Arden was at a loss for words. Keera was trying her hardest to pull away from him, to retreat, and he knew she needed time to come to terms with seeing her father again . . . and losing him the way she had.
Yes, she’d lost him years ago, if she had ever truly had him in the first place. But the coward had died how he wanted to. He’d decided he wanted her face to be the last he saw, so he’d left her with nightmares for the rest of her life just so he could have what he wanted in his last moments on this earth.
He had been a selfish man his entire life, and while most would at least try to achieve redemption in their final moments, he’d chosen not to—he’d chosen to be that pathetic, weak, irredeemable man. Arden was scared of what that was going to do to this beautiful woman he’d gotten to know, scared it might be the final straw as far as what she could handle.
He stayed close to her but respected her silence as they drove home. They had no new answers, and she was in more jeopardy now than ever before. Someone thought she was valuable to them. And until he figured out who that person was—and though Ethan was certainly involved, he didn’t take Ethan as the mastermind behind it all—Arden wouldn’t feel right letting her out of his sight.
“I want to shower,” Keera said as soon as they got back to the house.
She didn’t make it more than a couple of steps before Max was at her side, his head instantly resting at her side. She reached out as she always did, her fingers weaving through the soft fur behind his ears. Though she was obviously still in pain, Arden could see the instant comfort the dog offered her.
“Yes, of course. Take your time. I called Angela ahead of time, and she’ll have food when you’re ready.”
“I don’t think I can eat,” she said.
He leaned in and kissed her forehead. She flinched as if even a small touch was painful. That hurt him more than he’d ever admit. It wasn’t about him, it was strictly about her right now.
“Take a hot shower and get some clean clothes on and then we’ll see how you feel,” he told her.
She gave Max one more loving caress, then turned and walked away, going into the spare room. For the past week she’d slept and showered in Arden’s room. Again, it hurt that she was trying to separate herself from him. But that’s what she needed right now. He could give her the space she thought she wanted, because he knew she’d come back to him. He was nothing like her father, and she would understand that when she wasn’t hurting so much.
When she didn’t emerge after a half hour, Arden grew worried. He went to her room, and what he found broke his heart into a million pieces. Keera was sitting on the bed, her hair still wet, a pair of sweats and one of his old T-shirts hanging loosely on her as she buried her head in her hands, her body shaking with sobs.
She’d been through a lot in a short time, and he hadn’t once seen her fall apart like this. She needed him now far more than she needed space. He quietly walked to her, sat down on the bed, and pulled her into his arms.
An anguished cry escaped her throat as she tensed for only a fraction of a second. Then she clung to him as she let out everything she’d been holding in. He rubbed her back, whispering words of comfort, hoping he was helping her even the slightest bit.
“I’m sorry, Keera, I’m so very sorry. This isn’t on you, none of this is on you,” he promised.
“It is,” she said, her tears strangling her voice. “I shouldn’t have gone there. I shouldn’t have come to this town,” she said.
“No, this is the best place for you. It’s where you belong,” he assured her.
“But there’s something bad here. I didn’t know my father’s evilness reached so far,” she choked out.
“None of that’s on you. In spite of him, you’ve become this amazing woman, this beacon for children going through chaos. Some people would use a life like the one you led as an excuse to be terrible human beings, but you chose to rise, you chose to make other people’s lives better. Remember that,” he said.
He leaned back so she could see his face, see that he was serious, that he cared about her, appreciated her—so she’d believe him.
“You are kind, talented, smart, and beautiful. Don’t allow that man, who doesn’t deserve to be called your father, take any of that away,” he demanded.
Her tears dried as she gazed at him. He could see the confusion in her face, could see how desperately she wanted to believe him, but he could also see the doubt in her eyes. Being with her father today had taken her so many steps back in her journey of letting him go. Arden should have gone on his own, but he hadn’t wanted to take that decision from her. Had he known what would happen . . .
Of course he wouldn’t have taken her there had he known. But still, he had to live with that guilt, with knowing the trauma she was going to face because they’d shown up on that man’s doorstep.
“I hate him,” Keera said. She hiccupped, but the tears didn’t begin again. “I hate him for what he did to my brother and me. I hate him for walking away like we meant nothing. And I hate him for being a coward, for taking his life in front of me,” she said.
“Feel that anger. Let it flow through you and evaporate. Don’t give him this power over you for very long. He doesn’t deserve it,” Arden told her.
“I won’t give him anything else of me,” she promised.
“Good. Because you are too good for him,” Arden told her.
She leaned forward and kissed him. It was a slow kiss, a sweet kiss. And it felt far too much like a goodbye. It terrified Arden as she pulled back and looked at him, her eyes lost.
“Thank you for being there for me today. It means a lot,” she told him.
But her voice had changed. And she untangled herself from his arms and stood, moving over to the window and looking outside at the gloomy night. Her shoulders stayed firm, and she kept her arms crossed as she held herself, protected herself.
He knew she was thinking they couldn’t stay together, knew she was trying to let him go. What she didn’t know was he wasn’t going to allow that to happen. They’d figure this case out, and then he’d show her what she truly meant to him.
They’d have forever, and he’d show her how a father was supposed to be with his children. Though he ached inside, the hope he felt for the two of them warmed his chest.
She was his as much as he was hers. They had forever to figure it all out.
“Let’s eat,” he said.
“I’m not hungry,” she replied.
“Then humor me,” he told her. He moved over to her but didn’t touch her this time. “Come on.”
She stopped fighting him, and they went into the kitchen, where Angela had left the food on warmers. He served them each a small plate, and they took it into the living room instead of sitting at the table. The dimmer lights and view out the windows was better for her peace of mind at this moment.
She had barely touched her food when the house phone rang. She moved liked she was going to get it.
“Let it go to voice mail. It’s not important,” he said.
“It could have something to do with today,” she told him.
He sighed as he stood and grabbed it, not giving the most pleasant of greetings. Then his entire body went still as he looked at Keera. She tensed, knowing that whatever news was coming through the line wasn’t going to be something she’d want to hear.
“We will be right there,” he said before hanging up.
He looked at Keera, who let out a breath and looked at him with a new resolve.
“Whatever it is, I can take it,” she said.
“A person can only deal with so much before they break,” he told her. “But there’s no way I can keep this from you, though that’s exactly what I want to do.”
She gave him a semblance of a smile. “I know. You’re that guy,” she said. He wasn’t exactly sure what that meant, but he wasn’t going to ask her to explain it right now. “Just tell me. We might as well get all of the bad over with at one time.”
“That was Declan. They’ve found Ethan,” he said.
She tensed, before her eyes narrowed.
“Good. Let’s go have a chat with him.” She’d been so sad at the thought of the man betraying her, but after seeing her father, after learning Ethan had been phony the entire time she’d known him, she now wanted answers.
“He’s at the school,” he said.
Her brows knit in confusion. “Why wouldn’t they take him in?”
“He’s in a standoff with the police. He has a gun . . . ,” he said, letting that sink in before he continued. “And hostages.”
Keera’s eyes widened before she closed them and leaned her head back. She only took about three seconds before they flashed back open and she rose to her feet. Arden was humbled by her strength and resolve.
“Let’s go have a chat, then, shall we?” she said.
Arden nodded. This time he took her hand and didn’t let go as they left the house. Right now, they needed each other—nothing else mattered.