Page 47 of Before We’re More Than Friends (When We Faced the Music #1)

“How has school and the shelter been going?” Dad asked. Of course, the typical “how is school” question every kid loved . “I hope you’re keeping the good work up.”

“We are,” I said.

“Yeah,” Arielle said, no longer looking at him.

Dad nodded, seeming to pick up on the tension. Unlike the other kids meeting their parents in the room, we hadn’t run up to hug him with tears streaming down our cheeks. “Good.” He faced Mom. “How has work been?”

“Some days are easier than others,” Mom said. “I’ve been focusing more on home and taking care of the girls. We’ve been having dinner together every night now.”

“Oh, really?” Dad nodded again, though his face pinched as if he was upset he was missing out. “Good.”

We’d only been sitting here for one minute, but my chest was tight from the tension in the air. We didn’t know how to talk to each other anymore.

“So you’ve been getting along well?” Dad asked after a few moments of silence, shifting in his seat.

“Very well,” Mom said. “The girls have really motivated me to be my best self.” She laughed. “Sounds like one of those commercials you’d be in when you first started real estate.”

Dad snorted. “Those commercials were full of bull. We just wanted to get the business off the ground. ”

“Well, it worked with your charming personality.” Mom winked at him.

Dad beamed, his cheeks flushing pink. “What can I say? It’s how I ended up with you.”

Mom blushed back, and I couldn’t help but to smile. I hadn’t seen them flirt like this in forever. Warmth flooded my own cheeks. I wanted a guy to make me blush like that after so many years of being together.

Dallas’s red cheeks flashed in my mind. Stop that, brain!

“Anyway,” Dad said, “I’m happy that you guys have been spending more time together while I’ve been away.” He leaned back in his chair. “How have things been with your friends, girls?”

Yay, the last thing I want to talk about! “Fine,” Arielle and I said at the same time.

“It’s been rough for them,” Mom said with a sigh. “They’ve having some boy problems.”

I moaned. “Seriously?”

Dad raised an eyebrow. “Boy troubles? Who do I have to beat up?” He looked around before whispering, “I’m willing to do extra time for that.”

That actually made me laugh a little. “It’s nothing. It’s just . . .” Everything .

“Boys are complicated,” Arielle said, and the way her face pinched made me wonder if she wasn’t just talking about my situation. Had something been going on with her and Hayden again? Had she started talking to another guy?

“I know, I’ve been one my whole life,” Dad said with a sigh. “We can really screw things up before realizing how wrong we are.”

“You can,” Mom said, no longer looking him in the eyes. “But it’s no different with girls. We screw things up, too.”

Arielle nodded .

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, flipping my hair. “I’m perfect.”

“Your pasta needed more seasoning last night.”

“Your opinion is wrong.”

We all laughed, and I was happy that I was able to lighten the mood. Just for once.

“Besides daddy issues,” Dad said, then cringed. “I can’t believe I just said that.”

“That’s because you’re the issue,” I said with a smile, trying to maintain a good mood now that we were more comfortable. I didn’t want to go back to the sad reality of our lives.

“I can’t deny that.” He laughed, scratching the back of his neck.

“What else has happened since I’ve been gone?

I know your mom has been working on recovering from her problem.

” He never outright called Mom’s problem a drinking addiction, but because other people were around us, maybe he didn’t want to disclose it for the room to hear.

We clearly already had enough problems on display in the media.

Why else would a family that looked this nice be sitting here?

“Raina joined Hayden’s band,” Arielle said. “She’s one of the lead singers.”

Dad’s eyes widened as he looked at me. “Really? I thought you didn’t sing anymore.”

“I didn’t,” I said, my cheeks warming from the attention. “But I decided to start again to enter a competition later this month.”

“That’s good that you’re trying new things,” Dad said with a smile.

“Yeah.” If only he knew how much I wished I hadn’t.

We spent our half hour together, sharing life updates and some jokes.

Dad told us about the tasks he had while he was locked up, and the tightness in my chest returned.

I told him about Penrose and what she was up to—which happened to be nothing at all, other than continuing to crush my boobs in my sleep—and his eyes glazed over with pain. I hadn’t realized he missed her, too.

When our time ended, we stood up and hugged each other. He wrapped his arms around me after hugging Mom and giving her a peck on the lips. His fabric was itchy, but his embrace was warm. He rubbed my back and whispered to me, “I love you, Rain.”

I beamed and rubbed his back. “I love you, Dad.”

Dad pulled away and hugged Arielle, who still seemed a little stiff, but she rubbed his back and told him she loved him. I smiled, happy we were all making progress.

We didn’t have to be okay with what he did to our family to still love him.

The officer led us out of the room, and when we finally got in the car, I let myself breathe. “That wasn’t the worst thing in the world,” I said, breaking the silence that had filled the air for the past few moments.

“It wasn’t,” Arielle agreed, staring out the window in the back seat.

“That was a bit nerve-racking,” Mom said as she started the car. “But . . . I didn’t realize how much I’d missed him. How different life is without him.” Her voice wobbled, and she shook her head before backing out of her parking space. “My emotions are all over the place.”

I reached for her arm. “I know.”

Arielle sighed. “It’s really weird that he isn’t here with us anymore.”

“That makes it sound like he’s dead,” I said.

She rolled her eyes, but that got me the smallest hint of a smile.

I nodded, knowing what she really wanted to say but didn’t want to admit. “It is.” I looked out the window as we left the prison’s parking lot, wishing Dad could be in the car with us. “It really is.”

On the ride home, my mind kept lapping around several things.

How much Dad loved me, even if he wasn’t the best at expressing it.

How he messed up but wanted to make things better, even if I still had no idea what he messed up in the first place.

How Mom messed up but now was putting in the work to recover again.

I didn’t trust either one of them fully, but I still loved them like they loved me.

They were still my parents.

Dallas’s dimples and flushed cheeks waltzed into my mind again. In a wave of realization, I let out a deep breath as I planned on what I’d do as soon as I got home. Maybe he still didn’t completely deserve it, even if he loved me, but I needed to talk to him.

And I knew I loved him more than I’d thought I ever could.