Page 72 of Love Sanctioned

“No, just a quick meeting. I have to get going anyway. Juleus is waiting on me.” She rushed to grab her purse from his sofa. “I’ll send over the new idea when I get some time.”

“Purp, wait,” he said, but she was already out of the door.

“Mhmm. I missed something.” I set my purse down and took in the whole office. There were papers sprawled on the floor. Then I looked at him and couldn’t hold the laughter that spilled from my lips.

“Yo, what’s funny?”

“You and you have a little bit of that purple lipstick on your lips.” I took a seat next to my purse.

He pushed from the corner of his desk and rushed into the private bathroom.

When I heard the water come on, I fell back onto the couch, tickled. My attention was snatched away from whatever Kolton had going on in the bathroom at my phone ringing. I searched through my purse until I had it in my hand.

I didn’t recognize the number on the screen but I answered. There were too many new variables in my life for me not to answer.

“Hello?”

“You’re pretty proud of yourself, aren’t you? You fucked this family royally and you’re proudly walking around with scum.”

“Excuse me?” I pulled the phone from my ear to look at the number again because this was my father but not his number.

“You heard me. I’m your fucking father, but over the years you’ve forgotten that. You and your fucking brother. I’m gonna teach you a valuable fucking lesson about family and why you don’t cross me. We’ll see who's still standing at the end.” Then he hung up.

I was left sitting there stunned.

“Who was that on the phone?” Kolton walked out of the bathroom and stood in my eyeline.

“Your father.”

“Oh, what did he say?”

“I think he just threatened me. Something about teaching me a valuable lesson about crossing him.”

“Yo, what?”

I nodded. “That’s what he said.”

“He’s definitely let those little blue pills get to his brain because that shit right there is a no go.” Kolton was visibly agitated.

I shook my head. “This is all a mess. I came to talk to you about other things and here he is.”

“His old ass is on borrowed time, so now he’s getting desperate. From what I hear, he’s beefed-up security and even hiding out because he knows nothing can stop what’s coming for him.”

I sighed.

“You gonna tell your husband?”

“I don’t know, should I? He’s already dealing with the residual issues of Charles’s bullshit. Me telling him that dear old dad just threatened me will make things worse…right?” I looked at Kolton for some sort of input.

“Considering the family we grew up in, I don’t think it’s a good idea to take any advice from me, especially if you want a long, happy marriage. Considering we were artificially inseminated and our mother has never been able to tolerate our father, go with your gut.” He laughed at his own statement while pouring himself a drink.

I laughed as well. “Fine.”

“I would pour you a drink, but in your current condition, that’s not happening.” He laughed at his own joke.

I sighed, irritation filling my body. “I think I’m gonna just take it in.” My father’s call honestly dampened my day. This stuff with my father was like a dark cloud that got darker and darker with each thought. Every time I thought about the idea of my husband killing my father, I wanted to feel bad but couldn’t. With a father like Charles, what was there to miss? You told yourself that distance was the best policy, but how far was too far from his miserable ass.

Standing to my feet, I looked my brother over.