Twisted Collide: The new sports romance in the Redville Saints series
Twisted Collide: Chapter 70

“Dad.” My soft voice is barely above a whisper.

My father looks up, and when he does, shock is clear on his face. “Is it okay if I call you Dad?” My voice cracks at the question, unshed tears filling my eyes.

“Of course, it’s okay, sweetheart. You can call me anything you like. As long as you’re in my life.” The moisture collecting in my eyes cascades down my cheeks.

“Okay, Dad. I’d like to.” I sniffle, trying to hold back more tears.

“Then that’s what you’ll do.” He smiles warmly, and I lie back on the bed and close my eyes. I’m not sleeping, but I’m resting.

I open my eyes a few seconds later, remembering that there was a knock on the door some time ago, and my dad was acting weird. I wonder if the doctor said anything. Maybe something is wrong. “Did I have any visitors?”

His eyes narrow, and I wonder what he must be thinking because he looks deep in thought. “Dad?”

“Are you calling me Dad to get a confession?”

“Um, no, but, um, is there something to confess . . . Dad?” I say his name in a mocking tone.

“Fine. You had a visitor. Actually, the waiting room was filled with the team, but one was more insistent that he wanted to see you.”

“And the visitor?” I lean forward, anxious.

“Dane.”

My heart pounds so hard it most likely will explode. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Is he mad at Dane? Does he know? No, he would have mentioned it to me, and he doesn’t blame Dane, so why did he not tell me?

I shake my head. “I don’t understand. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“To be honest, it had nothing to do with you. I saw him, sweetheart. He wasn’t in the right place. Emotionally, he was beating himself up. And he needed to cool down.”

“Don’t you think it should have been up to me to decide that?”

“Yes, and please forgive me, but you’re my daughter, and he’s like a son. He was hurting, self-loathing. I didn’t want him to do or say something he’d regret.”

“So you sent him home?”

“Yes and no.”

“I’m not following.”

“I sent him home, and then I sent him the one person at this moment who could get through to him.”

“Molly,” I finish for him. “That makes sense. I do wish you would have told me.”

“And I promise, moving forward, I will tell you. I wanted to protect you because when I saw him, I saw the self-destructive boy I had met when he was in high school, trying out for the college team. I saw the same look in his eyes, and I knew he would self-destruct, and I needed to help him.”

“I understand.”

I understood more than he would ever know. It was the same reason I fell, the same reason I stood on that ledge. It was the same reason I continued to walk, even though I had no balance. I saw something inside him that scared me, and I knew he needed to be centered again. And I thought I could help.

“I hope Molly gives him what he needs.”

“I hope she does too.” I settle back into the bed and wonder what Molly will say to him. I wonder if he’ll let her in. My eyes close, and I feel weighted to the bed.

A few hours must pass, but my father remains by my side. A knock on the door has us both looking toward it. What time is it? Who would be here now? I look over at the clock and see it’s four in the morning. My father stands and goes to answer it.

When I hear the sound of footsteps, I look toward where my father left, but my father isn’t standing there when the shadow steps back into the light. It’s Dane, and he’s alone.

“Where’s my dad?”

“He wanted to give us a minute . . . I, uh, promised to be on my best behavior.”

“Why are you here?” My voice sounds foreign to me, gravelly and hoarse.

“I wanted to tell you how sorry I am.”

“You made it clear how you felt about me. I was the idiot who thought I could help.”

“And you can, and you did.”

“Sure doesn’t look like I did.” I gesture to the bed and hospital room.

“Well, maybe not the way you intended, but it knocked some sense into me. Made me see things clearly.”

“Oh yeah? And what did you see?”

“I realized I’m an idiot. I realized you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. That you make me laugh and smile. You give me peace, and it made me realize the most important thing.”

“And that is?”

“That I love you.” He steps toward the bed, taking my hand in his. “You didn’t just force me out of my comfort. You collided with me, twisting my world upside down.” He brings it up to his mouth and places a kiss on my knuckle. “I love you, Hellfire. I love everything about you. And I’ll spend the rest of my days proving you aren’t a secret. You aren’t an afterthought. You are the thought, the only thought that matters. You’re everything.”

I think my mouth is broken because, for the first time in like forever, it doesn’t seem to work. It takes me a second to get my brain and mouth to work together, and I chalk it up to the fact I have a concussion.

“And my father?”

“We’ll tell him.”

“When?”

He smiles at me. “Now.” I shake my head. “No?”

“Look, I’m done. Done being put last on everyone’s list. I told my mother the same thing. From now on, you need to earn my trust. My love. My affection. And before you say anything about the fall, I’m not talking about the fall. I’m talking about the way you played with my heart and dumped me so fast, like I meant nothing. If I’m going to tell my father, it’s because we’re endgame.”

“We are endgame.”

“I’ll decide that. And I’ll decide it when I’m not laid up in a hospital bed with a concussion.”

“Got it. You need some good grovel.”

“That’s not what I said.”

“No, but it’s what you deserve. You need to know I’m all in, and I’m going to give that to you.”

He places one last kiss on my knuckle and takes a step back.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to leave before your dad returns. But don’t fear, I won’t be far away. I’ll convince you I’m the man you need and that I’m worthy of your love.”