Page 64 of Sipping Seduction
“Yeah, Dad, I've heard the stories. You went surfing on the sand dunes and rode a camel. We even have the pictures and the photo album to prove it.” I didn’t know how my dad’s past had anything to do with the crisis I was experiencing. Maybe it had been a bad idea to head to his place.
“Those are the things I wanted you to know about the time I spent overseas. My scars might not be as obvious as Evan’s, but being deployed in a war zone changes a man. I came home a much different person than I was when I left your mom behind.” He shifted his stool closer to mine and set a comforting hand on my shoulder. “With the horrors I've seen, I can only imagine what Evan might have experienced. Stuff like that makes you want to protect the people you love. It's got to be hard for a man like Evan who's always been strong and capable to have to ask for help.”
“Then what can I do to support him?” I understood what my dad was saying, but I still didn't have any ideas on how to handle Evan.
“Just be there for him. Let him know you're there if he needs you. Right now, his pride is getting in the way. He's trying to push you away. The best thing you can do is let him know that you're not going anywhere and that you love him just the way he is.”
“I've told him that, though. He doesn't need to change for me. I don't care if he walks with a limp. All I care about is having him with me.”
“Do you think he'd see a therapist?” Dad asked.
“I can't get him to talk to me. Do you really think he’d talk to a stranger?”
“Sometimes it's easier to talk to someone you don't have a relationship with. When I came back from Iran, I saw somebody once a week for almost a year. I also joined the veteran support group that helped me process everything I was feeling. If Evan is willing to go, that could be a great resource for him.”
“Why didn't I know any of this?” I asked.
“You weren’t even born yet, sweetheart. Once you came along, I had something to live for again.”
“Oh, Dad.” I stood up from the stool and wrapped my arms around my father. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Frannie.”
With my cheek pressed against his sweater, I clung to my dad. The time I had with him was dwindling, which made me treasure the moments like this even more.
“It’s going to be okay. You and Evan will figure out a way through this and you’ll come out of it even stronger.”
I held onto those words and hoped with all my heart he was right.
CHAPTER33
Evan
“What’s your plan, Evan?”The tension in Ruby’s voice came through the phone. She’d called to check in on me a few minutes ago and we’d been talking in circles so far.
“I don't really have one. All I know is that I can't live without her.”
“And you're willing to do what you need to do to keep her?” Ruby asked.
A band inside my chest tightened. After Miller left earlier this afternoon, I'd spent a lot of time thinking about my options. I could look up my Army buddy and move to Montana. That sounded appealing for all of about thirty seconds.
The one driving force that had kept me going through everything I'd experienced was the thought that one day, Frannie and I would be together. Knowing I'd had her in my arms and lost her meant there was nothing left to live for.
When I thought about all the ways I’d failed, losing Frannie was my biggest failure of all. I hadn't allowed myself to feel whole while I was with her, so the idea of being without her filled me with a deep despair.
If there were sides to be taken, no doubt Ruby would take Frannie’s. Hell, everyone should be on Frannie’s side as far as I was concerned. “What exactly is it that you think I need to do to win her back?”
“You're asking my opinion?” Ruby scoffed. “Since when do you ask for help from anyone?”
“That's just it.” I rubbed the scruff on my chin. “I was an idiot to think I could get through life without asking for help.”
“And it only took you twenty-eight years to figure that out?”
“Twenty-eight years and losing the love of my life.” I shrugged, even though she couldn’t see me through the phone. “I've never been a quick learner.”
Ruby laughed at that. “You're actually kind of funny when I don't feel like strangling you.”
I didn’t want to be funny. Didn’t want to be anything except the guy who could win back Frannie’s heart. “Will you help me, Ruby?”
