Surrendering Series Box Set

“I don’t want to answer for him, but I’m pretty sure he’d love that. He’s been asking me to let him come for a while.”

“Really? I thought he was the reticent one. Why didn’t you want him to come?” I really didn’t want to discuss this with Dad right now. Or ever.

“I don’t know. I was just worried, I guess. Worried about what you would think of him.” Dad’s eyebrows came together in confusion.

“Why would anything he’d say change my opinion of him? That’s pretty well set already. I did meet with him plenty of times without you there. I’ve spent more time with him than you know about. I didn’t get angry when I found out that you were both violating the dating policy. And I also didn’t say anything about you moving in together. So. I don’t think anything he could do at this point, unless he hurt you, would change what I think about him.” Well. I didn’t know what to say to that. I had to think about it for a little while.

“Oh.” That was the best response I could come up with.

“I hate to cut this short, but I have a thousand things to do.” He got up and I did to and gave him a hug. “You’re my favorite daughter.”

“I should hope so,” I said, “seeing as how I’m your only daughter.”

“Oh, that’s right.” He let go and I walked back to my desk feeling a teeny bit better. If he had his sense of humor, that was something.

~*~*~

“So we’re doing dinner at Sloane’s with the rest of the girls?” Lucah said that night. I’d already told him about chatting with Dad earlier, and he agreed to keep going to dinner with me every week. He’d also agreed that Dad was being cagey, but it was best to leave it alone and wait and see.

“If you’re cool with that. Don’t you ever get sick of hanging out with us?”

“Not at all. I love seeing you together, and your friends are awesome. I’d like them even if they weren’t your friends.” I held onto his arm as we walked, and even though it was still summer, I could almost taste Fall in the air. Fall in Boston was one of my favorite times of the year.

“And speaking of spending time with people, Tate called and he said that the girls have been asking when you are going to come visit again.”

“That is so cute. I’d love to go see them again, but minus the candy this time.” I was never bringing candy again, unless April approved it, or asked us to bring it.

“Great. Saturday again?”

“Which means little to no drinking on Friday, but I’m okay with that. After that Thursday night wine binge a few weeks ago, I’m on an alcohol hiatus for a little while.” Lucah laughed.

“My little lightweight.” Drinking was probably the only category I could be considered a lightweight.

“Shut up.”

~*~*~

“This is a terrible game,” Lucah said as we played Cards Against Humanity that night after dinner. It was a traditional girls’ night activity, and once we’d explained it to him, he wanted to play. But then we actually started playing and he realized how awful of a game it really was.

“You were the one who said you wanted to play.”

“That was before I looked at any of the cards.”

I just laughed at him and pushed his hair back.

“Ugh, I have to go in early tomorrow. We had a bitch quit this week,” Chloe said. “So I’m out.” She got up and we all gave her hugs.

“I should probably go too. I think Fin is going to call me.” Marisol’s cheeks turned pink when she said his name. So adorable. Having an international love was not all it was cracked up to be. Especially with a huge time difference. We hugged and said good-bye and then it was me and Sloane and Lucah. The three Musketeers. Sort of.

“You haven’t heard from my brother at all, have you?” Lucah said, completely out of left field. We hadn’t talked much about Ryder lately, and I just assumed that either they hadn’t been talking, or things were going well.

“Uhhh, no.” She got up and didn’t make eye contact as she picked up the cards and put them back in the box.

“Very convincing, Sloane,” I said.

“Okay, he texted me. Once. Just asked if I wanted to meet him and gave me an address. I was in the midst of dealing with work chaos, and it was the middle of the day, so I said that I couldn’t and I haven’t heard from him since.” Wow. I was shocked. I thought she would have at least had more contact with him, or even that she’d hooked up with him, but she hadn’t. Progress?

“What was the address?” She got her phone and pulled up the message and showed it to Lucah, who typed it into his phone. “It looks like an apartment building. He’s been really vague about where he’s living. I’ve tried to get him a place, but he’d rather be a couch nomad.”