Page 95 of Infinite as They Come
Finally, I made it to the top of the steps, my hand raised into a fist in front of the big front doors. I was just about to bang on them when they opened up. It was Holly’s dad staring back at me, a heavy breath leaving him. I waited for it. For him to tell me to fuck off, for him to say Holly didn’t want to see me, for him to throw some insult my way that he hadn’t used in awhile.
Instead, he stepped to the side, holding the door open for me. “I had a feeling you’d be showing up,” he said. “Holly’s here.”
My eyes flew to the stairs behind him. “Can I—”
“You and me need to have a talk before you see her.”
Letting out a long breath, I nodded. “Right.”
He let me in, shutting the door behind us. My eyes kept landing on that staircase in the distance, so tempted to run up them and find Holly and hold her and tell her everything. Most importantly, to let her know that I would stop keeping so many secrets. But her dad gestured for me to follow him through the doorway and to one of the many living rooms the Suttons seemed to have.
The living room was just as extravagant as the last time I was in it. Arched windows that let me catch a glimpse of their fountain out the front, that big ass grand piano to my left that I was pretty sure no one actually touched, the chandelier that hung above. It was all cream-colored walls with that fancy molding detailing that covered the high ceiling, perfectly and pristinely chiseled. I was out of my element. This was Holly’s natural environment, not mine. I always felt like I was going to get the damn place dirty whenever I stepped inside one of the million rooms they had.
Her dad gestured to one of the couches in the room, and I took a seat against the soft, white fabric with a sigh. I hated the idea of sitting or staying still. Not just because of that long drive, but because of how I was itching to hold Holly. I needed to run up those stairs and find her and hold her close to me, but I followed his instructions. He took a seat across from me, my shoe thumping against his fancy rug that stretched out across half the damn floor.
“That must have been a long drive,” her dad finally said. “All the way from Austin, right?”
I nodded, eyes falling to the doorway like I’d see Holly there. “Yeah, it took a while.”
“Holly got a flight. She’s been here for a little while now. I didn’t think that road trip of yours would finish up so early.”
“A lot of things happened along the way that weren’t meant to happen.”
He nodded, lips pressed together. “Holly’s upset. There’s nothing I hate more than seeing my daughter upset. It breaks my heart seeing her sad.”
I exhaled sharply. “Yeah, mine breaks too.”
“Can I ask what happened?”
My hands pushed through my hair, head shaking as I remembered it all. The lies. That hurt look on her face. That strained tone in her sweet voice. “I had it all planned out.”
“Itbeing what exactly?”
“I’m tryna do everything I can to make sure I keep Holly looked after. To keep her safe and happy and loved. I guess I got a little too in my head about it all. I kinda have a habit of getting in my head about Holly all the time…”
Slowly, his brows pulled together. “I don’t understand.”
“A house,” I whispered, peering over my shoulder just in case. I still wanted it to be a surprise. “Our home. For us. Forever. Here in Texas, so she can be close to you guys, and because that was what she told me a few years ago. That she wanted to live somewhere quiet. Where she can see the sky.”
That had him sitting up a little straighter. “That’s what you’ve been doing? I thought you were on a road trip.”
“We were. We are. We…” I sighed. “I don’t know. It wasn’t supposed to be this hard. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I didn’t think it’d be this hard.”
“What happened?”
“My mom.”
Worry flashed behind his eyes, and I didn’t ever think I’d see that from him. “Holly told me about her. How is she?”
“She’s good. I bumped into her. Well, I bumped into my brother. I have one of those apparently. Kinda sent the whole road trip idea a little upside down.”
“But she’s okay? She’s in a good spot now?”
I nodded. “She got married again. Kurt’s a good guy. Gentle. Patient. That’s what she deserves after my dad. She deserves someone who’ll treat her good and keep her safe.”
“I’m glad she’s doing good.”
“Finding her kinda put things on pause. I’m really happy I found her, though. And my brother. Holly was the only reason I could do any of that. She always gets me through the hard things. And you know, I had it all worked out in my head, but planning stuff with Holly doesn’t always go as how I imagined it in my head, and finding a house is a hell of a lot harder than I thought.”
