shot, and that was why he wanted to send me away, or he really believed I could command my own unit. Sofia’s words from that day on the beach played in my mind. She’d said he believed in me but that I was a waste of talent.
Was I? I didn’t think so, but he did. It had been the crux of our problem, if she was to be believed.
And I did believe her. I also didn’t want to leave her. Or Eden.
Charles watched me closely as I turned all this over in my mind. Eventually, he got tired of waiting. He drummed his fingers on the desk before he cocked his head and looked me right in the eyes once more.
“Well, Dobbs, what’s it going to be?”
Chapter 36
Sofia
“Can you believe it?” I asked Haley once I’d told her everything I’d learned at the base. “It’s absolutely crazy. He’s supposed to be retired, but he’s been working behind the scenes to get rid of Lincoln.”
My best friend leaned back against the pillows on her bed, clutching one to her chest, and stared at me with disbelief shining in her wide eyes. “I always knew he would do whatever he thought was necessary to protect you, but this does seem like overkill.”
“You think?” I groaned, collapsing onto her bed and lying back. “It’s such a mess. I just can’t believe he would do that to someone.”
“Least of all to one of his precious SEALs,” she murmured. “He lives for those guys.”
“It figures that he’d treat them all like his sons, except for the one I end up falling for.” I covered my face with one of her pillows, digging deep to find a sliver of calm to grasp onto.
Haley had still been at the deli when I’d arrived at her place after that meeting with my dad. Having some time alone had been good for me, but I’d been more than ready to talk once she arrived home.
Armed with a bottle of wine, she’d sat me down and listened patiently as I ranted and raved. It had taken me hours to get everything out, and now I was out of words but still emotional.
She rolled over to face me, propping her head on the stack of pillows and her hand underneath her cheek. “I know it sucks. Nothing I can say can really make it better, but I don’t think he did it to hurt you.”
“Maybe he didn’t realize how much it would hurt me, but he knew it would.” That was what made it even worse. “I’m just struggling to wrap my head around it all, you know? Thanks for letting me sleep here tonight. I really wasn’t looking forward to having to go home and starting with round two just yet.”
“Both of you might have ended up saying things you’d regret.” She smiled. “You know you’re always welcome here. I’m glad you decided to stay.”
“So am I.” I sighed as I flicked off the lamp on the nightstand on my side of the bed. Haley’s was still on, but it wasn’t very bright all by itself.
With the room softly lit and the quiet both inside it and out, I couldn’t believe the madness my life had become. Sighing as I wondered when I’d been catapulted into a world where my father was the villain, I folded my hands over my stomach and shook my head.
“I’m thinking about transferring to a school closer to home,” I said. “I know UCLA isn’t that far away, but I want to be here. You’re here, Lincoln’s here, and Dad’s here. We might be fighting now, but I hope we won’t always be.”
“Where is this coming from?” she asked quietly. “You’ve been looking forward to going to UCLA since we were juniors.”
“Yeah, I know. I want to be closer to you all, though. I also want to be able to be there for Lincoln in the coming months. I can’t do that from LA.”
“Why do you need to be there for him?”
I shrugged, licking my lips as I tried to verbalize the decision I’d made before she’d gotten home. “One way or the other, I think he’s going to leave the military. I wouldn’t blame him if he did, even if they gave him another chance and didn’t discharge him.”
“Makes sense.” I heard the concern creeping into her voice. “But transferring to a different school at this point of your degree seems risky. What happens if your dad found out you transferred to be closer