“I heard,” he says, walking toward me.
“It’s done. We’re done.” I inhale roughly. “Why am I so sad?”
“Because you're a good person.” He steps close and wraps his arms around me.
“I shouldn’t care. He was a horrible father.” I press my cheek against his chest. “Why am I not relieved?”
“He was still your father,” he whispers. “You can feel however you want to feel.” He glides his hand down my hair. “Let it out.” He scoops me up and carries me to the bed.
“I’m fine,” I swallow hard, as he puts his knee on the bed.
“I know,” he says, placing me gently on the mattress. The tears start to fall. He settles beside me and pulls me close.
I shove my face against his neck and let go. I cry not for the father-daughter relationship I had, but the one I didn’t.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Lawson
Haven sobs, her tears pierce my heart, and I hold her tight. We heard most of her conversation. She wanted to talk to him alone, so we stayed out of it. It was difficult to listen to her father's disregard for her feelings. He reminds me of Frank, and it makes me sick. All of us have things we’ve had to overcome, but knowing Haven grew up with a father like that makes us wish we could have been there for her then. All we can do is comfort her and love her every day to make up for it. Seeing Frank again doesn’t seem as important to me anymore.
She sniffles, moving her head to my chest. The tears have eased, and she exhales roughly. I roll to my back and brush my fingers through her hair.
“I feel better,” she says softly.
“That’s good.” I kiss the top of her head. “Do you think he’ll keep his word?”
“I don’t know.”
“What kind of papers did you take from his office?” I ask.
“I didn’t. I was bluffing. I hated his office. The desk chair was hard, and the room was always cold.”
“You were bluffing?” I tip my chin down, and she nods.
“I was guessing that he did something he would get in trouble for.”
I chuckle. “You surprise me.”
“I wasn’t joking about the pictures.”
“How often did he hit you?” Hitting her once is enough for me to kill him, but our mate downplays his abuse.
“It’s hard to say,” she mumbles.
“Or you don’t want to say.”
“I didn’t keep track of the number. Can we leave it for now?”
“For now. I don’t think Hunter is going to let him continue living his life without punishment.” I know he’s been digging into her father’s life, and what he has found makes her deal with him a gift.
“I guess I don’t care what Hunter does to him. I just want to be left alone.”
“Good to know,” I murmur.
“What did Heath say? Did he meet Frank?” she asks.
“He did, and had to control his anger. The fights are set for tomorrow.” My stomach churns, knowing I’ll see him again, yet that's been my plan.
