Filed to story: Secret Shifters Next Door Series PDF Free
His brow furrowed and he looked confused. “You mean helping those boys?”
“Well, yes. All the shifter business. It’ll be dangerous for everyone.”
“Honey, I’m serious. I meant what I said about Liam. He was like a son to me, and he would’ve become my son had he lived long enough to marry you. If there’s anything this family can do to help Blayne, I consider that a simple payment compared to what he gave up. Whether Blayne’s stubborn ass believes me or not, it’s the God’s honest truth. I’m going to look out for him. I’ve never broken a promise in my life, and I am not gonna start with breaking the promise to Liam. That’s that.”
His words were pretty emphatic. I was happy to hear he was serious. I’d spent my whole life being conflicted about my father’s business. He was not brutal or evil like most leaders of crime families, and he always made sure his people were taken care of. That they were as safe as possible, and that the business was as lucrative as possible. I knew there was violence involved, but I always tried to forget about those aspects of the job. Being able to do something that was inherently good was a nice change of pace, and I could totally get behind that.
I leaned forward and covered his hand with mine. “Thanks, Dad. I know it would mean a lot to Liam.”
Dad’s eyes twinkled with mischief and he gave me a knowing grin. “Is there anything going on between you two? You and Blayne?”
Blinking in surprise, I tried to answer too quickly and stumbled over my words. “Uh…we…what? Hang on, what?”
“You heard me. You think I didn’t see that little hand-holding thing earlier?”
“No, Dad. There’s nothing going on. There
can’t
be anything between us.”
“And why the hell is that?”
“Ugh, come on. It would be…I don’t know…weird. Wrong. On, like, a million different levels.” Even the thought of it filled me with a weird sense of betrayal to Liam—dead these last ten years and still such a huge presence in my and Blayne’s lives.
Dad chuckled and gave a faint shake of the head. “You two will figure it out.”
“What does that mean?”
Instead of answering, he simply rolled over, nestled his head on the pillow, and started snoring ten seconds later. I sat there with him, watching him sleep. What was he talking about? We’d figure what out? It had been like biting through steel to get Blayne to accept me as an acquaintance and friend. Anything more than that was a no-go in my opinion.
Leaving my father to rest, I went downstairs. The house was surprisingly quiet. Most of my family was probably out.
I heard some commotion in the kitchen. Heading that way, I found Uncle Sam’s girlfriend, Giana, in the kitchen with Marissa. They were packing up food from what looked to have been a massive lunch.
“Hey, guys,” I said.
Marissa’s lined face broke into a smile as came to wrap me in a hug. “Miss Francis. My little Ava girl. How are you today?”
Grinning like an idiot, I squeezed her. “I’m good. I brought Dad home to sleep. Where is everyone?”
Giana sighed. “Out canvassing the town. Sam wouldn’t tell me what was going on, but I have a feeling something big is happening.” She finished packing a giant Tupperware container with some kind of pasta dish, salad, and bread and slid it across the table to me. “Here you go. A little snack for later.”
It was enough food to keep me fed for at least three days. Since we were Italian, this was normal. It amazed me that none of us had had a heart attack yet.
I pulled the container over and smiled. “Thanks.”
There was enough food that I could probably share it with Blayne. Maybe I’d take it over to his place later. Was that a good idea? I assumed so. I
had told him I’d see him later. Hopefully, he’d be up for it. I really didn’t want him to start back-sliding and make me feel like I was smothering him or something. It could play out a dozen different ways, but it was worth a shot. That way, I’d find out if he was really ready for me to be his friend or not.
“Do you know what’s going on?” Giana asked me.
I wasn’t sure how much she knew. She and Sam had been together for years and years. It was a little confusing that they hadn’t gotten married yet. Until I found out how much she knew, it was better to play dumb.
“Not sure. Dad didn’t want to get into it. I’m sure it’s no big deal.” I raised the container. “I need to head out. Thanks for dinner.”
“Okay, sweetie. See you later,” Giana said with a wave.
“See you soon, Miss Francis,” Marissa said from the sink.
Blayne’s car wasn’t at his house, so I’d have to wait until he was back to bring him dinner. I put the container in the fridge, then grabbed my laptop. I’d fallen behind on my work stuff and needed to check my emails.
After everything that had happened to Liam, I couldn’t stand living in Lilly Valley anymore. I’d left a few weeks after his burial to go to cosmetology school, which led to me opening my own business. I’d been lucky to find a spot at a high-end studio near DC. It helped me get some high-end clients, and now I was usually booked up seven or eight months in advance. It was a good problem to have, but when Dad got sick, I had to put a hold on all my appointments. Thankfully, some of my friends in the industry were able to fill in for me, but I was sure I’d have a dozen or more requests in my inbox.
I pulled up my calendar and noted when Dad’s last day of chemo was, and then started combing through my emails to start booking appointments. Once Dad’s treatments were over, I’d be safe to head back to the real world. The cancer was caught very early, and the treatments wouldn’t be too aggressive, but getting him to
start