Chapter Twenty
Asher
Half an hour after Evelyn left with Bree, her father, whose name I know from his record is Terry, woke up. He’s been staring at the room, confused by his location, fear seeping into his eyes. The drugs are out of his system now, and his eyes are clear, wide, and so similar to Evelyn’s that it makes my heart ache. To think that this is how she grew up, looking after a father who was more in love with booze than he was with his own daughter. Everything about her makes sense, knowing this. She’s independent to a fault, her own sense of autonomy causing her to believe that help is a weakness, and it’s all because she was forced into a role that she was far too young for.
“What’s goin’ on?” Terry sits up, the IV line clicking against the metal handlebars of the bed. “Who are you?”
“You’re in the hospital. Drug overdose.” I say simply. “I’m a friend of Evelyn’s.”
He eyes me then. “You’re too old for her.”
I raise a brow, unaffected. “Oh, and you care?”
“She’s my little girl.”
I sit up, my anger edging to something deadly as everything that I know about her sharpens into focus. Everything that this man has put on her shoulders sharpening that blade of anger.
“Your little girl is out there trying to distract herself from the pain you’re putting her through. You know, for a while I thought she was just stubborn, her sense of duty bound to her like glue, but now I get it. She doesn’t think she deserves a life beyond looking after you.” I shake my head as he opens his mouth to say something. “No. You do not speak; you do not say a word.” His mouth snaps shut. “I am going to give you two options because I love your daughter very much. Option A is rehab. I’ll get you into the fanciest one money can buy and you will get clean from it all. The drugs, the alcohol, all of it. Or option B is leaving and doing whatever you want but never seeing your daughter ever again.”
Terry’s eyes narrow. “Why would ya do that for me?”
“It’s not for you. It’s for her.” I shake my head. “And no one deserves to live like this, not even you.”
His eyes flicker down, and I know he’s thinking of the drugs, the booze, everything he’ll miss if he goes to rehab. “I never wanted to hurt her.”
I stay silent. I do feel for the man but my anger at him is far greater than my sympathy. He hurt her, emotionally, physically, and now he’s being handed a chance on a silver platter, if he doesn’t take it, he doesn’t deserve to be around her.
“It’s hard to stop.”
“It will be the hardest thing you’ve ever done.” I say, not mincing my words. “But it will mean that you’ll get to be in your daughter’s life. See all the great things she’ll go on to do. Be a grandad to our future children.” I will give her everything, but this is up to him. He has to fight for his daughter, and I can’t make him do that.
“Where’s this rehab?”
“Not far from her university. She’ll be able to visit and then when you’re clean, I can set you up in a house near us.”
“Rich boy, eh?” He coughs, the sound wet and violent.
I tilt my head. “Does it matter?”
“No. Suppose it doesn’t.” He swallows back another cough. “I want to be … better.”
“Then that’s that then.” I stand and hold out a hand. “I may be an asshole right now, but I’m just angry.” I say as way of an apology. After all, if everything goes as planned, this man will be my father-in-law.
Terry grasps my hand weakly. “Thank you.”
I nod, and a second later, Evelyn is there, tears spilling down her cheeks as she hugs her dad and I know that I’ve made the right choice.