Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27809 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 139(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27809 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 139(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
“You’re mine.”
His possessive words stuck with me as we made our way downstairs. My dad had agreed to come over right away, so I hadn’t needed to wait long.
Nobody was in the large area, not even at the bar even though it was a Friday night. “Thanks for making sure we had some privacy for this.”
“Always gonna make sure you have what you need, sunshine.” He led me over to one of the couches and got me settled, standing guard next to me with his fists at his hips. “My brothers understood how important this meeting was to you.”
“Oh no. I should’ve asked Kiara if she wanted to join us.”
Cash shook his head. “Don’t worry about your sister. Knight is aware that your dad is gonna be here any minute. If she wanted to see him, she’d be down here already.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“No guessing needed.”
Before I could tease him about being so cocky, the door opened, and my parents walked into the clubhouse. I resisted the urge to jump up and run toward them. Instead, I just stood and focused on my mom as they crossed the room. Considering the situation, I was surprised to see them holding hands and mostly at ease with each other, though there was still tension in the air. She smiled softly when she saw me, and I could see how relieved she was that I was okay.
My dad tensed up even more the closer they got. His gaze zeroed in on the vest I was wearing, and his face twisted with anger. “You can’t be serious. I’m not going to let another one of my daughters be with a—”
“Watch it,” Cash growled, taking a step closer and making the blood drain from my dad’s face.
Crossing my arms against my chest, I glared at him. “You don’t get a say in my life anymore. And that has nothing to do with Cash. The only person to blame for that is you.”
He sputtered for a second, then his shoulders slumped as he sighed. “I know I messed up, but does that really mean I shouldn’t get a say in my daughters’ lives anymore?”
“Pretty much,” I muttered. “ And I’m definitely not going to let the man who hid Mom and me from his wife and daughter for my whole life have a say in who I’m with. ”
“She’s got a point,” my mom said with a shrug. Hurt crept into her eyes, but when she looked at my dad, I could still see how much she loved him. When I thought about my growing feelings for Cash, it was hard not to have some understanding of why she might forgive my dad.
“Fine,” he huffed, shooting a glare at Cash. Though I noticed he kept his distance from my man. “But you better take good care of her.”
“I’ll do a better job of it than you, that’s for damn sure,” Cash growled.
Before the two could continue their verbal sparring, my mom asked me, “How are you doing, honey?”
I reached out and took her hand, giving it a soft squeeze before Cash hauled me back against him. “I’m okay, Mom. Cash has helped me deal with a lot of this, and he takes amazing care of me.”
She flashed him a small but genuine smile as he dropped onto the couch, then captured my wrist and tugged me down to sit next to him before interlacing our fingers. “Thank you for looking after my daughter.”
He accepted her gratitude with a dip of his chin. “My pleasure.”
My parents sat on the couch across from us, and I didn’t miss how my mom stayed close to my dad and let him hold her hand on his leg.
“Are you two”—I struggled with how to define their relationship, knowing he was married to another woman—“going to stay together?”
“We are,” my mom confirmed with a nod. “It won’t be easy with the future ahead of us. Your dad has a lot of work to do before he can earn my trust back.” She looked at him, and when their eyes met, I knew that no matter what my dad had done, he really did love my mom. “But we’re working on it.”
I leaned against Cash’s side, feeling oddly relieved they were staying together. I was still so angry with my dad, but that didn’t mean I’d just stopped loving him. And I wanted my mom to be happy. If that meant being with my dad, then I hoped they could find happiness in the rough road ahead. “Working on it?”
“We had a meeting with the divorce lawyer, and he’s going to try to expedite the process so that we can get married before…” She trailed off for a second, her eyes clouding with fear. “In case we have to be apart. Otherwise, we won’t have legal rights to any part of his life. And I found him a therapist as well as a marriage counselor for us to see together.”