Page 44 of His Red Carnation

“Hey, Mom.” Sloane got up to give Ana a hug, and I could hear the sadness in her voice; she didn’t want to be there either.

“What’s with you two? Did you enjoy the Bay Area?” Ana asked, glancing between us.

Sloane nodded as she sat down on the couch opposite me. “Probably too much. We didn’t want to leave,” she replied, a small smile barely breaking through.

Ana sighed and nodded as she sat down next to her. “Daddy is taking the day off to have a family day before the state dinner tomorrow.” I felt a pang of jealousy towards Jake for some reason. It couldn’t possibly be because he was “Daddy” to Sloane too. I never heard her call him that. And how fucking weird would it be for me to get jealous overthat?

Sloane looked up at me, then back at Ana. “Callan doesn’t have to leave today, does he?” Her voice sounded desperate, and I felt the same way.

Ana looked over at me with sad eyes. “Of course not. He’s welcome. I mean, he’s family too, right? Maybe not in the way Daddy thinks,” she joked, turning to Sloane.

Neither of us laughed.

“Ay, dios mio. Why are you two so tense right now?”

Sloane shook her head. “It’s hard to be here, being in secret, when we just spent the last few days together being so…free,” she explained quietly.

I couldn’t believe how honest she was with Ana.

“I understand. This must be difficult.” Ana nodded, her tone sympathetic. “Well, I think Daddy wanted to take us to Martha’s Vineyard. You two could have some time away there for a little bit.”

Hope and excitement surged in my chest, and Sloane’s demeanor brightened as she smiled.

“I think we could probably do that.” Sloane glanced at me, her eyes wide with anticipation.

“Okay.” Ana patted Sloane’s leg as she stood up. “Go pack an overnight bag. You too, Callan. I’ll go tell Daddy the plan.”

* * *

I never thought I’d be in Martha’s Vineyard with the love of my life, and I sure as fuck never imagined I’d be flying there on Air Force One with Jake, the President of the United States. It was still surreal to think about. We were stationed at Fort Story in Virginia, and he often got teased for being so straight-laced; he didn’t drink, he didn’t sleep around—he was a legit Boy Scout. I think the reason we became friends was that I was trying to stay sober, and he seemed like a good influence. He was a good guy, and now I was fucking his daughter.

I almost had a heart attack when he pulled me into a conference room on the plane. Who knew Air Force One was like a fucking mini White House? I sat on a swivel chair across from him, and he looked relaxed, one hand resting behind his chair while he crossed his legs.

“We haven’t had any time to chat, have we? It’s been so goddamn busy around here lately,” he began, the hint of grays in his hair catching the natural light as I observed him. I knew mine probably looked the same.

“No. I think it’s fair to say that when you’re the fucking President, Jake,” I joked.

He laughed and shrugged. “Yeah. I’m still not used to it. I don’t know if anyone ever gets used to it.”

“Well, you couldn’t tell. You’re doing great, man.” I felt tense, and I hated that I felt that way around him.

“How’s Sloane been? Giving you a hard time?” he asked, curiosity in his eyes.

I cleared my throat and looked away for a moment. “No, she’s a sweet girl. Fucking smart, isn’t she?” I tried my hardest to sound casual.

He chuckled. “Yeah. I don’t know where she gets it from.”

“Ana,” I answered with a grin.

“Yep, that has to be it. How did she like Berkeley? I heard it wasn’t her favorite.” He seemed eager for my answer.

I shrugged. “She got a lot of unwanted attention. But she seemed to like the area, though,” I admitted.

“I worry about her,” he blurted out. “I’ve already seen so much shit about her online now that she’s eighteen. People are sick, you know? I know she can handle herself—probably better than most—but she’s still my little girl. That’s why I’m glad you’re around.”

It felt like I’d just been punched in the stomach by a thousand bricks. I nodded and fell silent—what the fuck do I say to that?

“Yeah, man, I won’t let anything happen to her,” I finally said.

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