Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
I notice Dawson watching us again with a smile.
I know why he’s smiling, and it feels as comforting as it is terrifying because this thing between me and Dutton is morphing into something more than just sex. And I don’t know how to get myself out of the situation without getting hurt.
Dutton isn’t ready for something like this—a family of his own.
And how arrogant of me to think that he could ever be.
CHAPTER 38
Dutton
Idecide to give Posie and Bentley some time to bounce together, and I can’t help but admire how she glows around him. He really is her entire world.
My father offers me a bottle of water, and I take it scanning the interior of the building.
“It’ll be a warehouse. Figured we could expand our reach with a subscription-based service running out of here.” I raise my eyebrows. “It was Posie who gave me the idea with her subscription of the photos from Pearl.”
I can’t help but feel smug and proud that she’s inspired even my father. Although I run most of the companies and am now the face of Taylor Enterprises, my father still dabbles and expands as he pleases.
“What happened at Billie’s party between Striker and Posie?” he asks, and I’m surprised he waited this long to question me about it.
We both turn to look where she’s joyfully chasing Bentley around as he squeals excitedly. She reminds me a little of my mother and Billie. My mother is one of the most nurturing women I know, yet she’s a total badass in her own right. I watched her choke a man out when he attempted to pluck Billie out of her stroller. He was some dickhead trying for a ransom or some shit. That’s the day I realized my mother was just as dangerous as my father, and she’s made a point to put both me and Billie in self-defense classes at a young age. I’m certain that Posie has the same tenacity as my mother. That she would do anything for her son. I hope she never has to be put in that situation.
“Bentley’s father is from that motorcycle club in Boston. When she found out she was pregnant, he told her to get rid of the kid, so she fled. She’s terrified that if Striker tells him she’s here, he’ll come looking for her.”
“Do you think that’s likely?” he asks, and I can tell by the change in his stance that he’s ready to fight the unseen threat.
“I don’t know, but with how frightened she is, it’s likely.”
He hums to himself. “Eli just struck up a deal with them. If you kill one of his men, it’ll fuck up the deal.”
“I know, but I’m not letting that dickhead anywhere near them,” I growl.
“Of course not,” he snaps viciously. He strokes his jaw. “It might be time you take this seriously, son. I know you feel pressured by your mother and me regarding marriage and such things, but it was never marriage itself we were pressuring you into. We just wanted you to have something to focus on other than us and work. We wanted you to have something, or someone, to come back home to. Whether you’re willing to admit it or not, I think you’ve found that.”
I watch Posie jumping, her hair billowing around her in blonde waves. The way I care about her makes me uncomfortable. It’ll make me weak. Destroy every belief I’ve had about myself. And I think it’s unfair knowing I’ll be a terrible husband.
I look at my father then, and my jaw tightens as if physically resisting admitting to the thing I’ve known for years. “I’ll make a terrible husband.”
His eyebrows shoot up in surprise, but then he smiles. “But will you? I thought the same about myself. But, Dutton, you’re already doing all of the things a husband would do. You’re providing for them. You’re protecting them. And you most certainly love her. You just have to understand that she comes as a package deal. If you go ahead with this, Bentley will be your son. So you must decide whether you can be actively involved in his life. Not as a distant figure but someone who embraces him entirely.”
He takes a seat, and I take the one beside him. I clasp my hands in front of me thoughtfully. “What if I’m not good at it?” I focus my gaze on my discolored fingernail. I struggled to build a bed, for fuck’s sake. My reality of home life is very different than hers. “I’m a dangerous man; won’t that give them more issues in the future?”
He considers this. “A dangerous man isn’t always a bad man, Dutton. We’ve raised you to be a good person. At your core, you know how to provide them with what they need. And you’ll protect them when it’s required. And if you’re not ready for that level of commitment, then you need to let her go now. Keep an eye on the house, make sure no one disturbs their peace, and kill that fucker if he comes anywhere close to them. But it’s not up to you whether you’re good enough for her. You need to let her make that decision and respect what she decides. You need to be willing to walk away.”