Nova

I nodded and hugged her, pulling her tight. Then I stood to find Dad already standing next to me and embraced him just as deep. I couldn’t imagine the strength it had taken him to go back to her with me, for such a proud man to humble himself.

I couldn’t equate this man with the same one who had torn me from Landon not just once, but twice.

“I love you, Rachel. You are what I’m most proud of in my life,” he told me.

I nodded and pulled back. “And I love you. You’ve been the driving force of my life, Dad. But I haven’t forgiven you for Landon, and I don’t know if I can. You protected me, did what you had to when I was a baby, but I’m a grown woman, and just as I’m not standing here judging you for an affair you had when you were twenty-four, you can’t judge me for loving the kind of man you raised me around. If you didn’t want me near extreme sports, then you should have chosen a different career. You don’t get a say in who I love, and you don’t get to sabotage the best thing that’s ever happened to me because you don’t approve.”

“Rachel—” he started.

“I’m not done. You didn’t just go after Landon; you went after the entire Renegade team. You blackballed them, killed every sponsorship opportunity, and potentially ruined careers and lives because I wouldn’t follow your rules, because I dared to fall in love. What does that say about you? I don’t know how to reconcile that the man who did that is the same man I’ve always looked up to.”

“It was a business decision based on personal reasons.”

“It was wrong.”

Silence stretched between us, until he finally sighed. “I’ll make some calls in the morning.”

“That’s a start.”

“He turned down the Gremlin funding.”

My heart skipped a beat, then swelled with the love that had never died when it came to Landon. “Yeah, I know. You were wrong about him.”

He grimaced. “That remains to be seen…” He took a deep breath. “But if you insist, I will attempt to give him a second chance.”

“Since you were the reason he screwed us up the first time.”

He sighed.

“Dad, he’s not the one in need of a second chance—you are. And as much as I love you and understand that you were trying to protect me, if you ever try to come between us again, I will walk away from you without a backward glance.”

He paled, swallowing hard. “I won’t. I’ll trust you to make your own choices.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” I said softly.

“You will,” he promised.

“I have one more question,” I told him.

“Anything.”

“Why can’t you forgive Mom for doing the same exact thing you did?”

…

Mom handed me a cup of coffee as I sat up, blinking the sleep from my eyes. I was so tired I felt nauseous, thanks to a five a.m. bedtime.

Last night had turned into one epically long episode of Dr. Phil.

“You look like you need this.”

“Thanks,” I muttered, taking the cup from her and sipping carefully, praying the caffeine would hit straight to my veins. I needed to get to the airport early enough to not worry Landon.

One thing last night had taught me—forgiveness was earned and given. Maybe Dad hadn’t earned it yet, but Landon more than had, and I’d yet to give it. It was time for me to step up and let him love me.

“We okay?” she asked, balancing on the edge of my bed.

“Yeah,” I told her. We weren’t fixed, and I wasn’t sure we ever would be, but after a long night of talking, I felt like maybe we were on the right path. And if she and Dad figured their shit out, well, that was just a bonus.

“Good. Did you want to shop today? I know you’re on a tight schedule to get to Aspen tomorrow, but I’d love to sneak in some time with you,” she said, her swollen eyes hopeful.

“Tomorrow? Mom, I’m leaving today…” The clock blinked at me. Eleven thirty a.m. Holy shit. “Mom, I’m so sorry. But I’m late. Oh my God. Landon.”

“Today?” she asked.

“My alarm!” I shouted as I flung myself from the bed, tripping on the covers and falling headfirst onto the floor. My coffee spilled all over the comforter. Great.

“Oh, I turned it off. We were up so late, and you need your rest.”

I gawked at her from the floor. “I’m going to miss the flight!”

“Oh,” she said.

“Not oh, Mom. This is bad. So bad.” My head swam. He was going to think that I stood him up—hadn’t I basically challenged him last night? I’d already been so distant the last month. Hell, I hadn’t been remotely nice since freaking Dubai, and now this.

I scurried into my clothes. “Phone. Is my phone on?”

“No, but you can use mine.”

“I don’t know his number!”

“Well, that’s what these new cell phones do to you. When everything is in memory—”

“Mom! Not the time!” I said, firing up my iPad.

He was tagged at LAX but didn’t show as online.

And I was still an hour away.

I sent a message to him and held my breath, nausea turning my stomach, but he didn’t reply and the status showed unseen.

I sank to the floor. “I missed it. I can’t possibly make it in time.” I closed out the iPad. “I need to get to Aspen.”