you happy. That means Mars is the reason your paintings have been smiling lately. It means he’s why you’re shining with confidence, and it also means Mars is okay with me.”
I can’t control the relieved laugh that flies from my mouth. I nearly choke Dad wrapping him in a tight hug. He chuckles warmly and rubs my back.
“If you want to go be with Mars, I don’t mind. I’ll hold your mom off, but I have one stipulation.” He pulls away from our embrace to look at me. I can tell he’s not bluffing so I listen close.
“You have to keep in touch with me. I won’t be right if I don’t hear from my little girl. I won’t tell Eleanor where you are, so don’t worry about it.”
“Of course, Dad.” I launch into his arms again and he kisses the top of my head.
Downstairs, the front door closes and I yank away from Dad. I look into his brown pools with worried eyes, but he shakes his head at me and pats my knee.
“Eleanor, we’re up here,” he calls out.
“Dad, why are you calling her up?”