“Get off me,” he growls from under my hand, trying to push me away, but I hold on tighter, as tight as I can, but he’s always been stronger than me, so it takes a lot of strength to keep my hold.
“I have to tell you something!” I cry, when he dislodges my hand and shoves me away.
“It’s…” He looks at the clock. “It’s after midnight. What could you possibly have to tell me right now?” He narrows his eyes, and I lick my lips, wondering if I should tell him what I want to tell him. He loves our mom like a lot, and I know he always takes her side on everything, but I don’t have anyone else I can possibly tell. “Bre, talk or get out now.”
“Dad’s in love with Shelby,” I squeak, and his brows dart together.
“What?”
“Dad’s in love with Shelby, and he’s been in love with her forever.”
“So?”
“What do you mean ‘so?’” I shout, then cover my mouth and listen for any sign that my dad heard me.
“I mean so, who cares?” He shrugs, lying back down and reaching for the light.
“You don’t care?” I whisper, rubbing my hands together. His hand pauses as his eyes move back to me.
“No,” he mutters, then turns off the light, casting the room back to complete darkness.
“Why hasn’t Dad ever had a girlfriend?”
“I don’t know and don’t care, Bre. Now go away.”
“Dad’s still in love with her, and he has been forever. He said he regrets never going after her when she left.”
“He told you that?” His tone is filled with disbelief, and I hear the bed move then light fills the room.
“No, not me. He told her that.”
“What?” Taking a seat at the end of his bed, I wrap my arms around my waist and bite my lip. “Bre,” he growls.
“I went to talk to Dad, but he was outside with her and they were talking. I heard our names, so I listened to what they were saying. He told her that he regrets not going after her and bringing her back here. He told her that he didn’t move on and didn’t stop loving her.”
“Okay.”
“What do you mean ‘okay?’” I cry, throwing out my hands.
“I just mean okay.” He shrugs. “I don’t know what you want me to say. So what? Dad’s in love with her. Who cares?”
“I want Dad to be happy,” I whisper. “She doesn’t want to give him a chance. We have to make her give him a chance.”
“Bre.” He rubs his face and groans.
“Please, Steven.”
“What do you want us to do?” He tosses his hands up in the air. “Seriously, Bre, what can we do?”
“I don’t know, but there has to be a way to make her see that Dad is a good guy and make her fall in love with him too.”
“You’re crazy, Bre. You can’t make people fall in love.”
“I shouldn’t have asked you to help me,” I mumble, wishing I had friends that I could talk to about this.
“I’m not saying I won’t help. I just don’t know what we could possibly do.”
“You’ll help me?” I breathe, studying him to see if he’s lying.
“I want Dad to be happy too.” He rolls his eyes.
Jumping up, I wrap my arms around him and give him a hug. “I’ll come up with a plan.” I smile, hopping away before he can shove me off, and then leave his room quietly to go back to bed, where I had been for the past four hours trying to figure out how to get Shelby to fall in love with my dad.
Chapter 6
Zach
Ringing the doorbell, I listen to the sound of the chime. From outside, the shit sounds horrible, so I can’t imagine what it’s like when you’re inside the house. Waiting a few minutes, I look at my watch then back to the door. It’s only seven, but it’s also Friday, so Shel should be up getting ready for work, since the bank opens at nine. Then again, if she continued to drink last night after I left her, she may be suffering from a killer hangover.
After knocking once more and still getting no answer, I pull my keys out of my pocket and sift through them until I find the one Pat gave me years ago. I debate using it to let myself in for a second. “Fuck it,” I mutter, sliding the key into the lock and turning it. I know instantly that she didn’t lock it the night before when it doesn’t click over.
Pushing inward, I step into the dark house and go to the security system’s panel on the wall, seeing she didn’t even set the alarm either. “Shelby, baby, I’m going to spank your ass.” I shake my head as I walk down the hall toward the back of the house, and find the door to the bedroom there open wide. She’s still asleep. Glancing around the room, I find the curtains are drawn, along with the blinds over the sliding door, sending the room into almost complete darkness.
Stepping toward the bed, where she’s sleeping on her belly with her hand tucked under her cheek, her leg thrown out of the covers, I take her in for a second. Her heavy mane of hair is covering half her face. Sliding it back over her shoulder I bend close, putting my mouth near her ear. “Shelby, wake up.”
“I’m sleeping,” she mumbles, batting her hand out in my direction and missing before tucking it back where it was.
“You need to get up. We have a meeting with my lawyer in an hour,” I say softly, wishing I could wake her with my mouth and hands on her.
“What?” Even in her sleep, it looks adorable as her brows draw together and her lips form a pout. Running my finger between her brows, I repeat my words. “We have a meeting with my lawyer. You need to get up and get ready.”
“What?” she repeats, opening one eye.