“Why?”
A sigh escaped him, and I could tell our conversation wasn’t going the way he had planned—assuming he had planned this discussion at all.
“My mother…” He paused. “Your grandmother is stuck in her ways, Katrina. Her beliefs are unwavering, and we don’t see eye-to-eye much of the time. I moved away after your mother took you, and when I returned after my father’s death, things had obviously changed. My mother had become cold and distant. In a way, so had I. I’d lost so much, it felt impossible to mend our relationship. I just didn’t have the strength.” He shook his head as if ashamed. “Looking back, I can see that I was depressed. My problems became bigger than me, but I was immature to not face them head-on. None of it was my mother’s fault, but I took it all out on her. I don’t know why I did that; I had no one else.” His frown deepens. “Our relationship has been strained ever since.”
His words didn’t sit well on my heart. “Sounds like you accept defeat well.”
His gaze rose to meet mine. “I suppose you have every right to think I’m weak. Circumstances make it appear so. And maybe I am, but I’m here now, Katrina. I hope you’ll allow me to be the father I never could be to you before.”
A tornado of emotions swirled around my heart, threatening to destroy it if I didn’t take control somehow. I wasn’t ready to forgive, forget, and move on, but it sounded like my relationship wasn’t the only one he needed to repair. “Are you even going to try to work things out with Rose? She may be stubborn, but she has a good heart. I know she means well, and you know it too.”
To my surprise, Paul chuckled. It was an odd but not altogether unwelcome sound. His amusement played in his eyes when he spoke again. “You sound just like her.”
He meant Rose. He didn’t have to tell me that.
I flushed with embarrassment. “I guess she’s been rubbing off on me.” I wanted to turn the conversation back to him. “What was it that you and Rose couldn’t agree on?”
When I turned to face him, his eyes were filled with emotion. “She blamed me for letting your mother leave with you. She said a Fated love should never end the way ours did. But I didn’t see any other choice after I figured out what your mom was…”
There was a pang in my chest when he couldn’t even say the words. It was part of who she was. It was part of who I was. “An Equinox.”
My father’s eyes flashed to mine in response to my bold proclamation as if he were surprised I was so accepting.
“Yes, that’s right.” He paused for a second, as if trying to form his next sentence. “I was desperate to understand why she would leave me the way she did. My heart was broken, and nothing made any sense. I just knew it was something more than her fear of our family being Enchanters. I considered that someone else had stolen your mother’s heart, but deep down, I knew that wasn’t it. Our love was a storybook kind of love. There was and will never be another great love for me.”
Oh.
“It was only a week or so after Grace took you away, and I was perusing my mother’s office. I stumbled upon a picture of Grace’s charm bracelet—”
“This bracelet?” I shifted again and held up my wrist so he could see the gold ornament pressed against my skin.
He gasped. “Yes.” His voice was breathless as he stared, wide-eyed, before reaching for my hand and holding it in his to examine the antique. “That’s the one.” He brushed his fingers against the delicate charm. “When did she give this to you?”
I pulled my arm close to my chest. “The day she died. Rose thinks she knew Erebus would come for me once I turned eighteen.”
Paul shook his head and stared out across the bay. “You’ve turned into a strong and brave young woman, Katrina. Your grandmother told me about your encounter with Erebus at the carnival. I’m so sorry you had to face him alone.”
“I wasn’t alone,” I said, squaring my shoulders. “Alec and Johnny were there.”
Paul chuckled softly. “From what I understand, it was you who protected them.”
A flush crept up my neck. “Neither of them knew about their bloodlines. Alec was adopted when he was young and just recently came into his powers. Unfortunately, Erebus had two Equinox get to him first, and he didn’t know what to think. He figured it out for himself soon enough, though. Then he just played along. And Johnny—” I swallowed, hating how each reminder of him stabbed a little in my chest. “His parents died when he was a young boy, and he was one of the Lost, taking care of himself and not fully understanding his powers.” My heart ached like it had the very first time I heard his story.
Paul nodded slowly as he digested this new info. “And where are these boys now?”
Something about his question made me wonder if he could hear the heartbreak in my tone. Silence filled the surrounding space. I wasn’t sure I wanted to talk about my broken heart with my father. “Alec lives a few houses down. Johnny is gone.”
“Gone?”
I nodded as discomfort rocked my chest. I moved to stand, brushing the sand off my backside, and Paul eased himself onto his feet beside me. “Johnny is a descendant of Poseidon. The Equinox were the ones who killed his parents when he was twelve. He’s been on a revenge mission ever since. What happened at the carnival only refueled his mission, and now he’s determined to hunt down Erebus and kill him.”
Paul’s jaw clenched, then he shook his head. “Even if he finds Erebus, there’s no way he can win.”
The worry that’s consumed me for the week since Johnny left hit me again in full force. “Why?”
Paul looked at me. “Erebus is an eternal being. He’s made of a dark energy that can never be destroyed. At least not in the way Johnny probably intends to destroy him. I’m afraid your friend is on an impossible mission.”
Present Day
Our conversation ended there, and after our walk on the beach, Paul informed all of us that he was moving back to Apollo Beach permanently, into a home down the street. It put him close enough without making our reunion feel like an intrusive one.
He came by frequently for dinner and on most weekends for breakfast. Over time, we found a few things we had in common, like our love for literature and our adventurous natures. Sometimes we found ourselves camped out in Summer Library. Other times, we explored the outdoors through biking, boating, or hiking the nature trails. He even introduced me to deep sea diving, and it quickly became an obsession. No sea sprinkle and mermaid tails needed—not with Paul, anyway. We went real deep sea diving, the kind with plastic fins and oxygen tanks strapped to our backs.
We sure have come a long way since that first day he landed on the steps of Summer Estate, and now, he’s at Summer Manor to see me off to the ball. Warmth fills me as I follow Charlotte downstairs and through the grand entrance into the great room. Paul and Rose stand together speaking in low voices, but they stop immediately when they see us.
“Dressed to impress, are we?” Rose teases.
I give her a playful smirk just as Paul reaches for my hands. He examines me from head to foot with squinty eyes and pursed lips, then he twirls me around unexpectedly like I’m a little girl. My heart swells.