Her Forbidden Threeway

Chapter 8

Reade collected the mountain of ashes that were left over from the book and swept them into a protective bag. The brothers had agreed to hire her at the store after talking about it, and coming to the conclusion that it made sense to have someone they knew and trusted guard powerful pieces.

There was a sadness that swept across Reade’s features as she thought back to all of the magic and possibility that flowed through the ink of those pages and she didn’t want the same fate for the rest of her father’s belongings. While she knew that some of them could be very dangerous to the brothers she had fallen in love with, she also owed it to her father to preserve the memory of their name.

“I need to figure out a way to get my father here,” Reade thought as her fingers tapped against the glass on the table. “If I can just get him here, I can get his blessing and he will see that the brother’s mean me or anyone else no harm.”

The silence in the air didn’t do much to help with Reade’s thoughts and she sighed, pressing her forehead against the glass.

“The book,” she thought suddenly and glanced at the land line phone sitting by the cash register.

Reade inhaled a deep breath of air before she swiped up the receiver and dialed her father’s phone number. She knew that he wouldn’t recognize the number and wasn’t sure if he would answer, but she tried anyway and when her father answered, she smiled in response.

“Clyde Duncan speaking,” her father said, sounding professional.

“Hey, dad. It’s Reade.”

He chuckled. “No one else calls me dad, Reade.”

“Right,” she replied, smiling to herself despite him not being able to see her. “Listen, I’m not going to be coming home tonight because I’ve taken a new job at Drakon and I have a lot of training and catching up to do, but the remnants of the book are here. Do you want to stop by and pick them up? Scott and Jackson won’t be here. They won’t be back until the morning, that’s why I have to stay at the shop.”

Reade chewed nervously on her lower lip as she heard her father sigh heavily. She could envision the wrinkles in his forehead and the disappointment around his eyes as he battled his existential dilemma. He didn’t like that she was so close to their sworn enemy and he didn’t like that she was spending more time with them than with him. She knew he imagined he couldn’t protect her if he wasn’t near her, but Reade wondered if her father considered the idea that she didn’t need his protection anymore.

“I don’t know, honey,” Clyde said gruffly, the sound of him scratching his jaw bellowing from the receiver. “That’s not a place for me and it’s not one for you. It’s dangerous.”

Reade bit her lip out of habit and sighed in response to her father’s inhibitions. “Please, dad? It’s the only way you’ll be able to get your stuff back.”

There was a brief silence and Reade could practically hear the wheels in Clyde’s head turning. She knew him well enough to know that he was weighing out each of the options. She knew that in her father’s heart, he knew that she would never do anything that put him in any danger. He was her father and despite everything, even all of the lies and all of the deception, she loved him. Just like she knew that he loved her.

When Clyde agreed to meet Reade at the store to pick up the remnants of the book, an equal amount of relief and surprised flooded through her system. As she hung up the phone, she felt a small pang of guilt in her heart. She had lied to her father once again and she knew it was only a matter of time before he figured it out. She hopes that it was something that he would be able to forgive her for, that he would be able to understand. Though he was stubborn and set in his ways.

“Who was that?” Jackson asked as he pushed through the beaded curtains with Scott following behind him.

They hadn’t gone anywhere.

“That was my dad,” Reade admitted, clearing her throat and avoiding Jackson’s eyes. “I’ve invited him to stop by the shop to pick up the remnants of the book. It’s his book and he should have it back. Just like he should have back all of the things that you took from him.”

Scott and Jackson exchanged hesitant glances while Reade stood at the cash register, fiddling with her fingers. It had become a new nervous habit of hers and reminded her of something that a child would do when he or she was about to be berated for breaking a lamp or a vase.

“You invited your father, a notorious dragon hunter, into our shop without even consulting with us?” Scott asked, irritated lacing his tone. “Are you insane or has everything just gone to your head?”

Reade clenched her eyes shut tightly and squeezed her hands tightly enough for the nails to dig into the flesh of her palm. She hated explaining herself, it was one of her biggest pet peeves and she found it difficult to keep from overreacting. She wanted everyone that she loved to just trust her and know that was she was doing was for a reason. She didn’t want any questions.

“Don’t you get it?” Reade asked, stepping forward to invade the personal space of the two brothers.

They remained silent and Reade wrapped an arm around each of their frames, pulling them in and allowing the familiar scent of their matching cologne to lull her to a state of relaxation. It was becoming clear that no matter what happened, they wouldn’t ever abandon her, even if they didn’t agree with her decisions.

“My father’s approval means everything to me, you guys,” Reade said softly, her eyes watering over with emotion. “He’s the only parent that I have. I don’t have my mother that I can run to if something goes wrong, I only have him. And it’s not fair to expect me to not have someone else when you guys have each other and Marnie that you can turn to. I need my dad. I need him to see that you two aren’t a threat to me, that you just want to love and protect me. That’s all that any father wants for his daughter and I know that if he just has the chance to see that, he will be accepting of all of this.”

“She’s right,” Jackson said, gaining a surprised look from Scott who was still standing with his arms crossed over his chest. “We have to at least try.”

The silence in the room remained heavy and Reade looked pleadingly towards Scott. She knew at the very beginning that it would be easier to convince Jackson. He thought on a logical level and it was easy for her to get him to see her point of view. Scott, he was different. His way of thinking was unpredictable, just like his actions. He was impulsive, strong, stubborn and arrogant and Reade knew that him letting her father close would be like sticking a dagger in his pride.

“Scott,” Reade pleaded. “I just want my father to have a chance to meet you when everything is calm. He doesn’t need to meet you with exploding crystals or fists being thrown. He should meet you like this, just like I did and as soon as he does, I know he will love you too. Just like I do. Please.”

“Fine,” Scott replied suddenly and Reade’s mouth turn up into a full on grin. “But if he starts anything, if he draws any sort of weapon, I can’t be held responsible for my actions. This is our home, not his. This is our shop, not his. I don’t care if he is your father, Reade. If he tries to harm Jackson, Marnie, myself or even you, he will see an entirely different beast.”

Reade turned her attention towards Jackson who had remained silent. His stoic features told her that he agreed with Scott’s decision and she knew that was the only way they would be accepting and open to the possibility. She nodded her head.