Fall Into Temptation (Blue Moon Book #2)(83)

On autopilot, she got out of her car and climbed the steps to the front door. She rang the bell and when the door opened, she fell into the arms of the only man who had never let her down.

“Hi, Daddy,” she sniffled in his warm, safe embrace.

Franklin had seen enough female tears in his time to know that now wasn’t the time for words. It was time for the silent comfort that only a father could give. She let him guide her into the living room and was beyond mortified when she realized Phoebe was curled up on the couch, a Cary Grant movie paused on the TV.

“Oh! I’m so sorry, Phoebe. I wasn’t thinking.” Gia wished the cream colored carpet would swallow her up and put her out of her misery.

Phoebe gave her a warm smile as she rose from the couch. She was wearing cotton pajama pants and a tunic length sweater. A bowl of popcorn sat on the coffee table.

“Don’t be silly.” Phoebe patted her hand. “I’m going to go make us some tea.” She laid a gentle hand on Franklin’s shoulder as she made her way back to the kitchen.

The gesture wasn’t lost on her, even in her current state of rage-induced hysteria.

“You two really love each other, don’t you, Daddy?”

Franklin gestured toward the couch and Gia flopped down, hugging a corduroy pillow to her chest. He sat down next to her, a smile breaking through the worry on his face when she nudged him with her foot. “Don’t you?” she said again.

He nodded. “I never expected to find this at my age,” he sighed.

“At your age?” Gia rolled her eyes. “You make it sound like you’re a million years old.”

Broad-shouldered with his kind, crinkle-eyed smile, he’d always been handsome. In high school, all the friends who’d crossed their threshold did so carrying a torch for Franklin Merrill. Even when his hair had gone from dark to silver, it only made him more distinguished.

“I’m a lucky man,” he sighed with contentment.

“Phoebe’s a pretty lucky lady,” Gia said, nudging him again with her toes. “I hope I’m that lucky some day.”

“Your luck seems to have been improving,” Franklin said, patting her knee. “Beckett is about as far from Paul as you can get. He clearly cares about you and the kids.”

“And yet he just broke up with me.”

Her father frowned. “Has he suffered a recent head injury?”

Gia laughed in spite of herself. She shook her head. “No, but he may end up with one if I have anything to say about it.”

“Uh-oh,” Phoebe said, carrying a tray laden with steaming mugs, slices of lemon, and a box of tissues. “Beckett?”

“I don’t want to speak ill of the soon-to-be-dead in front of his mother.”

“Sweetie, you can’t say anything that I haven’t already thought about all of my boys. I love them to pieces but every single one of them can be an idiot.”

“Do they ever snap out of it?” Gia helped herself to a tissue and blew her nose.

“Eventually.” Phoebe sank down in the armchair across from them. “How big of an idiot was he?”

Gia relayed the gist of the fight.

“He wouldn’t even let me explain what Paul was doing here in the first place, though being my attorney he should have figured it out.” Gia took a sip of her tea and her eyes widened.

“I hope you don’t mind a little whiskey in your tea,” Phoebe smiled. “It seemed appropriate.”

“Bless you,” Gia sighed and took another sip.

“What is Paul doing here?” Franklin asked.

“He starts a new gig in the city next week and swung through to sign the guardianship papers for Evan. I thought he could spend some time with the kids, you know, present a united front to Evan when we explain what the paperwork means. I don’t want him thinking his father just abandoned him.”

“Did you give Beckett a heads up that Paul was coming?”

Gia shook her head. “That would have required Paul telling me he was coming and not just showing up fifteen minutes before Beckett knocked on the door. I’d left Paul a voicemail yesterday asking if he’d be up for a visit soon.”

Phoebe closed her eyes and shook her head, her stubby ponytail twitching. “And Beckett decided that Paul was here because he wants a second chance.”

“And he feels very strongly that I should give him one.” That stung as much as anything. Not only had Beckett accused her of selfishly splitting up her family, but he walked away from her without a look back. Just like Paul.

“Dad, did I give up too quickly with Paul?” She shoved the words out before she could bury them again. “Would the kids be better off if I had stayed?”

Her father took her hand, squeezed it reassuringly. “I know you kept quiet about many of the details about why you and Paul ended things, but your sisters have big mouths. What does your gut tell you? Do you think you should have stayed?”

Gia closed her eyes, went back to that night again in her mind. She was already shaking her head. “No. If anything I should have done it sooner.” She opened her eyes, blew her nose again. “So what do I do? Evan and Aurora love Beckett. But he just walked away. He didn’t even try.”

Phoebe picked up her mug and Gia could have sworn she heard her mutter “*.”