Forget : A Dark Omegaverse (Unhingedverse)

The door opens behind me as my fingers move up to check her pulse, breathing a sigh of relief when I find it’s strong. The knot has an emergency deflate button, and I push it, so I can remove it slowly from her pussy.

The door is pushed open, making me glare over my shoulder. Aisling was very clear about what she wanted.

“We aren’t coming in,” Caelin promises, leaning on the door. Aiden is sitting on the floor, while Domh leans on the wall across from the room. “Did she pass out?”

“Yeah,” I grunt, tossing the toy to the side as I gaze down at her. Sighing, I cover her with a thin sheet, looking around as I notice articles of clothing and a blanket that belong to us. “She added our things to her nest, guys.”

“Me too?” Aiden asks, eyes widening as I pick up a shirt to show him. It smells like fresh sweat and Aiden.

“She wanted us close, despite all the bullshit we’ve given her,” I rasp. “Why doesn’t this heat feel as if it’s as bad…”

A bottle on the nightstand catches my attention and I turn toward it. Aisling whines in her sleep, making Aiden tense.

“Touch her face,” he growls. “It helped when she was under sedation.”

Cupping Aisling’s face, I pick up the bottle, but it’s unmarked. Popping the top, I stick my nose inside and inhale deeply. A chemical-like smell makes me cough, raising my head in disgust.

I can almost taste it on my tongue. Gross.

Aisling’s temperature is already breaking, her body calming quickly. Is it possible it’s already over?

“Who did she get these from?” I ask, worried. If she got them off the street, they could be seriously dangerous.

“Corbin runs a large portion of the scent blockers, descenting products, and suppressants you’ll find in Minneapolis,” Aiden grunts. “He doesn’t fuck around so much with hard drugs, though. I could see her reaching out to Shaw and Pack Mohan for them.”

“I’m surprised Shaw gave them to her,” I mutter.

“We’re the enemy,” Aiden sighs. “Aisling doesn’t want to be a slave to biology when she doesn’t trust us to take care of her needs and wants. I can absolutely see Shaw being moved to help her. She’s practically family.”

“Aisling somehow gathers people to her,” Caelin says. “I saw it at the restaurant where she was having her dates from the app. They all made sure she was okay each time she went in, cheered on her reasons for dating, and then didn’t hesitate to fuck up Pack Dayton when they misstepped.”

“Fuck,” Domh mutters. “She’s just such a good person. The things they’re doing at Omega’s Haven are going to push other cities to do the same. I have four law offices who have agreed to give pro bono hours to Aisling and Wren’s clients. I haven’t had a chance to tell her. I mean, I don’t even know if I should at this point. They’re contacting the office to make arrangements to set up ongoing legal aid services.”

“I wouldn’t tell her yet,” Aiden says. “Yes, I know that we’re keeping more secrets from her, but I don’t want to emotionally blackmail her into forgiving us either.”

The three of us stare at him for a while, and I wonder who the hell he is.

“What did you just say?” Domh asks.

“I may have gone to see Aisling’s therapist after the alley incident,” Aiden sighs.

My ass hits the mattress in shock, while he shrugs.

“Something has to fucking change, because we’re losing her, guys,” he says. “Aisling is depressed and overwhelmed. We aren’t supposed to add to her load.”

“Aisling is so busy, she reacts best to acts of service,” I say. “Our omega has people to give her everything if you think about it. Pack Mohan showers her with friendship. Her work fulfills her need to help others not suffer through what she did.”

“So who takes care of her at the end of the day?” Domh asks. “Aisling is so fucking stressed out.”

“Every day, there are multiple emergencies,” Aiden mutters.

“I’ve noticed that,” I say, looking down at Aisling. I want to cuddle her, but don’t want to wake her up. “She needs to fix things with her dad. I don’t think she’ll be ready for anything until she does that.”

“We’ll either encourage her to go see him or suggest taking her out for a surprise and drop her ass off,” Aiden says.

Snorting, I shake my head. Glad to see he hasn’t changed too much.

“More kidnapping,” I wheeze. “Excellent plan.”

“I think what bugs me the most is that I don’t know what is going on in our poppet’s mind,” Caelin says. “Sometimes she looks like she’s in pain, others, as if the entire world is on her shoulders.”

“No, I think Aisling stopped pretending,” Domh says. “When she’s at Omega’s Haven, she hides away whatever is wrong or bothering her. Her problems don’t matter in her eyes when she’s helping others. By the time she gets home, she’s tired of pretending.”

“Digging for answers just pisses her off,” Aiden grumbles. “Aisling hates questions.”

“I think she hates explaining herself,” Domh interjects. “I thought she was going to bite my head off when she went grocery shopping. She’s used to doing what she wants, when she needs to do it. Having someone following her every move is grating.”

“I told her I would burn the world down,” Aiden says. “It’s no less true now than it was before, and I think we all would do this. Aisling needs help but doesn’t like to accept it.”

“So we’ll keep contacting people for services that she clearly needs and direct them toward her,” Domh says.

“That women’s group is going to be a fucking problem. Mom said they’re savage,” I tell them.

“She told the Whalen Society that they’ve been obnoxious,” Aiden says.

“A part of me just wants to scare the shit out of them,” I say with a snicker.

“After they say whatever they have to say to her,” Caelin grunts. “We can visit their next meeting while masked up and scare the fuck out of them. Maybe a couple of their tickers will give out.”

“Fuck around and find out,” Domh says with an evil grin.

“You’re not even going to try to talk us out of it, are you?” I ask, smirking.

“Nope,” he says. “I keep you from getting locked up for your foolishness.”

Damn skippy he does.

Aisling

My heat ended after twelve hours, and I spent a lot of it sleeping. It’s a miracle drug, but I can understand why Shaw was so worried about my using them, since the effects are so varied for everyone.

Now, I’m headed into work, feeling better than I usually do after a typical heat. I can see why this feeling would be addicting to people, but I just want the men I live with to fix their lives. I came down this morning to find a full breakfast laid out on the kitchen table.

Usually, I wouldn’t bother with breakfast, but it looked too good and I was starving.

Aiden is driving me today, and I sit quietly in the passenger seat.

“Are you afraid of me?” he asks, surprising me.

Huh. Am I?

“I don’t know,” I say softly. “I don’t know how to act around you anymore, so it’s easier to sit in my corner and say nothing.”

“I suck at apologies because I never think they’re good enough and then overthink them,” he says. “I want, crave, and need you to acknowledge me, but the truth is you shouldn’t have to if you don’t want to. There’s nothing that says in our biology that you have to.”

I stare out the window as I take that in, because that’s not completely true. My body recognizes him, and during my normal heats, it physically hurts to have him not be near me. It reminds me again and again how Mom rejected her scent match to keep me safe.

How did she do it?

How much did she suffer in her decision?

“Some of my biology does,” I murmur. I’m not trying to be a brat, just truthful.

“That’s true,” he says. “You could reject me, though.”

“What?” I ask, startled.

“If you verbally reject me, then the push and pull between us ends,” he says calmly. “You wouldn’t want me during your heats, just the other guys in our pack. Since you’ve bonded to them, there’s no escaping that. However, you can end what’s between us very easily. Just say the words.”

“Do you want me to do that?” I ask. Swallowing hard, I think about the ramifications of that. Would it hurt him? What isn’t he telling me? “Aiden.”

Inhaling sharply, he jerks the wheel, almost driving us into a snow drift. Fuck.

“I’m good,” he promises, voice sounding hoarse. “My name on your lips just sounded so much better than I thought it would. No, I don’t want you to do that, but it’s not about me. What we’re doing isn’t healthy, Aisling. If you want your out, you’ve got it.”

Blinking hard, I take a deep breath. I didn’t think that would hurt as much as it did to hear him say that. I wanted him to fight harder for me.

“I don’t know what is going through that pretty little head, but let me add this,” Aiden says. “I’m nowhere near done trying to show you how sorry I am for what I’ve done, however it won’t be through words. I’m not great at those, as you see. I am not giving you up, I just want you to know that if it gets too hard, I understand, okay?”

Nodding, I let my hair slide in front of me to cover my face, the tears falling down splash onto my glove-covered hands. I found these tucked into my coat, and I have no idea who gave them to me.

They have a plush lining, let me use my touchscreen easier, and are really warm. Somehow, the guys continue to take care of me for some reason.

Aiden drops his hand on mine, squeezing it as he drives and doesn’t say another word, simply letting me sit in my feelings. Sometimes, that’s what I need. My emotions are big, which makes it feel unmanageable when it all crashes over me like now.

By the time we make it to Omega’s Haven, I’m subdued and ready to walk in.

“Are you planning to be here most of the day?” Aiden asks.

“Yes,” I tell him. “I have admin things to do, and then I’m in the outreach center for the rest of the day.”

“I have some errands to do, but I’m going to bring you lunch,” he says as I nod and get out of the vehicle.

Wow, did I just have a civilized conversation with Aiden? I’m not sure what just happened, but I like it. My shoulders aren’t up to my ears when I walk into work, and I feel good.

The only thing that slightly dings my happiness is an email from the Regional Omegas’ Women’s Society.

Scowling, I read the email yet again as I call Wren. She responded to it but forwarded it to my personal email so I would also see it.

Dear little omegas of the Omega’s Haven,

I am very excited to see you tomorrow, and look forward to discussing the change over of leadership to people who actually know what omegas need.

Sincerely, Emilia Richardson.Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

“Who the fuck does that bitch think she is?!” I scream when Wren picks up the phone.

“I hope she never has another orgasm, and her tea tastes like salty fish,” Wren agrees.

I can hear snorts in the background and my lips twitch in amusement. Okay, that was a pretty fantastic curse.

“Same,” I mutter. “This is next level unhinged shit. We aren’t relinquishing our foundation.”

“No, and I think it’s time to bring in the big guns,” she says. “We need your dad, Shaw, and one of the scarier guys in your pack to back us up tomorrow. Yes, I’m calling them yours.”

“Ah, man. I’m scary,” Ambrose complains, making me giggle. Everest and Amb are very scary, maybe too much for this.

“You are,” I soothe, hearing when Wren puts me on speaker. “If we need the bitch tortured, you and Everest are invited to the party.”

“See?” Wren says. “We aren’t leaving you out.”

“I guess I’m going to see my dad tonight then,” I sigh. “Four law offices called me throughout the day to offer their pro bono services. Everything’s coming together so well, there’s no way this woman can just swoop in to take over.”

“It’s not even because we want the credit, either,” Wren says. “Emilia has an agenda I don’t want to be associated with.”

“I’m scared to think about what her idea of a demure omega might look like,” I say.

“Emilia Richardson thinks omegas need to be put in their place,” Shaw says. “I looked into her recently, and found that she stonewalls any change. She thinks that any omega running an organization that will shift the status quo is an upstart that needs to be guided.”

“Or replaced,” Wren says wryly.

Ugh, this is so not good.

“I am not one to start shit, but why do you think you suddenly have law offices reaching out, Aisling?” Shaw asks, making me take a deep breath.

“I asked Domh to step in one day when I had a client come in about a custody case,” I tell him. “He spoke to her, and must have called around for offices to help. I just don’t know why he wouldn’t have told me?”

“You’ve been getting gifts for a week or two, haven’t you?” Flynn asks, chiming in.

Glancing at my new gloves that are peeking out of my coat pocket, I nod. “I received new gloves this morning,” I say. “They’re the single most perfect thing ever.”

“With that kind of endorsement, I need a photo so I can buy Wren a pair,” Everest says with a chuckle.

“It’s not a competition,” Wren says with a huff. I can hear that she likes it though from how warm her tone is and I smile. I love how well her pack loves her.

I know they had a really tough start, but things have definitely changed for the better.

“They could be trying to make your life easier without looking for recognition,” Flynn says.

“That’s what I think,” Shaw grunts. “They’re trying, I just don’t think it’s enough.”

“Aiden told me to reject him,” I blurt out. It’s been on my mind all day and I can’t hold it in any longer.

“Is that what you want?” Everest asks slowly after a long pause. There’s a gravity to his tone and I sigh, leaning back in my chair.

“No, but I’m not ready to play happy family, either,” I admit.

“Then let it ride,” Ambrose says. “It was big of him to even tell you that. While it’s an option, most alphas won’t tell you that, since it’s a big deal. There are a lot of consequences to it. The string tugging you to each other breaks, and it feels as if something’s been ripped away from each of you.”

I definitely don’t want to do that. I do want to feel cherished, adored, and respected though. I am capable of taking care of myself, but there are times when I’d like not to have to.

It’s a thin line, and one many people don’t understand.

“I’m just hoping my heat holds off until after tomorrow,” Wren says. “I have a feeling Flynn and I are syncing up again.”

“If you can’t, it’s⁠—”

“No, it’s not,” Wren growls. “I don’t want you around that fucking bitch alone.”

“We’ll play it by ear,” Shaw soothes. “Neither of them have started full blown nesting yet, so I think it’ll be fine. Flynn is going to feel the need to clean at some point, and that hasn’t happened yet.”

“No, it hasn’t,” Flynn agrees. “Wren told the old bag that you’d be there, but that no one would be handing over the reins to anything. She didn’t respond.”

“She’s probably feeling pretty proud of herself, thinking that she’s going to overwhelm Wren and I,” I mutter. “I guess tomorrow she’s going to find out what eating a bag of dicks feels like.”

“Gross, Aisling,” Wren says with a giggle.

“She deserves it,” I reply. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Aiden:

I have lunch for you. Where can I meet you?

Me:

I’ll meet you at the alley that leads to the shelter. Give me five?

Aiden:

Take your time.

Me:

Thanks. I also decided that I really do want to go see Dad after I finish up here.

Aiden:

Good deal, Princess. I’ll give him the heads up since Evan is driving him today.

Blowing out a breath, I remind myself that I can do hard things, then put on my warm outerwear, and walk out to meet Aiden. The universe seems to be throwing me a lot of shit right now, and I need to pull my big girl panties up for it all.

Gazing at the front door of Dad’s house, I feel awkward as I knock on it. I don’t think I ever really have. Things aren’t the best between us, and that’s mostly because I’m feeling betrayed.

Whether or not I should be feeling that is up for debate until I speak to him.

Glancing over my shoulder, I see Aiden parked in the driveway, refusing to move a muscle. Rolling down the window closest to me, he heaves out a breath.

“Princess, your father shot at me yesterday,” he drawls. “I think he and I need some space.”

“Oh shit,” I whisper.

“I do believe that’s the right response,” Dad says, overhearing us as he opens the door. “My daughter, you do not ever need to knock on this door.”

“I don’t have my keys,” I admit, wincing. “A few of my things have gone missing since I was kidnapped.”

“We have your keys and I have your knife still,” Aiden grunts. “Anything else you may be missing, I can probably find.”

The window goes back up before I can respond, and I roll my eyes before turning back to my dad.

“Sounds about right,” he mutters. “Come inside, Aisling.”

Stepping inside, I sigh as the warmth of the house wraps around me. I swear, my dad’s home is always the perfect temperature.

“Let’s go into the living room. I have a fire going in there,” he says.

The sun has long gone down, and it’s almost eight o’clock. The day managed to fly by the way it always does

“Chef is still here, are you hungry?” he asks, as he closes the door and locks it.

“No, I’m fine,” I begin to say, because I don’t want to be an annoyance.

“When was the last time you ate?” Dad asks as we walk further into the house.

“I had a snack around four,” I sigh. “I didn’t have time for anything more, and I didn’t want to get out here too late.”

“Well, that simply won’t do,” he murmurs as he changes directions toward the kitchen.

“Dad, okay maybe just a snack? It’s late, and he shouldn’t need to make me anything,” I tell him.

Chef pops his head out of the kitchen, brow raised. “Ah, the prodigal daughter returns,” he says. “There is no way you’re coming over and not leaving without a happy and full stomach. How does a grilled cheese sandwich with bacon, tomato, and ham sound?”

“Oh my God,” I groan. “Yes, please.”

My stomach even chooses this moment to remind me that I’m hungry, and I smirk in embarrassment. It would be nice to be able to schedule food breaks in my day, but even when I used to pack food, it was difficult to find the time.

“Coming right up,” Chef says with a chuckle, going back into the kitchen.

“Folded like a card table,” Dad teases me as he continues on into the living room.

Pretty abstract paintings line the wall, adding color to the house, instead of appearing pretentious. Dad’s house is huge, yet it still manages to feel homey.

“What is so pressing, my daughter?” he asks as he sits down on the couch. “Any other issues at Omega’s Haven?”

Finding a corner of a loveseat that I like, I take off my coat and gloves, getting comfortable. The fire feels amazing, and I can feel my body slowly relaxing, despite the conversation I need to have.

“Yes and no,” I tell him. “There’s always some kind of issue, which is the nature of running a foundation that’s forcing society to change. I came to talk to you, though.”

“Oh,” he says, and I feel immediately bad because I’ve been putting this off for so long. “No, don’t look like that. I’m glad you came to talk, but I can tell there’s other shit too. Can we discuss that after?”

“Yes,” I agree.

“Okay, good. So, I did keep things from you. It’s just not as bad as it ended up escalating to,” Dad says. “I had this odd feeling that Hayes was your scent match because of how he was acting.”

“So his actions are normal?” I ask, oddly amused. Nothing about this has felt at all conventional.

“Eh, normal is a four letter word for alphas,” Dad rumbles. “Possessiveness is pretty standard. Aiden isn’t typically as sarcastic as he’s been to you, which was another red flag to me. I’ve known that boy since he was seventeen, and hired him soon after. His pack is loyal, even if they are a bit psychotic.”

“Just a bit,” I murmur.

“Regardless, I am and always will be on your team,” he says. “I beat the shit out of him for what he did to you. An omega’s first heat can set the tone for the rest. If it’s traumatic, then your brain tells you that it’s always going to hurt, which is what ended up happening. He started lurking after that, thinking I didn’t notice, and I let it happen, because he left you alone.”

“I have a feeling it became active stalking at one point,” I tell him.

“Caelin ran into you on a date,” he says. “When he realized that you were his scent match too, I imagine the gig was up. The entire pack began to fall for you, insisting on following you in an effort to get to know you.”

“So Caelin didn’t magically become Wren and my website designer,” I snark. “The fact that I just happened to meet Domh while at the rage room also makes sense now.”

“They made it a mission to stalk you,” Dad sighs. “I didn’t know anything about this outside of what you told me, but something about it bothered me. Then, during your heat when the sedation stopped working over Christmas, they panicked because you hadn’t been at work.”

“I had to find an app for my phone to debug Omega’s Haven,” I say. “One of Evan’s cousins went to the outreach center on behalf of a family member. She was running from her pack.”

“They were abusive?” Dad asks, growling.

“Oh yeah,” I sigh. “She has a little boy, and one of the alphas was hurting, manipulating, and isolating her from her family. The entire pack was in on it, but I guess Egan was the worst.”

“Are they dead?” Dad asks. I have a feeling he’d volunteer to kill them if they weren’t.

“As Evan’s cousin, I’m sure they are,” I say. “There’s no way he would let them come after her and the baby.”

“Good,” he grunts. “So when the boys found that you hadn’t been to work, Hayes snuck into the house. They all have keys to this place, so I can’t call it breaking in, despite Evan’s ability to pick locks. I left your nest for a few minutes because I thought I heard something, and when I came back, Hayes was in there. The way he stared at you made it clear my suspicions were correct.”

“How did he stare?” I rasp.

Dad smiles softly as he gazes at me, hands open in supplication. “As if you were his,” he says. “I was pretty frazzled by the time I saw him, and told him he couldn’t leave. Hayes stayed with you during the rest of your heat, snuggled against you, so you’d stay relaxed. I tossed the bastard a bottle and told him that’s where he could piss.”

Bursting out into laughter, I shake my head as Chef walks in my food.

“I’ve missed that laugh,” Chef murmurs. “Welcome home.”

Thanking him, I take my plate and take a bite of the sandwich, eyes half closing. “So good,” I mumble happily.

“Good,” he says with a smile. “I’ll be back in a bit. Cappuccino or hot chocolate?”

Knowing that he won’t take ‘no’ as an answer, and I need the caffeine, I swallow my bite before saying, “Cappuccino, please.”

After Chef nods and gets Dad’s order of hot chocolate, so he’s not up too late, Chef leaves us to our conversation.

“So how did the kidnapping happen?” I ask.

“When Hayes was in your nest, I realized something,” Dad says. “Whenever he moved away, you seemed to be in pain. Since your body recognized him as your scent match, you’d never be able to have another full heat without him.”

Wrinkling my nose, I nod in agreement as I take another bite. It’s better if I keep my mouth full right now rather than stick my foot in it.

“Therefore,” Dad continues, “I did agree to let them kidnap you. I wanted to tell you about the scent you kept smelling, but it would have fucked up their window.”

Growling under my breath, I take a savage bite, and my dad sighs. Crossing his arms over his chest, he keeps speaking.

“Yes, I see it from your point of view, my daughter,” he says. “However, I was worried about your health as well. There were very few options. I kept asking if you wanted to go on that last date, since I knew the boys were hijacking it. The truth is, I don’t know how your heat would have gone without them.”

Done with my food and my distraction, I put my plate to the side on the table.

“Why did I keep smelling Aiden in the house while I was nesting?” I ask. “It was making me fucking crazy.”

“Hayes is the reason you went into heat earlier than you probably would have,” he growls. “The fucker jumpstarted things because he couldn’t stay away. That’s why I almost shot him several times that day.”

“I remember you mentioning that he almost died a few times that day,” I murmur.

“Yes! It was all his fucking fault,” Dad says, throwing up his hands, which makes me giggle.

Once I start, I can’t stop, and Dad even snickers.

“I’m sorry, Aisling,” he says. “I didn’t want to hold information from you. I really didn’t think they’d fuck up as much as they did.”

“Aiden wore a mask,” I tell him. “I had no idea who he was during my heat. So when I walked downstairs and saw his face, I threw my knife at him and ran.”

“You ran outside?” Dad clarifies, eyes widening when I nod.

“I was barefoot, which pissed him off, and he caught me while screaming expletives,” I say. “Things have been really rocky since then. I’m barely speaking to them.”

Blinking rapidly, I bite my lip as tears start to flow.

“Aiden told me I could reject our scent match,” I whisper. “I’m tired, and probably a little overwhelmed by everything, Dad.”

“Anyone would be,” he says. “You carry the entire world on your shoulders, Aisling. When are you supposed to have time for yourself or your problems? Give yourself some grace. The most important question at this point is do you want to reject Hayes?”

Blowing out a breath, I shrug. “I think he confuses me the most out of them all,” I say. “Aiden is typically unapologetic, but he apologized to me. I don’t want to reject him. I just don’t know how to move forward.”

“You take it one day at a time,” Dad says. “Put them in their place when they fuck up, remind them of what’s important. Tell them when you appreciate something that they’ve done. Those boys want to be in your life, or they wouldn’t have panicked when you disappeared.”

Nodding, I brush the tears away and Dad leans forward.

“I would usually just come over and give you a hug,” he whispers. “Can I still do that?”

Crying harder, I wail, “Yes!”

Standing, he strides across the short distance, sitting next to me to pull me close to him as he hugs me.

“Most importantly, you’re very independent, and those four are as co-dependent as they come,” he says. “You have to remind them to give you space when you need it, okay?”

“They follow me everywhere,” I complain. “The only place I get any privacy is my nest or Omega’s Haven, because they can’t follow me there. Domh followed me around asking me why I was at the grocery store when there was food at the house and I wanted to scream.”

“And now?” Dad asks, smirking as he rubs my back.

“It’s been better,” I admit. “I miss driving myself places, though.”

“I would say you should drive back, but I don’t like this weather,” he says. “I love the winter usually.”

“It can fuck off at any time,” I mutter, making him laugh.

Chef finds us hugging and smiles, leaving our beverages on the coffee table, and taking away my plate.

“Aye, that it can,” Dad says. “They can’t complain if I say that I want to spend time with you. How do you feel about a little target practice this weekend in the woods? You can even imagine it’s them.”

“I think that would be fun,” I tell him, pulling away to wipe my face. Grabbing tissues, he hands them to me, waiting for me to clean up before giving me my coffee.

“Now, catch me up on what else is happening?” he asks.

Wincing, I hold my coffee and take a small sip for strength. He’s not going to like this.

“What are you doing tomorrow?” I ask. “Want to scare the shit out of Emilia Richardson for me? Shaw is coming as well. I think the Regional Omegas’ Women’s Society is under the impression that Wren and I are defenseless omegas that need their ‘well-meaning’ help.”

“Obviously, I’m with you tomorrow, scaring the shit out of old, dried up omegas who insist on sticking their noses in things that don’t belong to them,” Dad says, snagging his hot chocolate.

Dad is a bit of a chocolate addict, and I swear it evens him out when he’s angry.

“Okay then,” I breathe with a nod. “Do you want to see all of our previous communication?”

“Fuck yes,” he grunts. “Show me everything. Emilia has always been untrustworthy, and I know for a fact that she’s been fucking with your food deliveries.”

“I think I may have found someone new,” I tell him. “Would you like to vette them to see if they’re going to work out or not?”

Dad beams at me, and after his explanation of everything, I feel a pang of sadness that I didn’t come over sooner.

“I would love to,” he says, gently clinking his cup against mine.

I’m over way too late at Dad’s house, but it was worth it to find our footing again.