15. Georgia

15

Georgia

Now

T o both of our surprise, my father is awake and very alert when we reach the open door of his room. He's yelling at the TV in the corner as his Braves lose. The nurse brushes past us in a huff of frustration before turning back toward Ian and me.

"Dr. Foster, if you can't get your patient to behave, then you won't be leaving until he does," she hisses out, pointing a finger at him and then back at my father.

I laugh under my breath, causing the angry nurse, with a name tag that reads Olivia, to scowl at me. Ian chuckles next to me before Nurse Olivia throws her hands up at both of us, turning on her heel and storming down the hall.

I nearly have a heart attack right along with my dad when I see how animated and lively he is. It's a damn miracle to see after seeing the way he looked on the floor of his bedroom. I make a mental note to keep a closer eye on him once he gets home.

We walk into the room together, holding hands and giggling like love-sick teenagers. "Dad, are you pissing the nurses off again?" I tease.

"I wouldn't piss them off so much if they'd get me something real to eat besides this nasty-ass Jell-O. Who even likes green Jell-O? Do I look like I want to be puking green shit all over everyone like that girl from The Exorcist ?" Dad looks at me, then his eyes land on Ian's hand still gripped in mine, and he winks, making me blush all over again. "About time you two figured your issues out," he jokes.

What he doesn't know is that my heart is more confused than ever. We haven't worked anything out. We are just making it all so much more complicated.

Ian releases my hand, steps forward, and shakes my dad's hand before grabbing the chair from the corner of the room. "You sit and visit with each other before Olivia comes back and kicks us all out. I'll go see what I can scrounge up from the break room for you."

"A man after my own heart, or stomach." Dad beams at Ian as he walks out of the room, then turns his attention fully to me.

"You seem in better spirits this evening," I tease. I can't remember the last time my father made jokes, let alone laugh while being in the same room as me.

He shifts in the bed so he's sitting up. "Something about being out of that house makes me feel more alive," he says somberly. "I'm sure you know that better than anyone, Bug."

My heart starts racing in my chest. Partly due to the fact that my dad wants to actually talk to me, another part due to the fact that he wants to talk to me about my leaving Crane Manor ten years ago.

Before I decided to start applying to colleges outside of Texas, I asked my father if he would be okay with me leaving him. I remember vividly—like it was yesterday—the nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. Almost like he could care less if I left. He certainly didn't ask me to stay.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I shouldn't have left the way I did."

He shakes his head. "No, Georgia. I'm sorry for not being the father you needed after your mother's death." He takes a shaky breath, and I reach forward, grabbing his hand tightly. "Her passing destroyed me. Destroyed me down to my very core. I didn't know how to be your father without her to guide me."

I blink rapidly, trying to stave off the tears. We've never talked like this. About her. Ever.

"Dad, it's not your fault. We were both broken, trying to pick up the shattered pieces after she did what she did. I don't blame you. I don't even blame myself. It's just what life had in store for us." I shrug, a sad smile reaching my lips.

"You've grown into such a strong, beautiful woman, Bug. Your mother would be so proud of you. Whatever you feel for her, I hope you know that. She loved you. Really, really loved you." He squeezes my hand gently. "I am so proud of you, too. Auden was a bit of a surprise. But the best surprise you could have given an old, grumpy man like me."

We both laugh, the strained atmosphere in the room lifting at the mention of my daughter.

"Oh, that reminds me. She made this for you," I say, standing and reaching into the side pocket of the bag we brought for him. "She loves you, you know. Her Papa," I tell him, handing him the card she made before taking a seat again.

I watch as he opens it, reading her words silently to himself and smiling a smile I haven't seen in many, many years.

"She's quite the artist. I especially love the furry brat she added in." He points to Horton. "That demon cat keeps sneaking into my room and biting my nose in the middle of the night. But he's cute, I guess. Can't forget to shut the door behind me with that one haunting the halls."

I roll my eyes, laughing silently. "She loves that stupid cat. He sleeps with her every night."

His eyes scan the photo again, then they turn serious as they meet mine.

"When do you plan on telling that boy he's her father?"

My blood stops cold, and my vision goes blurry. I stare at my father, opening and closing my mouth repeatedly as I try to come up with a lie.

But I'm tired of lying.

"How did you know?" I whisper, looking back at the door to make sure Ian hasn't come back.

Dad lets out an offended snort. "I have eyes, Georgia. The boy puts all the stars in the sky for you. Always has. I also know that six years ago I told him to go find you," he says matter-of-factly. "He came back even more broken than I was. I knew something horrible happened between the two of you, but I never knew what. Auden filled in some of those holes for me when the two of them came down to the lake the other morning. The moment I laid eyes on her, I knew. She was yours, but she was also his."

Silent tears slip down my cheeks as my father rips my lies apart.

"Ian didn't seem to know, though. Maybe he has an idea. But I don't think so. Whatever lie you told him, he seems to believe. I can see that it's eating him alive, wishing that he hadn't messed up. Whatever he did, or you did. I don't know. I don't really care to know. I just want you to be happy, and I know that silly boy makes you shine brighter than all the constellations in the sky." He squeezes my hand again, patting it with his other.

I wipe my tears away with my free hand. "I don't know how to tell him. He's going to hate me, Dad. There's so much I'm hiding from him. So much I'm hiding from everyone." I sniffle, taking a deep breath, grabbing my mom's locket like it can keep me from sinking into the abyss.

"Georgia," Dad says sternly. "Nothing that happened to Irene was your fault."

I look up in shock. "What—how do you know about that?"

He gives me a sad smile before looking down at the locket. "Did you find her diary? I left it in her desk, along with that locket and Ian's watch when Lydia said she was going to make that room up for you."

"You knew about it?" I gasp. "You want me to read it?" My heart feels like it's going to explode in my chest from all these new revelations.

"You need to read it, Bug. It has all the answers."

The door opens behind me, and Ian walks in with a brown paper bag and a smile on his face. His expression falters when he sees the tears in my eyes, but I give him a reassuring smile.

"I managed to snag some bagels, cream cheese, and a cobb salad. I know it's not the bacon burger you want, Link. But as a doctor, I can't recommend that to someone who just had a heart attack," Ian tells us as he brings the rolling desk over to the bed for Dad, placing the bag on top before turning and flashing me another smile.

The door opens again a moment later, and we are all greeted by Nurse Olivia, who is already sporting a scowl. "Visiting hours are over. You need to leave so my patient can get some sleep."

My father rolls his eyes dramatically, making Ian and I both chuckle. "You two go. I'll be home soon. Give that granddaughter of mine a kiss for me. You can even give the demon cat an ear scratch or two." I stand and lean over to give my dad a kiss on his cheek. "Read the diary, Georgia. It's important," he whispers. I nod, and Ian comes over to shake his hand. "Treat them well, son."

"Always," Ian responds.

The two men I dreaded coming back to see, shaking hands. This is the life we should have had. Ian, Auden, and I, a real family. My father, a doting grandfather. Lydia, a grandmother to a little girl who reminds us both so much of Irene, I know she would love Auden with her entire heart. Even the thought of Ian's father being a part of Auden's life doesn't terrify me as much.

I an and I walk hand in hand back to the car. He opens the door for me, making me feel silly until I look up at him and everything about him is screaming at me to tell him the truth.

The short drive back to the house is filled with silence, both of us lost in our thoughts again as Ian's hand is on my lap. His fingers drum lightly against my thigh, sending all sorts of electric pulses throughout my body.

"Let's go sit under the willow tree for a while," I tell him as he puts the car into park behind the manor. "If that's okay?"

His smile threatens to undo me. "That sounds perfect. I'll go grab the quilt from the couch and some wine and meet you there in a few minutes. I'm pretty sure Mom made some banana bread today. Do you want some?"

"Mrs. Foster's famous banana bread? Absolutely, yes. I just need to grab a few things from upstairs," I tell him before following him into the dark kitchen. I'd like to check on Auden, and I need to grab my mother's diary from my bedroom before Ian and I head to the willow tree.

I sneak through the house as quickly as I can so as not to wake Mrs. Foster, who is asleep on the sofa bed in the living room. I should buy her some flowers tomorrow for watching Auden. I told her that she could take Auden to their house near the back of the property, but she declined that idea quickly and offered to just stay here with her for the night.

As I'm walking up the stairs, I feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Someone, or something, is watching me.

I stop midstep, my breathing slowing as my heart races, my mind urging me to run while my body stands frozen.

Deep breath in, Georgie girl.

Forcing my body and my mind to get on the same page, I turn around slowly. To face whatever, or whoever, is going to be standing behind me, waiting to steal me into the shadows for all the sins I've committed.

I gasp loudly when I see Ian standing right behind me, only a step away, holding a quilt and a small bag.

"What the fuck, Ian?" I hiss. "You nearly scared me half to death, you asshole!"

He chuckles, making me seriously debate pushing him down the rest of the stairs.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to notice me," he says with a smug smile.

When we were little, before Irene passed away, we used to play this hide-and-seek game called Black Widow. We would turn all the lights out and essentially play hide and seek in the dark. When it was mine or Irene's turn to search, Ian would sneak up behind us and follow us through the house until we finally noticed him. Every time the game ended with one of us crying and Ian laughing before the lights were turned on. My father eventually banned the game because he was tired of hearing us scream all night at each other.

I shove him playfully before heading up the stairs to check on Auden. "How long were you standing there?" I ask as we hit the top of the staircase.

"Only a moment. You were already stopped in the middle of the staircase like a weirdo by the time I snuck up on you."

So it wasn't Ian that was watching me. My mother, perhaps? Waiting with another warning to protect and not trust someone?

I look over at Ian, worry and unease washing over me as I gaze at him. Then, he flashes that crooked smile of his at me, and those thoughts dissipate in a cloud of smoke between us. Ian is the one person in this house besides Auden that I know wouldn't betray my trust.

I tip-toe into Auden's bedroom, leaving Ian in the hall behind me. Auden is curled up on her side, the pink duvet pooled at her feet. One arm is tucked under her pillow, and the other is wrapped around Horton, who is taking his guard-cat duties very seriously tonight as he snoozes right next to her, completely unaware of my presence. I carefully pull the duvet up and cover her little body, placing a soft kiss on her forehead before tip-toeing back into the hallway where Ian waits for me at her door.

"She looks so peaceful when she sleeps," he muses, a soft smile playing on his lips. "Much unlike her drooling mother who hogs all the blankets," he teases.

I love this playful side of him. I feel like I haven't seen enough of it since we've been back.

I wonder if he'll still be this content with my company once I tell him all of my secrets.

"I'll be right out. I'm just going to grab the diary from my room," I tell him before rushing across the hall and into the guest bedroom.

The couch is still a mess from our sleepover, and I can't help but smile as I recall the way we fell asleep together, wrapped into each other's arms.

Safe from the ghosts and secrets of our past.

I quickly grab the blue book from the nightstand and head back out to meet Ian in the hall.

Only, he's not in the hall anymore.

I start to head toward the stairs when I hear low whispers from Auden's room.

When I peek my head in, the small lamp on the bedside table is on, and I see Ian sitting on the bed next to Auden, who is very much awake now.

"What if the bad one tries to hurt Mommy again?" Auden asks Ian, her tone worried as she tugs on the duvet.

Ian chuckles and reaches forward and tucks a stray lock of her behind her ear. "Nobody is going to harm you or your mom, not while I'm here to chase all the bad things away."

Auden chews on her lip, clearly unsatisfied with Ian's answer. "But what about Papa? The bad one hurt him already, and you were there," she argues, causing Ian to shake his head in defeat.

"You're right. I was there. But the bad one that hurt your Papa is inside his body, already making him sick. Your mom isn't sick, and if something tries to get her, I'll fight them off. I promise I won't let anything bad happen to her, or to you."

Auden holds out her pinky. "Pinky swear?"

Ian wraps his pinky around hers, and they shake on it. "Pinky swear," he promises her with a smirk. Her answering smile is enough to light up the entire planet. "Now, go to sleep before your mom catches you awake at this hour. She might not let us go get milkshakes at the fair tomorrow if you don't go to sleep."

"I love milkshakes!" Auden yells excitedly. "Oops, I'm not supposed to yell. Mama might catch us." She giggles before tucking herself back into the pink duvet.

Ian turns the lamp off before leaning over and giving her hair a playful pat. "Good night, Auden."

"Good night, Ian. Don't break our promise. Okay?"

"Wouldn't dream of it, kid."