No Strings Attached

Chapter 52

lan understood Casey’s meaning, and with a respectful dip of his head, he said, “Mr. Casey, every word we spoke was the truth. Take care of yourself. There’s a whole lot more for you to do out there.”

Casey gazed into his eyes and gave a faint nod of acknowledgment.

A week later, Casey was discharged from the hospital.

To celebrate her father’s recovery and to dispel the shadow of his recent imprisonment, Clara threw a welcome home party at their place, inviting only their closest friends.

Sasha was the life of the party, going so far as to bring a fire pit for Casey to step over–a quirky symbol of luck.

Chase, who was standing right behind her, nearly burst out laughing.

With a huff, Sasha delivered a playful kick to Chase’s shin before dashing back to Casey, taking his arm tenderly, “Mr. Casey, welcome home. Are you pleased with our little shindig?”

and patted Sasha’s hand with a smile, “Thanks, you guys. I’ve got a little gift for each of

these past few days. You’ve got to give me the biggest gift.”

course, you’ve earned it. Clara, hang out with them for a bit, will you? I’m going upstairs to freshen up and change. I’ll be right back.”

thing,

and whispered to Clara, “I’ve noticed lan’s been practically living at the hospital, like a

up and my Dad’s in

“Have you considered why lan’s being so accommodating this time? He couldn’t possibly be thinking of getting back together with

his side, he’ll ensure my dad’s safety. Now that there’s been trouble, it’s

you back with him either. Remember when you had that