Breathe Again by Rachel Brookes

It’s Tate . I didn’t have time for pleasantries or empty words. His reply was simple . See you there .
    I hated him more than anyone else in the world.
    My father. I’d known who he was the moment Sav and I had walked through the doors. We shared similar eyes, similar hair—I was a mirror image of him. His eyes were blue but dull as they narrowed in on Sav and me from across the café. His gaze left me and his eyes scanned the length of Savannah. Immediately I grabbed her in protection.
    Sav leaned in, her lips grazing my shoulder as she spoke. “You don’t have to do this, Tate.”
    “I can do anything as long as I have you. I need to do this for us, Sav.”
    Sav dropped my hand and wrapped her arm around my waist, holding me as close to her body as possible. Comfort swarmed me. Sav tried so desperately to be the strength I needed, but her face exposed everything to me. As I’d told her of my plans, I’d witnessed fear and concern flash over her pretty face a measly few hours ago.
    Tanzi was a whole other story. We had come to blows about this the moment I mentioned the text message I’d sent, and she still didn’t want any part of my grand plans. Our fieriness and stubbornness matched each other’s. We’d said things we shouldn’t have and threats had been made, but still we couldn’t agree. I did understand her reasons, but it seemed like she couldn’t understand mine. I’d stormed out of the office and hadn’t spoken to her since.
    Tanzi wanted nothing to do with our father. He’d made the choice twenty-three years ago to abandon us, and she wouldn’t give him the time of day. In reality, I probably wouldn’t have wanted to either, but being only a couple of months away from becoming a father myself, I needed answers. I needed to know why he’d chosen to leave and hear what fucked up reason he could possibly give.
    “I’m really nervous about this,” I admitted, gripping the edge of Sav’s tee and pulling her closer to me.
    She didn’t have a chance to respond. I heard her gasp as we both watched as my father stood from his chair and made his way across the café towards us. Finally, I got to have a good hard look at him. He was dressed in khaki slacks and a black button-down shirt. His hair was the same dark brown as mine but speckled with grey. His brow was indented with frown marks, evidence of an unhappy life. man held no confidence; he looked like a broken, shattered man.
    “Tate?” he questioned the moment he reached us. His eyes darted between Savannah and me as he awaited an answer.
    I abruptly lost all ability to speak. My throat constricted as panic soared with me, and suddenly my mouth was a dry as the Sahara desert. The moment was here, right in front of me, and I couldn’t fucking speak.
    “Son?”
    He did not just call me his fucking son. He took a step towards me, and I felt the rush of anger of the past twenty-three years boil furiously inside of me. This wasn’t a good idea. The thoughts of pounding my fist in his face ran with wild abandonment through my head, the thoughts of ripping him a new asshole through words of hateful truth simmering just under the surface. Who the fuck did he think he was?
    “Hi, I’m Savannah, Tate’s girlfriend.” Sav took a step towards him and held her hand out. He looked at her and a smile graced his face as he took her hand in his and shook it softly. Sav moved so I was behind her, allowing me to get my caveman emotions in check. This was a seriously bad idea.
    “It’s nice to meet you, Savannah. I am Greg Connors. Would you two like to get a coffee?”
    Sav spun around to face me, putting herself between me and my father as if she could sense my increasing hostility. Taking an unsteady, deep breath, I looked at her standing in front of me with a look of worry sweeping over her face and immediately everything suddenly became clear. This girl was the love of my life, the girl who had changed everything for me, and the girl who had