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My mom’s expression turned to one of hurt and confusion. “I don’t understand…”
“You’re scaring me, tesoro,” Father said.
Uncle Cane crossed his arms over his chest.
“It’ll make more sense later,” I said. “I’m sorry, Mama. It’s nothing personal. There’s just something I need to say to them, and it needs to be in private.”
Mom continued to look hurt, like this wonderful day had been ruined. “Alright…” She cleared her throat and walked upstairs, her footsteps fading away as she moved up to the next floor.
My father didn’t take his eyes off me, and his confused expression was mixed with a slight look of anger. His brother had the same fiery expression, brows furrowed and his lips pressed tightly together.
“Let’s talk in the dining room…” I led the way, knowing the two men would follow me.
God, my heart was beating so fast.
My palms were soaked with sweat.
I was scared, more scared than I’d been when Knuckles took me.
My father and Uncle Cane sat on the other side of the table, both with broad shoulders and hard expressions. Neither one of them blinked as they looked at me, wearing the same antagonistic gaze Bones wore sometimes.
I sat across from them, my hands shaking a little because I was dreading the conversation as it unfolded. My chest ached because I wasn’t getting enough air to my lungs. Being the recipient of their hostile stares terrified me. They’d never looked at me that way before, like I was their enemy across the table.
“Speak.” My father was ice-cold and aggressive. He’d never spoken to me that way, never barked at me like I was someone who’d crossed him. There wasn’t love in his eyes anymore. He was the terrifying man Bones had warned me about. He said my family wasn’t always so innocent…maybe he was telling the truth.
“I’m going to bring him in here, but I wanted to tell you about him first…”
“Why do I already hate this guy?” Uncle Cane asked.
“I don’t like him either,” Father said. “To cower behind a woman like this is—”
“It’s not like that,” I interrupted. “I thought it would make this easier if I gave you all the information before he came in here.”
“What information?” Uncle Cane asked.
There was no other way to say it other than spitting it out. I couldn’t ease them into it or cushion the blow. “I’ve been seeing him for about four months now. We ran into each other by chance…and it just started from there. I never expected to fall for him. I never wanted to love him. It just happened, and as much as I’ve tried to stop, I can’t. I know this will be hard for you, but please keep an open mind…for me.”
My father was so still he wasn’t even breathing. He hadn’t blinked once since he sat down, his eyes focused on me like my face was a target. “Who is he?”
I opened my mouth to speak, but it took a moment before the words finally tumbled out. “His name is Griffin…and he’s the son of Bones.”
Uncle Cane’s pupils dilated at the name, and the vein in his forehead immediately thickened. Color flushed his face, and his anger was obvious, even to someone who didn’t know him.
My father’s reaction was a million times more intense. His jaw clenched so tightly I thought I could hear his teeth grind together. His green eyes turned so dark they were nearly black. His hostility was stronger than his brother’s, and the rage slowly filled the room until the temperature rose a few degrees. I could feel his disappointment, his rage. I could feel so much anger radiate from his body even though he hadn’t said a single word. He didn’t need to say anything to express his overwhelming ferocity. Everyone in the house could feel it, even my mother who was two stories above us.
My father could be more lethal than Bones.
“I know this is hard,” I said quietly. “But he’s not a bad man. He may be his father’s son, but that doesn’t mean—”
“No.” That was all my father said. It wasn’t a response to what I’d just said, but to the situation in general. He couldn’t handle it. He despised this man regardless of what I would say. “No.”
Uncle Cane was silent, but his anger slowly started to rise to match his brother’s. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.” He rarely cursed in front of us, but nothing was normal about this situation.
“He suggested I tell you first…like I am right now. Then I’m going to bring him in here so you can talk to him face-to-face. He asked to do it here where you’re most comfortable. He asked for Uncle Cane to be here so you wouldn’t feel alone—”
“I don’t need anyone to stand beside me.” My father narrowed his eyes on my face. “I will crush his skull in with my bare hands. I don’t need my brother or anyone else. This man may be thirty years younger than I am—”
