“Yo, boss man. You got someone out front asking for you.”

I looked from the inventory sheet I’d been scribbling on to Sherry standing in the open doorway of the stock room. I went back to making notations for what needed to be ordered as I spoke. “Kind of in the middle of something here, Sher. Can you take care of it for me?”

“I would, but he specifically asked for you. And he’s got a vibe to him like he’s a high-ranking political figure, or that he’s got the kind of connections to squash me like a bug, so I didn’t want to push my luck.” My head shot up in confusion at her curious description. She gave me a shit-eating grin as she continued, “Oh, and he looks exactly like you, and introduced himself as Nolan Lockhart. I’m guessing you’ll need to handle this one on your own. If it helps, I’ll take over in here.”

Dropping the clipboard with the stock inventory sheet onto the shelf in front of me, I glared at Sherry as I started toward the door. “You couldn’t have just opened with ‘Hey, Deacon, your dad’s out front asking for you?’”

She shrugged and skipped into the stock room. “Eh, where’s the fun in that?”

I moved past her and down the hall to the front of the bar. We were in the middle of the lunch rush, so the place was busy, but nowhere near as chaotic as it would get later that evening. Construction was set to happen in just a few days, and I’d have to close down until it finished, but I was actually looking forward to a little time off and had been thinking of ways to convince Fiona to ask for a few personal days so we could take a little mid-week vacation together. I was thinking somewhere private with no cell reception so there wouldn’t be a chance of any interruptions.

But before I could put that plan into motion, I had to deal with whatever shit my father had come to lay on me.

As soon as I pushed through the swinging door that led out front, I spotted him standing by the bar with a thoughtful expression on his face while he looked around. I couldn’t tell if his sudden surprise visit was good or bad, so I steeled myself for anything as I headed toward him.

“Hey, Dad.”

He gave a surprised jolt and spun around to face me. “Oh, hey there, son. Sorry to drop by unexpectedly. I thought….” He glanced around the crowded room. “Well, I didn’t realize you were open for lunch. I thought it would be a good time. If I’m keeping you from anything—”

“No, it’s fine. This is actually our slow time, so I’ve got a few minutes.”

Dad’s head jerked back and his eyes went wide. “This is what you consider slow?”

“Compared to what it’s like in the evenings, yeah.”

“I had no idea,” he muttered in awe.

I wasn’t sure how to take his reaction, but if there was one thing I’d learned growing up, it was not to get my hopes up when it came to pleasing my old man. “So what brings you by?”

He tugged at his tie in discomfort before answering. “Well, what Fiona said last night really hit home. It’s rather painful to realize I’ve spent years voicing my concerns as your parent the wrong way. I owe you an apology, Deacon. All these years I’ve been making you feel like you were less than your brother in my eyes, and that couldn’t possibly be further from the truth.”

“Dad, you don’t have to—”

His hand came up to stop me. “I do, son. And it’s been a long time coming. It was never my intention to make you feel like you couldn’t live up to my expectations. The truth is, from the moment you learned to walk, I’ve lived in a perpetual state of fear. You’ve had an iron will since the moment you were born. Nothing ever scared you. You treated every day like it could be your last, squeezing every ounce of enjoyment from life. I always admired that about you, even if some of the shit you pulled put gray hair on my head.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that. My father had been blaming me and Grayson for the salt liberally sprinkled through his pepper hair for years.

“I envy your zest for life, Deacon. You have more courage than I ever could’ve hoped for at your age. You never let other peoples’ opinions stop you from doing what you wanted, even mine. There hasn’t been a single day that’s passed since you entered the world that I haven’t been proud to call you my son.”

My throat suddenly burned as a lump swelled so big that it was a struggle to breathe. I had to clear it in order to speak, and when I finally did, my voice was hoarse with emotion. “Thank you.” It was a lame response to everything my father had just said, but it was all I could come up with in that moment. When the shock of hearing my father tell me he was proud to call me his son finally wore off, maybe I’d be able to fully express how much those words meant to me. But I had a feeling that, for now, a simple thank you would do just fine.

Dad clapped me on the shoulder in a show of support. “Good. I’m glad we’ve finally cleared the air. Now, I’m starving. I don’t suppose you’d have time to join me for a quick bite before you get back to work?”

Even if I’d been swamped, I would’ve pushed everything else to the back burner to have lunch with my old man. “Got all the time in the world, Dad. Let’s grab a table.”

* * *

Collapsing back in the booth, Dad tossed his napkin onto the table and patted his stomach in contentment. “Have to say, Deacon, that was the best burger I’ve ever had.”

I let out a low chuckle and lifted my water glass to my lips. I had to agree with him on that. The Black Sheep served the best burgers on the West Coast. “Glad you approve.”

“I more than approve. I think I’m probably going to lapse into a food coma when I get back to the office. Speaking of….” He lifted his arm and took a look at the Rolex on his wrist. “I should probably be getting back. What’s the damage?” Dad asked, shifting to reach for the wallet in his back pocket.

“On the house.” He gave me a look like he was about to argue, but I cut him off at the pass. “You come in for lunch again, I’ll charge you. First one’s free. Friends and family discount.”

Dad looked at me with a smile full of pride. “I’ll take you up on that.”

We both stood from the booth, and I walked with him to the door. “I’ll look forward to it.”

He stopped to slide his coat over his arms before turning to me once more. “This visit was actually a way for me to kill two birds with one stone. Your mom’s been on my case since yesterday. If you and Fee don’t come over for dinner soon to show we’re good, this might be the last time you see me breathing.”

My head fell back in full-blown laughter. “Wouldn’t want that, would we? I’ll talk to her and see when we can set something up.”

“Good. Enjoy the rest of your day, son. And… this place is amazing. I’m proud of you.”

My chest constricted, squeezing so tight it was almost painful to take a breath. But damn if it wasn’t the best feeling in the world. “Means everything, Dad. I’ll see you later.”

Dad left a moment later, and I watched as he walked down the sidewalk until he was out of sight, thinking that, for the first time in my life, everything was absolutely fucking perfect. I finally had the woman I’d loved all my life. I had my dad’s approval. And I was succeeding at doing what I loved. I was sure there wasn’t a damn thing that could get me down.

Unfortunately, as life had proven more often than not, happiness wasn’t guaranteed. And when you let your guard down long enough, bad shit usually came creeping in.

My cell phone rang and I pulled if from my back pocket, frowning at the unfamiliar number on the screen.

I swiped to engage the call and lifted the phone to my ear. “Hello?”

“Deacon? It’s Calvin. Is Fiona with you? I’ve been trying to reach her, but she’s not answering her phone.”

Something in his tone set me immediately on edge. “No, I’m at the bar. She’s not at work?”

There was a long pause that made my gut churn painfully. “You haven’t talked to her.” It was a statement, not a question, and it did nothing to make me feel any better.

“I haven’t. What’s going on, Calvin? Did something happen?”

Another pause. “Maybe I should let her tell you.”

A sick, sinking sensation hit me like a sledgehammer. “I’m thinking you need to tell me what the hell’s going on before I think the worst and lose my mind.”

Calvin sighed through the line, causing the hairs on my arms to stand on end. Finally, after what felt like an agonizing lifetime, he started talking. “Something happened at the office this morning. There was… an email that was sent out.” He stopped to let out a choked cough. “Look, I really think Fiona should be the one to tell you what happened. If she knew you heard it from me, she might get upset—”

“Look, Cal, no disrespect, but you called me and started dropping hints that something happened almost immediately. Now, if you don’t start talking, I’m going to be the one who gets upset.”

That time he didn’t make me wait. “Last night there was an email circulated to all the employees in the Seattle office. The email contained explicit pictures of Fiona in some rather, uh… compromising positions.” My vision was suddenly coated with red as fury set in. “I think you probably know the pictures I’m referring to.”

“How the fuck did that happen?” I barked through the line as my hands clenched into tight fists. “How the hell did someone even get ahold of those pictures?”

“The who is what we’re currently working to find out. As for the how, it seems that Fiona misplaced her phone one evening. She thinks, and I’m inclined to agree, that what really happened was someone took it and found the pictures.”

I had no words as worry for Fiona flooded my system. “Where is she?” I snapped, the need to get to her as soon as possible overriding everything else.

“I honestly don’t know, Deac. I thought she might have gone to you when she left here earlier. Maybe she’s at home?”

Suddenly a memory from our childhood came flashing into my head, and instinct told me I already knew exactly where to find her. “I know where she is,” I said to Calvin. “I’m going to her now.”

“Thank God,” he breathed into the speaker, his relief palpable. “Deacon, just do one thing for me. Take care of my little girl. She needs it now more than ever.”

As long as I was alive, I’d spend my every waking minute taking care of Fiona. It was the most important job I’d ever have, and one I had no intention of ever failing at. “Always, Cal. You have my word.”

I knew I had his trust and his approval when his only reply was “Go get her, son.”