Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

JAMIE

I’m halfway through the door to the diner when I realize I left my keys in my truck, not that anyone would be dumb enough to steal it, but it at least makes me pause and catch my breath for a moment.

Once inside, my eyes immediately catch Lance’s and he stands to meet me, placing his body between me and his daughter. Her long blond hair is pulled through the back of a baseball cap, but I’d recognize it anywhere.

“Jamie,” he says, nodding at me.

“Lance,” I respond, trying not to look overeager. “Mind if I join you?”

“Another time?—”

I clap him on his shoulder, taking the side of the booth he just vacated, and pretend to suddenly notice he’s not alone. “Oh, am I interrupting? Hi, I’m Jamie.”

While Lance towers above us, looking like he wants to tell me to get lost, I extend my hand to Eden. She sits there frozen before looking up at her dad, then back to me, before she makes her decision. “Hi, I’m Eden.”

She slides her delicate hand into mind, giving me a gentle squeeze, and I hold it a little too long. At least, I gather her dad thinks so, from the way he heavily sits down, forcing her to slide further against the wall and pull her hand out of mine.

“I didn’t know you had a daughter,” I say, unable to tear my eyes away from her heart-shaped face while I desperately try to memorize every detail. “Mick didn’t mention her when he brought up your wife that day.”

The waitress, Missy, saves him from lying to me when she comes to deliver their food. “Hiya Butch, want your regular?”

“Yes, ma’am. Add their breakfast to my bill since I’m crashing their meal,” I respond, briefly looking up at her. “Eden, why aren’t you having a milkshake?”

“I couldn’t make up my mind,” she shyly confesses.

“Bring her my favorite one,” I tell Missy, sending a wink in Eden’s direction. “If you don’t like it, I’ll just have to have two today.”

“I got the business license yesterday,” Lance says out of the blue, pulling my gaze to him. “That guy you sent in. Boskon? He seems good enough for basic work, so I’m going to hire him.”

“Great, I can probably find someone to work the desk for you,” I offer, happy to keep my eyes on Lance once I notice that Eden’s taking the time to study my face.

“Nah, Eden here said she wants to find to work,” he replies, and she looks at him in surprise.

“Really?” Her question draws a sigh from him, telling me he’s conceding some argument.

“Smart man,” I say, drawing a curious expression from him. “You obviously want to keep a close eye on her. How old are you, Eden?”

“I turned eighteen this past weekend,” she tells me and it’s my turn to be surprised. From a comment she had previously made, I was worried her birthday was much further off.

“Here you go, two peppermint fudge milkshakes,” Missy interrupts, serving ours before placing a third smaller cup in front of Lance. “There was a little extra, so I didn’t want you to feel left out.”

Except for how uncomfortable Lance is with me being near his daughter, the next half hour has me feeling as high as I’ve ever been. This is the feeling that every junkie chases, and I’ve never understood it until I was in Eden’s presence.

“Sweetheart? Give me a minute and I’ll meet you in the truck,” Lance says after I’ve refused to take any cash for the check. He stands, fishing his keys out of his pocket as she dutifully scoots out of the booth.

“Nice to meet you, Jamie,” she says with a smile that sends my heart into overdrive.

“Girl can’t lie worth a damn,” Lance grunts as he sits back down, but I swipe my hand through the air to stop him. “You want to tell me how and where you met?”

“I’d like permission to date your daughter.” My words have his jaw dropping open, but he catches himself pretty quickly, fisting his hands as he leans across the table.

“What the fuck did you just say?” he asks. The glare he gives me tells me he’s planning my death, but I proceed, undeterred.

“I know you don’t like me and why,” I start, leaning back against the booth as I try to remain cool. “I can tell how close you two are, so I’m telling you my intentions. I am going to marry Eden. I’d be a lot happier running down to the courthouse, but I’ll take the time for you to see you can trust me. It’s important you know I’ll always do right by her.”

Eden

Dad gets into his truck, looking as pale as I’ve ever seen him. He reaches his hand up as though to turn the key I had already inserted into the ignition but drops it down to his leg before leaning his head back.

“Are you alright? What’s wrong?” Fear grips my heart as I worry that he’s having an attack of some sort, and I reach out to feel his pulse. “Dad! Talk to me. What is it?”

“Why him?” he bitterly laughs to himself after long seconds tick by. “Of all the goddamn people in this world, why are your dreams of him?”

“Do you believe in them, then?” I ask him in return, and he finally opens his eyes to stare into mine.

“How could I not, sweetie? They brought your mom and me together. To deny them now is to deny what we had together,” he confesses, at least until his breath catches and a tear slips over one rim.

Dad opens his arms and I curl into his embrace like I have a thousand times before.