Fall For My Ex’s Mafia Dad
Chapter 268

I wipe away my tears and give Daniel a big smile as the gate swings shut behind us and he skids to a stop in front of me, throwing his arms around me and holding me tight for a long moment. "Oh my god," he whispers, his voice shaking. "Are you - are you all right!?"

"I'm fine, Daniel," I say back, laughing a little. "Honestly, don't worry -"

"Don't worry!?" he gasps, pulling away a little and looking at me like I'm insane. I laugh when he gently pats at my hair, clearly looking for head trauma. "Fay, what -"

"No, seriously," I say, smiling up at him and reaching up a hand to cup his cheek. "I'm fine - Ivan was very considerate -"

"IVAN?!" he gasps, his eyes going wide. "Oh my god, are you serious? It was Ivan?"

"Well," I say, biting my lip and then sighing as I realize that I've got quite a story to tell, and if I spill it all to Daniel now I'm just going to have to tell it five more times to everyone else.

I peek beyond Daniel for a moment, looking for Kent, my eyes falling on Jerome, who is already on the phone, and then my dad. And my stomach drops as I realize that he, really, deserves to know first. "Fay?" Daniel asks, worried at my pause.

"I'm really okay," I say softly, laying a hand flat on his chest. "Just let me tell everyone at once, all right? Where - where's Kent?"

"He's -" Daniel turns, starting to walk me back to the house, but then Lil Kent gives a sad little yip in my arms and Daniel gasps, his eyes going wide as he stares down at the puppy. "Oh my god, Fay," Daniel murmurs, stopping in his tracks, "you still have the dog!?" "Yes, poor baby," I murmur, hoisting him up to Daniel's eye level so he can see him more closely. "Say hello to your new brother!"

Daniel stands stock-still for a moment, staring at the dog, and then he bursts into a hysterical little laugh when the dog pushes his tiny snout forward and gives Daniel a tentative lick on the nose. "You're insane," Daniel sighs, brushing a fond hand over the dog's head and shaking his head at me. "Come on."

My husband wraps an arm around my shoulders and escorts me the short distance to the front steps.

"Fay," Jerome says, his shoulders trembling a little as he hops down the front steps and wraps me in a warm hug, "I'm so sorry - Kent's coming back - he went out looking for you -"

"Okay," I say, smiling him, though my eyes keep drifting back to my dad, who doesn't bother to wipe away the tears that stream down his face. Jerome lets me go, knowing where I want to be, and I quickly climb the steps, letting my dad wrap me in his arms too. I close my eyes, putting my head down on my dad's shoulder as he rocks me slowly back and forth, placing his head against my hair. "We were so worried for you, baby," he murmurs, his voice cracking. And something about it - the real love there, such a true contrast to the coldness my biological mother showed me this morning -

It breaks something in me, and I start to cry in earnest, the entire day washing over me at once. The real fear of being snatched away into a van, of having to confront a ghost, of having a terrible ultimatum hung over my head, and twenty-four hours to decide how to respond?

I cry, hard, for a long time. Dad holds me through it, shushing to me like he did when I was a little girl, murmuring nice things about how it's okay. And after a while... it really is okay. Because my dad is here, and we're together with the little family that we've chosen, and that's....

Well? It's the only thing that matters, isn't it?

I laugh a little as the puppy starts to squirm in my arms, lifting his nose so he can lick the tears that are dripping off my chin. I sniff and pull my head up, smiling at my dad as he wipes at my cheeks with his thumb.

"I should be the one telling you it's okay," I sigh, shaking my head at him. "You're the one who had to sit here, worrying."

"No, Fay," he says, smiling and shaking his head at me. "It's my job to tell you that - I'm an old man now. Don't take the one last thing I can do away from me."

"Don't be ridiculous," I sigh, giving him a shaky smile. "You can do lots of things."

He nods once to me, moving on from it, and reaches out to stroke the little puppy's head. "And who is this? Did your kidnapper give you a parting gift?"

"Nah, this I accidentally stole from a farmer," I say, laughing a little at the ridiculousness of my day. "Dad, meet Lil Kent."

My dad laughs at the name and looks up at me with a raised eyebrow. "Does this family really need another Kent, Fay?" he asks, his voice dry. I burst into laughter and hug my dad again. I can feel his laugh too, shaking in his chest as he holds me tight for a moment before letting me go. "Come inside, little girl," he says, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Let's get you warm."

I nod to him, letting him lead me inside with Daniel and Jerome following behind.

Dad leads me immediately to the couch while Jerome moves to the coffee maker, making me something warm to drink. Daniel grabs a blanket and wraps it around my shoulders as I sit down.

"Seriously, guys," I say, smiling around, "I'm not even cold -"

"Let us do something, Fay," Daniel sighs, shaking his head at me as he sits on the other side of the L-shaped couch, resting his elbows on his knees and shaking his head at me. "After we completely failed you today, the least we can do is get you a blanket."

"You didn't fail me," I sigh, putting the puppy down on the floor so he can stretch his little doggie legs, which have been cooped up for so long. He stays still for a moment, intimidated by his new surroundings, but then begins to tentatively explore. "It was very carefully planned - I think they've been watching me for weeks, waiting for just the right moment."

"Wait," Daniel says, going still as Jerome brings me over a cup of coffee. I smile my thanks at him as I accept it. "They?" Daniel continues, his brow wrinkling in surprise. "I thought you said it was Ivan - who is he working with?"

I hesitate then, glancing at my dad and then at the door, wanting Kent here - because I'm not sure I have the strength to tell this story twice. My spine straightens suddenly when another pain stretches across my back, my belly tightening just a little, but I do my best to ignore it and not let the men see. The pains are still really far apart, and we have other things we really need to concentrate on right now.

"How far away is Kent?" I ask, sipping my coffee and awkwardly avoiding Daniel's question.

"Not far now," Jerome says, slipping his hands into his pockets and looking down. I focus on him suddenly, realizing that his energy is totally different. He's usually energetic and fun - I'd expect him to be cracking jokes in his relief - but this Jerome? He looks... beaten down.

I lean forward suddenly, peering at him, and realize that Jerome looks - he looks actually beaten down.

"Jerome," I gasp, blinking to clear my eyes and realizing that I'm not seeing things. His face - it's all red on one side, darkening to purple on his cheekbone and beneath his eye. "What - what the hell happened to you!?"

Jerome raises his head and looks at me, I guess realizing that he can't hide it any longer. "I'm sorry, Fay," he says, looking at me with such sorrow and guilt in his eyes that I actually sit back against the couch cushion, my eyes going wide. "Sorry?" I ask, my voice shocked. "Sorry for what!?"

"Jerome," Daniel says, turning a little to glare at his boyfriend. "Has been keeping secrets."

"What?" I gasp, my coffee cup starting to shake in my hands. My dad reaches out and takes it from me, not wanting me to spill. I hand it over without looking at him.

"We'll get into that in a minute," Daniel growls, clearly pissed at Jerome, his concern for me the only thing keeping the two of them from a major fight. "Right now, we need to hear what happened to you -"

"But who " I ask, shaking my head at Jerome and touching the side of my own face, wondering how he got the bruises. I spin towards Daniel then. "Did you do that?"

Slowly, he shakes his head. "Not my style, Fay," he sighs. "Who do you think did it?"

But before I can come to the obvious conclusion, the door to the house slams open and Kent's frame fills the doorway.

I'm on my feet, across the room, and in his arms before I can even take my next breath.