“We’ll figure it out together.Your brother too.We’ve got this.Everyone wants to make sure your dadstayssafe.”
The certainty in Rhett’s voice helped me center myself and focus on the right attitude.We will figure this out.Dad is going to be fine.I won’t let anyone or anything steal the remaining time I have left with my father.Once I find out who did this, I’m going to ruin theirlives.
Seemed like a fair and logical solutiontome.
I turned in Rhett’s arms to find him staring down at me, sincerity radiating in his gaze.He meant every word he said.He might have been the one person, other than my brother, who cared about my family as much asIdid.
“Thank you forstaying.”
He cupped my cheek, stroking with his thumb.“That’s not something you need to thank me for, Ari.I should bethankingyou.”
The cheek he touched heated.“Um, nope.If there’s anyone deserving thanks, praise, accolades, and possibly Olympic medals, it would be you.”My gaze darted up to his before focusing on his chinagain.
One corner of his mouth tugged upward, and I could picture the devastating smile in my head withoutseeingit.
“Olympic medals?Then I guess it means I didn’tdisappoint.”
My eyes cut to his.“You thought I was disappointed?Are youdeluded?”
Rhett’s eyes crinkled at the corners as he laughed.“I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself deluded, but I had some pretty big expectations to exceed, and I wanted to make sure I didn’t fallshort.”
“Again, the scientific answer to that question would be a solidno wayinhell.”
Rhett chuckled again.“Good.I mean, apparently it wasn’t groundbreaking or life-changing, but that gives me things to work up to.I’ve still got room toimpressyou.”
I pressed a hand to his chest.“If you impressed me any more, I might find out what cardiac arrestislike.”
He leaned down and slid his lips along my temple.“We can’t have that.I liked waking up beside you too much.It was almost like I could hear your brain flip on and the gears startturning.”
I froze.“You wereawake?”
“While you were watching me sleep?Yeah,Iwas.”
My face heated.“I swear I’m not a creepy stalker.I left that in highschool.”
Silently, I amended,Okay, maybe it was really college after I first hacked into his life to see what was going on.And maybe there was that alert I set up to see if he ever applied for a marriage license ...But Rhett didn’t need to know about any of that.Clearly.
He shook his head.“I watched you after you fell asleep, so I consideritfair.”
My chin jerked.“Youdid?”
“I finally had you where I’d wanted you for a long time, and I didn’t want to miss a minuteofit.”
35
Rhett
Ari melted against me,and I knew in that moment that I would do whatever it took to find who hurt her father and make sure they paid.Anyone who would beat up a confused old man deserved the same ass-kicking they’d handed out.Even my black-and-white sense of justice would have agreedwiththat.
I looked down at her face and had no qualms about being the man to deliver that ass-kicking.Whatever she needed, I’d find a way tobethat.
“You want to break out one of your fancy computers and see if your dad was able to give them anything helpful lastnight?”
Ari straightened in my arms.“Do you think they would’ve filed a reportalready?”
I considered her question.“Not normally, but given that your dad is who he is and with your brother being on the force, I bet they filed itrightaway.”
“On it.”With a practiced hand, she poured herself a mug of coffee and scooped a laptop off the counter before making her way to the table with it underherarm.