Aaron by Ali Parker

Author:Ali Parker [Parker, Ali]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance
Goodreads: 45273493
Publisher: BrixBaxter Publishing
Published: 2019-06-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Piper

“Hi, Dad,” I said as I softly closed my bedroom door behind me.

“Piper.” My dad’s warm voice filled the phone. “How’s my girl?”

“I’m good. I’m really good. But I miss all of you. How are things? How are you feeling?”

“Slow down, Pipes.” My dad chuckled.

I gnawed at the inside of my cheek as I padded over to the bed.

Did my dad know Phillip had already called and told me everything that was happening? Was he calling to tell me himself?

“Sorry,” I muttered as I sank down onto the bed and drew my knees up to my chest. Worry chewed at my insides as fiercely as I chewed at my cheek—until I drew blood.

“All is well for us back home, Piper. You don’t need to worry yourself over it.”

Liar. “That’s good,” I said, hearing the disbelief in my voice. “Phillip called me the other day, you know.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. And he told me about your surgery.”

“Oh.”

“Do you have a date yet?” I asked.

My dad was quiet on the other end. I could picture him now, probably standing in the back room of the office, surrounded by extra dishes, cutlery, and filing cabinets filled with years and years of tax and insurance documents, employee records; all physical proof of the good old days from years and years ago.

“Dad?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, you have a date?”

My father let out a long sigh. “I do. Less than a week from now. The twenty-first.”

“The twenty-first?”

“Yes. That’s good news, Piper. The less time between now and the surgery, the better. I’m sick of this bed rest. And this has been no good for your mother. Once I recover from surgery, things can go back to how they were. How they’re supposed to be. Your mother won’t have to do all the heavy lifting in my place and—”

“Daddy,” I said firmly, “recovery takes twelve weeks. At least. And that’s so long as there are no complications. How are you guys going to pay for this? Where is the money coming from? Do you have to—”

“Piper.” My father’s voice held a warning to it. Authority. “I’m your father. You don’t need to worry about money. It’s my responsibility to handle these things. And it’s my heart. Your mother and I have this covered.”

I couldn’t help myself. “How?”

“We’ve never talked money, Piper. I’m not going to start now. You just focus on your studies. But I must admit, it would be nice to have you there when I go in. There are things that can go wrong, and I…” My father trailed off as his voice got thick and shaky. I heard him swallow. “I want to see your face before I go into surgery.”

“Oh. Daddy. I—”

“It’s all right if you can’t make it, Pipes. I understand. You have a lot on your plate right now. Besides, all you’re missing is me in one of those really pretty hospital gowns. Ass out. You know.” He chuckled, but it sounded forced.

He was trying to distract me from how serious this was. It was his go-to tactic.

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