Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
“Talia,” Lucille says, frowning at her daughter.
Talia’s eyes are wide, and she’s paler than usual as she steps out from behind me, accepting her mom’s hug. Lucille pulls away, gripping Talia’s arms and studying her daughter’s face with a look of concern.
“Trey, what’s going on here?” Dad asks me, his voice taking that same tone I haven’t heard since I was a teenager making his life difficult.
But I’m a grown fucking man now, and his disapproving tone won’t do anything to stop me from protecting my girl. Talia takes a step away from her mom, her green eyes finding mine. She looks panicked, and I need to make everything better. She stiffens but eventually relaxes when I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her against my side, showing her I’ll protect her.
My dad and Lucille look like their eyes are about to bug out of their heads.
“Trey, explain this now,” Dad repeats, glaring at me.
“Tal, sweetie. This isn’t what it looks like, right?” Lucille’s eyes are still comically wide.
Great. This is going fucking fantastically.
I inhale deeply, staying as calm as I can. But Talia speaks before I can. “Look, I know this might be a lot to take in, but—”
“You can’t mean—” Lucille starts, then my dad butts in.
“You’re stepsiblings! This is—”
“Please, listen. It’s just—” Talia tries again, but the conversation has devolved into a mess of our parents’ sputtering and completely ignoring Talia’s attempts to actually tell them what the hell’s happening.
I hold her close even as the tension between us all rises, and my dad is comforting his new wife while looking at me with a mixture of confusion and shock.
Talia’s voice cracks as she tries once again to speak and is immediately spoken over, and that’s it. That’s my limit. I get that they’re confused and maybe angry, but nobody gets to hurt my girl.
“Be QUIET!” I bark, my voice the same sharp command I use when I’m helping train new recruits. Immediately, our parents shut up, their mouths falling open. “I understand that this is not what you expected, but considering I didn’t even know you had gotten married, you don’t get to be outraged right now. Talia is mine, and no amount of your protests will change that. Frankly, I don’t care if you have a problem with it. You don’t get a say.”
“Trey—” my dad tries again, but I hold up a hand and shake my head.
“No, you either both stay quiet and let Talia give you the explanation you’ve so rudely interrupted for the last five minutes or you leave again and take some space,” I tell him, holding his stare.
My dad’s jaw tenses. “I think some space is needed,” he grinds out, looking between me and Talia again before sighing and taking his new wife’s hand, tugging her back with him.
I’ve basically just kicked them out of their own house, but I don’t give a shit. They’re clearly not ready to talk this through, and I won’t let them make Talia cry. Space is for the best.
We all head downstairs, and our parents immediately go back through the doorway they just came in.
Lucille’s voice is a little shaky as they pause over the threshold. “Let’s all have a few hours to process this, and then we need to talk. Okay?” she asks, and I feel Talia nod against me. “Seven o’clock at the bistro?”
I incline my head in agreement and close the door behind our parents.
The bistro is a cozy, warmly lit restaurant that would’ve been lovely under any other circumstances. But sitting across from our parents in tense silence while the poor waiter tries to make conversation to lighten the mood puts a damper on the nice surroundings. Talia’s knee bounces under the table while I order for us both, and the waiter scurries away to put in our food order and grab our drinks.
I wait a few more seconds, but when nobody speaks, I sigh. I won’t have Talia feeling this uncomfortable all night, and we’re all adults here. We should be capable of having a damn conversation.
“I assume you’ve both taken time to calm down?” I start, resting my hand on Talia’s thigh beneath the table, stroking my thumb against her through the fabric of her black dress.
It’s Lucille who answers to my surprise. She leans forward, elbows on the table, and looks at her daughter with a soft expression on her face. “Are you happy, sweetheart?” she asks, her voice full of motherly love.
Talia relaxes instantly and relief flows through me.
“Yeah, Mom,” Talia answers without hesitation, leaning closer to me so our shoulders brush. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”
Lucille’s shoulders drop as she sighs, nodding. “Good,” she says simply, sitting back in her chair with a smile. “Well, that’s all that really matters, I suppose.”
“We took the time to talk about all of this,” my dad adds, scratching his head and looking a little uncomfortable. “It took us by surprise, kids. Surely you can understand that?”