Page 23 of Hooked on Marshall (Hooked #9)

When my father pulls me into his arms, the tension I didn’t realize I was holding on to finally lets go. And so do I. Again. I feel the brush of Marshall’s hand across my back as he walks inside. And I know that everything is going to work out.

Several long minutes later, my father grips my shoulders and separates us. The apology is there in his eyes. He doesn’t need to say the words. But he does anyway, the same time I do.

“I’m so sorry, baby.”

“I’m sorry, daddy.”

We laugh. Then he kisses my forehead and leads me inside. Marshall is already in the kitchen talking with my mother and grandfather. And I’m greeted by them before I take Marshall’s hand again.

“I would like to get to the bottom of this tonight,” my father says. “Because if I’m being honest, Jonas Freeman does not sound like he’s very stable. Something that could be very dangerous if he comes here looking for you.”

Marshall’s hand tenses in mine. So, I nod and take a seat. Marshall sits close beside me so he can keep his arm around me. I welcome the physical support and place my hand on his knee.

“Just explain to me how it all happened, and ended, please,” my father says. “And we’ll go from there.”

I look at Marshall first. This pains him as well.

But after he kisses me softly, I begin my story.

I tell my family what happened exactly the way I explained it to Marshall.

When I finish, I swear I can almost see steam pouring out of my father’s ears.

And grandpop doesn’t look much happier either.

“And Jonas still works for the company?”

“He does,” I nod.

“You know that’s bullshit,” he snaps.

“I know,” I say. “But I don’t want that job back because I don’t want to work there anymore.”

“That’s not the point.”

“Then what’s the point of bringing this up now?” I ask. “It’s only going to upset me and remind me of that dreadful mistake I made.”

“You both made that mistake,” he hisses. “And he should have had consequences as well.”

I nod and look down as I lean on Marshall’s shoulder. Then he finally adds to the conversation.

“My lawyer in the city would surely offer his advice on this,” he tells them.

“Even if Lana sees no need to go after them for it, I agree with her that it might be a good bargaining chip if he does track her down. Something that is more likely to happen given the fact that he has your home phone number and probably your address.”

I shudder upon hearing this. My father and grandfather curse under their breath. Then Marshall makes an offer that stuns us all into silence.

“If you feel it would be safer, Lana is welcome to stay with me,” he says. “I have a spare bedroom. She slept there Saturday night.”

When I look up, the expressions on the faces of my family are downright comical. My mother is sporting a bright smile. My grandfathers' eyebrows are almost off his head. And my father is scowling. But not as much as he could be.

“You expect me to believe that you’d sleep in separate beds if she stays with you?”

“I’m saying that I wouldn’t be upset if that’s what happened,” he continues. “What I do know is that I want Lana to be safe. And if she does decide to stay with me, I want her to be comfortable as well.”

He eyes him hard for a minute. Then he rises.

“Come out back with me, Mr. Jones,” my father says. “Let’s have a private chat.”

I’m surprised when Marshall doesn’t hesitate. But he doesn’t follow after my father until he kisses me again. When they’re on the back deck, I release a long, slow breath.

“Don’t worry about a thing, sweetheart,” my grandfather says. “They both have your best interests at heart. The problem is that your father realizes that it will be safer for you to stay with Marshall…and he doesn’t like it.”

“But Marshall is a good man,” I say quietly. “He’s been good to me even though I tried to keep him at arms length.”

“We all know that,” my mother says. “So, just let your father have his chat with him and everything will be just fine.”

“I hope so,” I sigh.

We sit at the table in silence for what feels like an eternity.

Finally, Marshall and my father walk back inside.

I stand up and watch them. They’re both smiling.

Then my father walks over to me and pulls me in for another hug.

I welcome it, but my confusion must be evident on my face because he chuckles when he pulls back.

“Don’t worry, baby,” he says. “Everything’s going to be fine.”

“Okay,” I nod.

“So, Marshall says we interrupted your dinner?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, since he has everything he needs in his Jeep to experiment with some new cocktails, why don’t we order in so he can have a few more opinions on whatever he creates?”

“Really?” I ask.

“Yes,” he nods. “Really.”

With that, he kisses my forehead and then asks my mother to grab our takeout menus. When he walks away, Marshall is right there. And I happily step into his arms. He rubs my back and leans down to whisper in my ear.

“Everything’s fine,” he says. “So, just relax and enjoy the night, okay?”

“Okay,” I nod. “Sounds good.”