Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
EXCURSIONS AND WHATNOT
DYLAN
I move around the house like a burglar at dawn.
My keys barely make a sound when I pick them up.
I’m getting good at this. Chloe is a champion sleeper, but I’m not risking waking her.
I pause at the doorway and look at Dahlia.
Her hair is splayed across the pillow, her face soft in sleep.
Her hand rests where my chest had been before I slid away.
God, I love her.
I pause and peek in on Chloe, whose head is where her feet were when we put her to bed. Bill is by her side and stares at me sleepily. I grin and back out.
I love that little girl.
I lock the door behind me and head into the cold morning air.
I’ve got a fishing excursion today. Just one guest, which almost never happens. But I can’t exactly turn down—what’s his name? I check the chart. Mr. Ferris.
I get to the dock while it’s still black outside—so early even the loons aren’t awake yet. The boat rocks gently beneath my feet as I climb in, still half-asleep but working through muscle memory. Bait, gear, engine check, cooler stocked, safety kit, backup GPS.
I’m checking the rods when I hear footsteps on the dock behind me.
I glance over.
A guy in a hooded jacket steps onto the boat with a stiff nod. He waves once, no enthusiasm, and sits at the bow.
“Morning,” I call quietly. “I’m Dylan. I’ll get us out on the water if you’re ready to go, Mr. Ferris.”
“Sounds good,” he says, voice gravelly.
I finish what I’m doing and start the engine, easing us away from the dock. The boat cuts across the still, glassy water. Sunrise is barely starting to smear color across the horizon when I make my way to the front.
I hold out my hand. “Sorry I didn’t do this sooner. Dylan Whitman—glad to have you on board.”
The man looks up, and then he pushes his hood back.
My entire body goes cold and heavy with dread.
Like the moment before a car crash, when you know you can’t hit the brakes fast enough.
Bruce Granger.
“Good morning, Dylan,” he says with an emotionless expression.
My heart kicks hard once, then steadies into something more controlled.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I ask quietly.
His jaw clenches.
“I’ve recently discovered you’ve been seeing my daughter,” he says. “Imagine my surprise when I learned it’s been going on for months.”
My stomach tightens. “How’d you find out?”
“Well,” he says, leaning back like this is casual, “my granddaughter kept talking about you. Chloe’s quite the chatterbox. And then, I got a call from Christian. You know—Chloe’s father.”
“Yeah,” I say, jaw tight. “I know the guy.”
Bruce narrows his eyes. “I did a little drive-by of Dahlia’s condo. Saw your car parked there overnight. Wasn’t hard to track you down after that.”
My pulse hammers, but I keep my voice level. “So what is this? You planning to lecture me at sunrise?”
He stands. The boat shifts slightly under his weight.
“Here’s how it’s gonna go,” he says. “You’re finished with my daughter. Done. Leave her alone. You disappear from her life and my granddaughter’s life, or I’ll destroy you.”
My jaw locks. He steps closer.
“I’ll smear your name across this town, this state, and California too,” he growls. “Your business? Gone. And that’s just the start.”
I move, intending to head for the wheel to turn us back toward shore and get this psychopath off my boat, but Bruce blocks me.
“No one saw me get on this boat,” he says softly. “And there’s no record of any ‘Mr. Ferris’ at the resort. So if something were to happen to you out here…”
My spine goes icy.
“No one would ever know.”
We stare at each other in the dim morning light. The water echoes against the hull, and the world around us feels too quiet.
“But you’d know,” I say, my voice low. “And do you really want to live with the fact that you’d be devastating two of the people you’re supposed to love if something happened to me?”
“I do love them,” he snaps. “I’d give my life for them.”
“Then don’t threaten mine,” I say. I step closer, close enough that he has to tilt his head way back to look me in the eye.
“I’m a nice, levelheaded guy. I don’t have a beef with anyone.
But I love your daughter and your granddaughter.
And if you hurt them, if you lay so much as a finger on what they care about, you won’t want to see the side that comes out of me. ”
Bruce sneers, his breath sharp. “You think I’m going to be scared of you?”
I smirk. “No. But I’m not going to be scared of you either.”
Before he can react, I duck past him, grab the wheel, and spin it hard. The boat jerks violently, and Bruce stumbles so badly he has to grab the railing to keep upright.
He curses—loudly—but I don’t look back at him. I steer us toward land at full speed, wind whipping across my face, heart pounding, adrenaline burning through every nerve.
When we hit the dock, I slam the engine into neutral and reach under the console, pulling out my portable foghorn.
I hold it up.
“Get off my boat,” I say, voice flat. “And get off this property.”
He glares at me, fury carved into every line on his face. “This isn’t over,” he hisses.
“No,” I say. “It’s fucking not.”
Bruce jumps onto the dock, muttering one last threat under his breath before stalking off into the shadows.
My hands grip the railing, knuckles white.
The sun finally breaks over the horizon, bright and golden and too calm for what just happened.
I take a breath. And another.
“Jesus,” I whisper to myself.
But underneath the fear, the adrenaline, the shaking rage—I know exactly what this was.
A warning.
And I’m not backing down.
I text the family thread the second Bruce disappears into the trees.
Family meeting. Urgent.
Please. I know it’s early and everyone has a million things to do, but hopefully it’s early enough that you can all pull it off.
Dad
How soon can everyone get to the house?
Goldie
I’ll be there in fifteen.
Milo
Same here.
Tully
I’ll be there. Thank God I’m in town.
Camden
Juju and I’ll head right over.
Noah
I’ll get the coffee started if the grandmas aren’t already on it.
Juju
I’ll bring some pastries.
Ava
I’ll be there soon too.
I exhale with relief. Whatever happens next, I’m not dealing with it alone.
I gun the car back toward the Airbnb, checking my mirrors every thirty seconds to make sure I’m not being followed.
My pulse doesn’t settle, not even when I pull into the little two-car garage attached to the lake house.
I jog inside, heart hammering, and there they are—Dahlia and Chloe at the dining table, fresh-faced, eating bagels with cream cheese, sunlight dancing off the lake behind them.
Picture-perfect, with no idea that everything just went topsy-turvy.
Dahlia looks up, and her smile dies.
“What’s wrong?” she asks, standing when she sees my expression.
“Your dad paid me a visit.” The words scrape out of my throat. “It didn’t go well.”
She pales and holds on to my arm.
“He threatened me out on the water this morning. I called a family meeting, and…I think you and Chloe should come with me.”
For a second she just stares at me—breathing shallow, eyes wide—then she nods quickly.
“Okay,” she whispers. Then louder, to Chloe, “Baby girl, we need to get ready to go.”
“Where?” Chloe chirps, swinging her legs.
“We’re going on an adventure,” Dahlia says, voice bright but trembling.
I kneel beside Chloe’s chair and grin at her. “You get to meet my family today.”
She claps and tilts her head from side to side. “Yay!”
Dahlia and I share a look over her head—hers tight with fear, mine trying so hard to be calm.
“It’s going to be okay,” I tell Dahlia.
She swallows. “I wish I could believe that.”
We get out the door in fifteen minutes. Chloe’s singing as she cradles her stuffed unicorn. I’m all for it. We need all the emotional support we can get. Bill is in Dahlia’s lap, and I scratch his head before leaving my hand on Dahlia’s thigh.
By the time we reach the house, my family is already gathering in the kitchen—sleepy-eyed, coffee mugs in hand. The second we walk in, every face snaps toward us. Their eyes widen in surprise when they see my arm around Dahlia’s shoulder, and Chloe on my hip.
Dahlia’s still holding Bill. Kevin trots over and twirls at our feet, which makes Chloe giggle. Dahlia leans down and lets the dogs sniff each other, and when Bill wiggles, she sets him down, and they run off together.
Dad’s brows pull together, but he can’t help but smile at Dahlia and Chloe. “Why, hello. Son—what’s going on?”
Ava, Noah, and Grayson walk in then, and when Ava sees Dahlia, she gasps and moves to stand near her.
Milo is the last to enter, and when he sees Dahlia, he comes to a standstill.
He takes in the scene, and understanding crosses his face.
He grins at the three of us and winks at Dahlia, who laughs softly.
“Who’s that?” Grayson asks, coming over to hug my legs.
“This is the girl I’ve been sneaking off to see for months,” I say, my voice cracking. “And her daughter.”
The reaction is instant.
Goldie gasps and slaps her hand over her mouth, her eyes round. Ava squeals and hugs Dahlia. Milo comes over and hugs Dahlia and Chloe. Juju jumps up and down. Grandma Donna and Grandma Nancy clasp their hands together in delight.
“I’m just glad she met you when your hair had come back in,” Grandma Nancy says.
“Isn’t that the truth,” Grandma Donna says.
Noah blurts out, “FINALLY.”
Tully laughs into his coffee.
“I’m Grayson,” my nephew yells up at Chloe, his grin wide.
She waves at him, smiling back.
Camden shakes his head, laughing. “Everyone owes me twenty bucks,” he says, like they have some secret bet going.
Dad comes over and holds his hand out. Dahlia takes it and shakes it, flushing bright pink.
“Welcome,” he says. “I’m Everett, Dylan’s dad.”
Then I take a breath. “This is Dahlia Granger.”
Silence.
A thick, oh-shit silence.
Every smile vanishes. Goldie’s jaw literally drops. Tully says “Oh damn” under his breath.
Dad just stares at us, his expression unreadable.
Ava squeezes Dahlia’s hand.
And the whole room shifts—from the seconds of shock to understanding to fierce protection.
Dad clasps Dahlia’s hand between his and squeezes. “Welcome,” he tells her gently. “We’re so glad you’re here. Both of you.” He looks over at Chloe. “And who is this beautiful little girl with the unicorn?”
She lifts her head from my shoulder, clutching her unicorn like a shield.
“I Chyoe,” she says softly. She holds up her unicorn. “And Uni.”
“It’s so nice to meet you, Chloe and Uni,” Dad says.
Goldie comes over, introduces herself to Dahlia and Chloe, and opens her arms wide. Dahlia reluctantly steps into them, and they hug. “How in the world did Dylan manage to hide you? You’re a total smokeshow!”
Dahlia’s shoulders relax, and she starts laughing, somewhat hysterically. And then we’re all laughing our asses off.
“The way this guy has thought he was being so secretive,” Tully says, cracking up. “We all knew it was someone.” He introduces himself, and then it’s Camden and Juju’s turn.
“Whatever the reason for all this secrecy, we’re in,” Camden says.
“All in,” Juju adds, hugging Dahlia.
“Oh my God, I just realized. Ava!” Goldie yells.
Ava nods, tears spilling onto her cheeks. “Dahlia and I finally met a while ago. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. It’s…a long story.”
Noah smiles at Dahlia and Chloe. “I’m Noah.” He then crosses his arms like he’s preparing for battle. “Tell us what the hell we’re dealing with here. What’s the emergency?”
I glance at Dahlia and then my family. “Okay,” I say, voice steady. “Let’s sit down. There’s a lot to tell you.”