Tensions ran high inside the house. I could tell my Dad still wanted to kill Mr. Shelby for putting his hands on me, Mr. Shelby still wanted me dead, his daughter was silently seething. Only my Mom and I seemed to keep our calm.

"We're inside," Brynn states.

"Thank you," I acknowledge and she shrugs.

"What's this you were running away? With him?"

"No!" Brynn turns to her dad. "From you."

"Me?!" He winced at her words. You could tell they hurt. "Why? Because I won't let you two be together. I know you may have feelings for him, Brynn but it won't last, it never lasts and you deserve better."

"Who are you to decide?!" Brynn challenged.

"I'm YOUR father!"

"Since when? A few weeks ago? Is that suppose to make up for all those years I spent without you?"

He turned his face from her. "I did what was best for you."

"What was best?! For me? Leaving me? Making me lose and mourn not just one parent but two... that's what was BEST for me?!"

"Brynn!" Her words were a crushing blow there were tears in his eyes. "I... I..."

Her damning gaze did not relent.

"Without your mother... I lost ... myself. I went to a place... a very dark place and I couldn't — No, I wouldn't bring you with me. I loved you too much. I thought the best place for you was with your grandmother while I got my head straight. I just didn't... I didn't expect it to take me this long. I missed out on so much. I've missed out on everything."

I watch Brynn crumble as her father spoke.

"Not everything, not yet."

His look of hope was almost painful to watch. He was stumbling through the dark for a mere sliver of light and he found it. He looked both desperate to hold onto that light as he was despondent knowing it is slipping through his fingers.

"What would you have me do?"

Brynn walked over to me and took my hand. "I know you don't approve, but I need him, Dad. I love him, and I can't get through whatever happens next without him. So please, please don't send him away."

Mr. Shelby looked like she just asked him for the moon.

"Sir, when I found out that Brynn was missing from a friend, I nearly lost my mind. The terror of thinking I might lose her forever overrode all reason. I had to search for her. I had to find her. Look at me. I'm dressed in a tux. I abandoned a coworker and friend at the prom to go looking for Brynn.

When I found her, Brynn was packed and ready to disappear. The only way I got her to come back is the belief that we belong together, and that the love we have for one another could weather this storm. You, of course, have the power to make a liar out me but I do wish you wouldn't because I need her maybe even more than she needs me."

Mr. Shelby closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I just got you back. Why would you disappear on me like this? Why Brynn? Do you know what I've been going through since I talked to your grandmother and discovered you weren't with her?"

"I'm sorry, Dad. I was wrong. Finn made see that. I just didn't want to put you through it again. I didn't want anyone to go through it again."

Mr. Shelby's eyes locked on Brynn and she squeezed my hand. I don't think she meant to reveal that she had cancer to him at this moment but now she had no choice.

"Again?" the words came out a husky whisper. "No, Baby. Say it ain't so?" Tears spilled over and he held out his arms to her. She let me go and ran over to him.

He held her close as they both cried and comforted each other.

My mom and dad come up behind me. My mom asks with a voice laced with concern, "Finn, what are we missing?"

Brynn pulls away slightly from her dad and looks to my mom. "I had my annual test, it came back positive for cancer."

My mom gasps. "Oh, Brynn!"

"Are they absolutely certain?" her dad asks, turning her face back to look at him.

"Yeah, Dad. I'm afraid so."

Heartbroken. It was the only way to describe the look in his eyes, and then I watched as that look changed to determination.

"It's early, yet. We have time."

"Dad?" Questioning-hope filled Brynn's features.

"I was not strong enough to be there when your mother needed me the most. I will not fail you the way I failed her."

"And as for you...?" He looked at me, but suddenly there was a knock on the door.

My father left the group to answer.

"Sorry, Sir but we have a warrant for your son's arrest."

Mr. Shelby looks to my mom, it's easy to read the fear on her face. Believing he may have lost his only daughter just minutes before we showed up at the door, I'm guessing he more than understood her fear.

"I'll take care of this Victoria. Just make sure they don't see Brynn."

My mom nodded and she and Brynn took off to, I'm not sure where. Mr. Shelby puts his hand on my shoulder and said, "Don't say anything."

I nodded that I understood.

"Sir, you have to let us inside," the officer said showing my dad the warrant.

Mr. Shelby opens the door up wide. "I'm afraid officers that there has been a misunderstanding."

Both officers looked at one another and back to Mr. Shelby. "And who are you?"

"I'm the man that made the call and has a restraining order out on this boy. You see my daughter had left the house and I thought she was visiting her grandmother in the hospital, she did but she didn't come home. I expected to find her here but she is not. The boy as you can see was out at prom with a friend. So you see no law was broken so there's no need to take him in."

"May I see your phone?" one officer asked, holding out his hand expectantly.

I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my phone but I catch a brief head nod towards my father from Mr. Shelby and my Dad takes my phone instead.

"I know you said you have a warrant for his arrest but do you have a search warrant as well?"

The officer looked momentarily annoyed with my dad, but quickly recovered before saying, "We do not."

"Then I see no reason why you need my son's phone other than you wanting to ascertain evidence that goes against what Mr. Shelby has already told you. My son was at his prom. He came home. End of story."

I hadn't even considered that was why they had asked. That they wanted to see if Brynn called or texted me or I called her. Proof they had a reason to take me in, but I actually knew for certain that she hadn't.

Brynn never called me from her new number and since I didn't know her number. I couldn't call her either. I was also grateful I left her broken phone in her car, in case they searched me.

"It's okay, Dad. They can see it. I have nothing to hide."

My dad hesitated only a brief moment before handing the cop my phone. The officer handed it back to me to unlock it. I did and gave it back to him.

He took a few moments to search my phone. I had a slight moment of panic when I remembered I had texted Adam and Brynn's grandmother, but it was a group text. Thankfully, I didn't actually type, Brynn's name in it, and Gran is in my phone as Gran, so there was no name to connect her to Brynn either. I waited with bated breath. After a minute or two, the cop handed me my phone back obviously satisfied I was telling the truth.

"We still need to take him in," the second officer announced.

"What?! Why?" my father demanded to know.

"We can't search your home, but the girl's car is parked right outside your house." The officer informs us in a tone that says, How stupid do you think we are?

Shit. I forgot about Brynn's car.

"I drove it here."

I couldn't help but look at Mr. Shelby with surprise.

"My car has been giving me trouble and is in the shop. I've been using my daughter's car to get around in."

The first officer didn't miss a beat. "I thought you said your daughter was out of the house visiting her grandmother at the hospital?" He has a slight tweak to his lips, obviously pleased to have caught Mr. Shelby in a lie.

"She did. She took one of those ride-sharing services, I believe, to get there. I'm not sure which one."

The ease at which Mr. Shelby lied was both impressive and disconcerting at the same time.

"Look, Officers, I appreciate the job you are trying to do. Especially because I was the person who made that call, but honestly after waiting for Finn to come home and talking with his parents, I've come to the conclusion he's a really good, well-adjusted kid. He works and goes to school. He's at the top of his class. I may have... overreacted when I got the restraining order, being an overprotective father.

In fact, I am seriously considering filing a motion with the courts to lift the order."

"Really?" I ask, yet not totally daring to hope as this may just be more lies to get the cops to leave. However, Mr. Shelby looks at me in earnest and says, "Really."

"Well, that's great and all, but the order is still in effect and he's not allowed within 500 feet of you or your daughter or any residence in which you reside. Since you are currently standing next to him..."

"But I came here!" Mr. Shelby protested. "He wasn't in violation."

The officer shrugged. "How this all came about is not for us to decide. He's clearly in violation, we need to take him in."

The officer turns to my Dad and offers, "They'll process him, it'll take some time but since he probably has no prior record and this is his first offense, you'll most likely be able to get him out, tonight by paying the fine. Just follow us to the station."

My dad nods, and walks off I'm guessing to get his wallet and keys.

The officer read me my rights and I stood there dumbfounded as it sunk in this was really happening.

"I'm sorry, Finn." Mr. Shelby said to me, I just nodded in acknowledgment as the officers led me to the squad car.