Page 77 of Precious Legacy

We make our way up the steps to the front door. Varo is the first to step inside and I follow closely behind him, using him like a human shield. It doesn’t last long, though.

Mom slips past him and grabs me by the shoulders, yanking me to her chest and holding me so tightly I can barely breathe. For someone of her slim stature, she has amazing strength. It’s like she doesn’t want to let go, and I can’t find it in me to force her to. It actually feels so good to be held like this that I melt against her, resting my head on her shoulder.

“I’ve missed you, sweetheart,” her soothing voice caresses my ear, like a balm to my nerves.

It’s like a dam bursting the way those words affect me. I feel my chest heave, but no sound comes. The pain is there, though. The pain of almost losing this, of almost losing my family. The realization that my choices could have cost me everything weighs heavily, and I’m even more torn on whether I’ve made the right decision.

Slowly, I pull away, and Mom swipes my cheek with her thumb.Shit, am I crying?I must be, because the embarrassing sniffle that follows my question is too loud to ignore.

“Alanis,” a deep voice echoes down the hallway.

I jump at the sound, tearing my gaze away from Mom to land on my dad, who’s pocketing his hands and leaning against the doorframe to his office. He looks tired, more exhausted than I’ve ever seen him before. His hair looks even grayer, too, like he’s aged ten years in the space of a month, and his eyes are soft and regretful.

“Dad,” I rasp, taking a step forward.

His dark eyes crinkle at the corners as his mouth curls into a soft smile. It’s not quite a happy one, but I can tell by the way he relaxes his shoulders and glances down at my wrist that he’s relieved I’m here.Maybe Varo was wrong after all.

“I see your brother gave you the watch?” Dad smirks.

Motherfucker!Swinging around to face Varo, I cut him a glare, but he just shrugs his shoulders innocently before darting into the kitchen. I should have known that he knew Dad had given his blessing. The fact he made me think I was being cut from the family stings, but I guess I deserve it for not telling my twin about the academy.

He’s still an ass, though.

Dad clutches my hand, stealing my attention and ultimately saving my brother from my death stare. “Can we talk?” he asks, gesturing to his office.

Nodding, I step inside.It’s my olive branch after all, right?

It’s silent as he closes the door behind us, gesturing to the large moss green couch beside his desk. Dad takes a seat, leaning back and waiting for me to join him.

It takes a few seconds for me to gather the courage to sit as far away from him as possible, because all I can think about is what I should say. There’s no conflict or friction between us—we’re being civil—so I guess now is the time to come clean. “I should start by saying sorry,” I mumble, eyes planted in my lap. “I said some really mean things and?—”

“Don’t apologize, Alanis.” Dad’s hand comes to rest on my own. His voice is gentle, his authoritative tone locked away in some place hidden. When I look up, the sincerity in his eyes is unmistakable. “We say things we don’t mean in anger.”

I sense he’s not just referring to my reaction the other week, but his, too. We said awful things to one another, some of which I wish I could take back, but maybe then we wouldn’t be where we are right now; mending our broken relationship.

“It wasn’t fair for me to put the blame on you,” I say. “I know what you’ve done for me and this family. I know you’ve done everything to keep us all safe, and I would never do anything to jeopardize that.”

Dad smiles, and it’s the warmest thing I’ve seen. I don’t think I can ever recall a moment where he’s looked at me like he is right now, and that only makes the dam in my chest want to burst open again.

“I just… I want to do this. For me.”

“I know, sweetheart,” he soothes. “But I worry. I worry you’re going to do something you can’t take back, or worse.”

“You don’t need to worry about me, Dad,” I huff. “I’m not your precious little girl anymore. I know what I’m doing and I didn’t make this decision lightly. It took a while for me to find the courage to apply for the police academy, and I need you to know that this family will always come first. But… I need to do this.”

Dad’s face contorts, and I can no longer tell whether it’s with anger or respect. Strangely, the two are very similar when it comes to Axel Bonanno. He can make you feel so small with one look, but he can also make you feel ten times bigger. It all depends on what he’s feeling, and right now, I feel like we’re about to go round and round in circles. I don’t know how I’m supposed to convince him to let me do this without telling him my motivations.

But then he surprises me by standing up and taking my hand, pulling me into his warmth. His embrace douses the fire burning inside, the embers of my determination turning to ash in an instant.

“I’ll always worry, Lani, because you’remylittle girl. You’ll always be my precious little girl. The moment you were born and I held you in my arms, my entire world changed. You and your brother became my world, and I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to either of you. I will always worry. I will always want to protect you. I’m just trying to understand why you’re doing this.”

A lump forms in my throat, like concrete hardening. It’s so difficult to speak past the fear of reliving that moment five years ago that all I can do is shake my head.I’m not ready.

“You haven’t called mePreciousin years,” I whisper.

“That’s because your boyfriend uses it now.”

I let out a small laugh, but the elephant in the room is still screaming at me. I know I need to tell my family about what happened, but after reliving the past with Roman about the attack, I was exhausted. Then coming face to face with Prescott the next week only made matters worse. I spent four days battling the nightmares and anxiety that by the time Haven visited me, I was too tired to actually fight her on going out. In my twenty-three years, I’ve never lost that fight in me, but talking about my trauma is like being drained of my blood, of my soul. I know I have issues that I need to work on, and I’ve sworn to myself I will. But I’m not ready yet.

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