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“Woman,” Mark groans. “You almost made me spill it.”
“I asked you a question, dear.”
“I’m over this,” Breeane whispers and sets down her fork. “The food is amazing, but nothing can save this night as long as we are here with you.”
“Breeane,” Rita gasps.
“Mom—” Breeane is cut off.
“No, you don’t get to talk to me that way. I deserve some respect. You have been nothing but rude since we got here. You won’t explain anything about this relationship.” She waves her glass. “How is this going to work? Do you actually think that you can keep three very hot men interested and satisfied? It’s not easy keeping one man, as you know, but three? Think about Kevin. Why did you break it off with him? He was—”
Logan slams his fist down on the table. “Shut the fuck up,” he snarls. “You will let Breeane say what she needs to say.” They stare, wide-eyed.
“Breeane,” I say and continue when her watery eyes meet mine. “Say what you need to.”
She nods. “After today, I don’t have parents. For years, it has been all about the money and what I can do for you, but it wasn’t good before that. The only thing I’m going to miss is the promise of you. The promise of having two parents who cared about me. I wish I would have had a mom that took care of me, cared that I ate, cared if I had a hard day or got my heart broken.” She blinks rapidly. “You taught me how to lie, cheat, and steal. Luckily, I knew that those things were wrong. I am nothing like you, and I’m so grateful. Is that the way a daughter should feel?” She looks at her dad. “I wish you would have climbed out of the bottle or whatever woman you were sleeping with to give a shit about me.” Rita gasps. “Usually dads would grill their daughter’s dates, threaten them to be good to their little girl, but you barely noticed that I left the house or when I came home. I am grateful that I am a better person than both of you.
“For a while, I at least had Caleb to depend on, to take some of the loneliness away. He is as weak as you. He fell into the lifestyle both of you lived in. I tried to save him. I tried to hold us together; foolishly, I thought I could. I wanted us to be a family. A normal family.
“But what is normal, right?” She looks at each of us. “I didn’t expect this. I know it isn’t in the category of normal, but I don’t care. They have shown me more care in a few days than I have had my whole life. Do not say anything bad about them. They are devoted to me, and you can’t destroy it.” She clears her throat and sits straight. “You are no longer welcome here. Obviously, I can’t stop you from going where you want but do not come here again. I want nothing to do with you. I have had a hard time coming to terms with ending our relationship. I’ve asked myself why. Why can’t I kick you out of my life? The answer is always the same: I am a good person. I care about people. I care about their feelings. I’ve spent too many years caring about yours. It’s not going to happen anymore. I tried to run away and not have this confrontation but I think I needed to have it.
She pushes her chair back and stands. “I am going to say goodbye.”
“Breeane,” Rita says.
“This is what is going to happen,” I say, standing, and my brothers follow. “You can finish your meal; it’s on me. If you damage any property or become disrespectful, that’s on you. I will inform Remy that if that happens, to call the police.” I curve my arm around Breeane’s waist, urging her to pass me. “The last thing,” I say, leaning down, my palm flat on the table. “Breeane is going to be our wife. She will be with us forever. She is the most interesting person on the planet. Don’t ever speak to her as you did today again. Which shouldn’t be hard because you won’t be talking to her again.” I start to straighten but stop. “I lied, this is the last thing—” I put both palms on the table and make sure that are paying attention. “Her money is gone. We are in control of it from now on, so it would do you no good to ask for it. I don’t think you want to deal with me to get it, do you?” I growl, showing a bit of my lion in my eyes. “Nod, if you understand.”
They nod shakily.
“Good.” I slide my hands off the table. “Let’s go.” I grab Breeane’s hand and pull her from the room, my brothers behind us.
“I’ll talk to Remy. Get her to the truck,” Logan informs us and breaks away.
Lucas opens the door, and we move quickly to the vehicle, and I help Breeane inside. I buckle her seatbelt and slam the door, sharing a concerned look with Lucas.
Once I’m behind the wheel, I turn to her. “You can lose it now,” I tell her. “You have three sets of strong shoulders that you can cry on.”
She frowns. “Should I be more upset?”
“You can be whatever you need to be,” Lucas says.
“I feel weird.” She looks at us both. “I feel free.”
“I would imagine it has been hard to deal with them,” Lucas points out.
“It really has,” she sighs. “Maybe later I will feel something else, but at this moment, I feel relieved. Thank you for being there.”
“We wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” I say just as the back door opens and Logan hops in.
“He understands the risks. He won’t hesitate to kick them out.” He reaches out and squeezes Breeane’s shoulder. “I’m proud of you, Sugar. I’m sure it was hard, but you did great.”
“Thanks, Handsome.”
I start to drive and try to process the night. I am undecided. She says she is alright, but I want to be there for her if she changes her mind. I know all about shoving feelings away.
“I hear that you like baths?” I ask, looking at her quickly. Her brow furrows.
“I do,” she says slowly.
