Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 81867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
“Juniper,” she says with a wave of her hand. “Got a minute?”
“Sure,” I reply as I walk her way. When I reach her, I throw a thumb back toward the hallway where my dad resides. “Just spent a rousing few hours chatting up the old man.”
Charity laughs. “Did he have anything good to say?”
“Strangely quiet. But he got an earful from me.”
Her face softens, all joking aside. Her hand touches my arm. “You’re a very devoted daughter and I don’t care what any doctor says, I think your visits and your voice reach him. He’s still inside, very deep, but I know you reach him.”
I incline my head. “I like to think so too.”
“The reason I stopped you was I wanted to let you know your dad had a visitor who wasn’t on the approved list yesterday.” My body goes still, a slight tingle inching up my spine. “Said he was your husband.”
“My husband,” I repeat, my tongue feeling thick.
“Yes,” she replies, her tone businesslike. “He was very polite and produced identification, but we were very firm with him that he was not on the list and could not see your dad.”
“Joshua was here?” I ask, reeling from this news.
Charity frowns at me, concern etching her face. “Yes. He said he’d have you add him to the list.”
I don’t reply, wondering what his game is. While Joshua can be the devil, he knows how to charm people to get what he wants. Why would he try to get in to see my dad? To harm him? Or maybe just to rattle me?
Probably the latter.
“Are you okay?” Charity asks quietly, stepping in closer. “You seem frightened.”
A smile comes quickly to my face although I know my words have a hard edge. “No, I’m fine. Truly. But I’m separated from Joshua and he will not be added to the list.”
“Do we need security for your dad?” she asks, her eyebrows drawing further inward with unease.
“No,” I exclaim to reassure her. “Not at all. He’s just… I don’t know why he’s trying to see him. I’ll find out but just make sure everyone knows that Mr. Derringer and I are the only approved visitors.”
“Of course,” Charity says.
“I need to get going. I appreciate everything you all do for my father. I’ll be back tomorrow morning.”
We exchange goodbyes and I’ve got my phone out of my purse before I’m even through the sliding glass doors. By the time my foot hits the parking lot, I’ve pulled up Joshua’s contact information, intent on unblocking him so I can find out what the hell he’s doing. I’m driven now by anger that he would think to intrude on the peace I’ve established here, and I intend to unleash on him.
As I stomp across the lot, I consider whether a text or call would be better. Text, so it’s in writing… a clear directive to stay away from my father.
“Juniper.”
That voice turns my blood cold and I come to a dead stop, head lifting to find Joshua standing at my driver’s door.
He holds out his hands to the side and offers a gentle smile. “I only want to talk.”
“I have nothing to say to you. You need to stay away from my father and stay away from me.”
“Please… Juni,” he says, his tone so sickeningly sweet, my nose wrinkles. “After all our time together, I deserve a few minutes. All I want to do is talk. There’s no harm in that.”
“It seems pretty stalker-like to fly all the way here to tell me that.”
Joshua is unfazed. “You blocked me. What was I supposed to do? I just need a few minutes to plead my case. It’s only fair.”
“Fair?” I ask with a brittle laugh. “I owe you nothing. Not after what you did to me.”
“I know,” he says, taking one step toward me. I back up two and that stops him in his tracks. His voice gentles even further. “And I’m sorry. It got out of hand and I didn’t mean to hit you just for making the wrong meal. I know how absurd that was but asking for a divorce—”
Anger bubbles up hot and I don’t think to be scared anymore. I’m enraged. “You think I want a divorce because of that?” I screech. “How about the hundreds of other times you hit me? How about knocking me down the stairs and causing me to lose the baby?”
Pain washes over Joshua’s face. “You know I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
“It doesn’t matter what your intent was. You did it all the same. You always regret it after, but my bruises take longer to heal, and I never forget what they feel like.”
Joshua doesn’t seem to hear a thing. He gives me a poignant look. “Things would have been different if you could have gotten pregnant. We would have gotten closer.”