Life, Love & A Little Coffee

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Sunrise River

When her dad returned home on Saturday night, Ada hadn't dared to go upstairs. She'd sent Tom a warning message, but didn't know if he received it and didn't know if that's where her dad went.

It was tempting to sneak out last night, but her car was still in the ditch and she wasn't about to steal her mom's car. Ada didn't know where she wanted to go, just needed to get away.

Stuck at home, Ada stayed awake all night, then sat on the dock to watch the sun rise in the morning. By then she felt drained of tears and energy. Wrapped in a blanket, she let her anger and pain drift off of her and into the water and welcomed the numbness to take over.

As the sky was taken over by shades of pinks and golds, Ada couldn't help but feel taunted by the pastel colors hovering over her sadness. Normally the colors would have brought her joy, but not that morning. The colors only got bolder as the minutes ticked by, casting the deep shades against the water's surface and surrounding her with a beauty she couldn't feel.

As with the sky, the birds waking up to sing their song almost sounded as if they were mocking her. The wildlife waking up filled her ears, and she breathed in the Earth's smell, wishing it would bring some peace into her new day.

She wondered if Tom was up, unable to sleep just like her, regretting how things had gone. Maybe her dad had caused him enough pain where he'd only slept a little, discomfort keeping him tossing and turning throughout the night. Or maybe the asshole slept peacefully all night, unaffected by what he'd done to her life.

"You're up early," her father's voice snuck up behind her.

She watched him with tired eyes as he set down two coffee mugs before sitting down next to her on the dock. He looked as tired as she felt, staring down at the water with a distant gaze and heavy eyelids.

"Never went to sleep."

"Figured."

Ada wiped her face off with her blanket. Most of the tears dried by then, but a few fell whenever a memory of him entered her mind. "I'm sorry that I disappointed you." Her voice shook as she looked over toward her dad, her gaze misty from her next collection of tears.

Her dad gave her a long look, then brought the coffee mug to his lips. "I ain't disappointed in you," he told her before taking a drink.

"Are you mad?"

"Little," her father admitted as he set down his cup and grabbed the second one he'd brought for her.

Ada accepted the cup between her palms, not realizing how cold she was until the hot mug warmed her hands. "Did you go to his apartment last night?"

"Yup."

Her insides twisted into tiny, tight knots. As angry as she was at Tom, he didn't deserve her father's wrath. Him breaking her heart was on him, but the kiss itself was her doing. She'd pushed him to confess his feelings and then seduced him. If it was up to Tom, Ada wasn't certain anything would have happened between them, minus one perfect kiss.

And now her parents knew. All of it.

"Did you hurt him?"

"Little," he said again. "Not as much as I intended to when I went over there."

Ada's head rose from her coffee cup, nerves building higher. Somehow hearing of her father's control was more worrisome than if he'd just beaten the crap out of him. Restraint meant something happened. "Did you two talk?"

"Some."

It was like talking to Tom with his plethora of vague answers that told her nothing. Ada checked her father's knuckles, but they weren't bloody or bruised.