I don’t know if I can tell him how close we really are?”
I hate the look of understanding on Harley’s face because I wish I could give him this one thing. My dad is someone he could tell his secret to because there’s no way he could tell it to anyone else.
“It’s okay,” Harley reassures me. “We can go in there and you can tell him I’m your assignment.”
“Thank you. Umm …” I hand Harley sunglasses and a cap. “The nurses will recognize you, and I don’t want another leak like at the hotel.”
Harley puts the hat on and slides the glasses onto his face. “Can’t even meet your dad the right way.”
Even with the knowledge that Harley’s cool not coming out to my dad, I’m still uneasy as we enter the building.
I don’t like lying to my dad, but between that and risking his health, I’m okay with keeping my mouth shut.
We reach Dad’s room, hopefully without Harley being recognized. After the elevator with the guy we suspect tipped off the tabloids, I can’t be sure.
Dad’s face lights up in the only way it can—his lips quirking on one side.
His gaze flicks behind me to Harley.
“Hey, Dad, this is Harley. He’s my, uh …” Assignment. Charge. I’m his bodyguard. “Friend.”
Now, that feels like a lie. Any of my other options still would have been the truth, but I hate putting that professional barrier between Harley and me when we’re so much more.
“Nice to meet you, sir,” Harley says.
Dad’s fingers flex, indicating he wants to tell me something.
I take my seat next to his bed and grab hold of his hand.
He squeezes a sequence of dashes and dots, and immediately I’m pissed off, but I can’t help laughing anyway.
“What?” Harley asks.
“I am never going to hear the end of this.”
“What did he say?”
“He did two ones. Eleven.”
Harley’s smile is so fucking beautiful.
I hate him right now.
I hate even more I can’t do anything about it.
“Your dad knows who I am? Your dad, Brix? Come on.”
“Shut up,” I mumble and turn to Dad. “First day I met this guy, I didn’t know who he was, so I may have tackled him. Just a little. I thought he was a bad guy.”
“A little. How can you tackle someone a little?” Harley exaggeratedly rolls his eyes.
Dad’s lips twitch again.
“Thanks, Dad. No, really. Thanks. If I thought I got it bad enough already, it’s nothing compared to what I’ll get now.”
His hand starts squeezing again.
Y-O-U-R-E W-E-L
Because it takes so much energy to get the letters out, I try to guess what he’s going to say before he’s finished. This one is fairly straightforward.
“Wow,” I say dryly. “Really lovely.”
“What did he say?” Harley asks.
“He said You’re welcome.”
Harley rubs his chin. “Who would’ve thought you could be sarcastic in Morse code?”
“Dad is an expert.”
I know it’s medically impossible, but I swear Dad is the brightest he’s ever been since his stroke.
He grips my hand tight and squeezes a sequence into my hand that makes me stiffen. I know what he’s trying to say long before he gets to the end, but I’m in too much shock to stop him. It’s a long series of dashes and dots, but without a doubt, he knows.
B-O-Y-F-R-I-E-N-D?
My throat dries, and I stare at my dad with pleading eyes. I wish I could know exactly what he’s thinking right now.
Y-E-S? Dad asks.
“What’s he saying?” Harley asks.
“He, uh, he …” I glance between Dad and Harley. I swallow hard. “He asked if you were my boyfriend.”
“Oh. I thought—”
“Have you always known?” I ask Dad.
D-U-H
I burst out laughing.
Harley looks at me expectantly.
“He said Duh.” I turn to Dad. “Since when?”
B-A-S-I-C
“Since I was eighteen?” I exclaim.
I can tell he wants to say more. He wants to explain but can’t. Frustration mars the corner of his eye as he scrunches the few muscles in his face that work.
This is what I hate. He can only get single words or basic phrases out.
“Dad, it’s okay. You don’t have to explain.”
W-A-N-T T-O
“Are you okay with it?” I hold my breath. “I tried to tell you, but I didn’t know how, and you’ve always been so … military, I thought—”
Y-O-U H-A-P-P-Y?
“Very happy.”
L-O-V-E Y-O-U
“I love you too.”
There’s a lot of reading between the lines with Dad. All he wants is for me to be happy. I’d be happier if I could do more for him.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Harley
The last seed of doubt disappears as I watch Brix with his father. I’ve always known my badass with his hard body and soldier