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Chapter Seventeen
Cal
I balledmy fists at my sides.
No one spoke to Beau that way. Especially not him.
I stepped closer to her, wanting her to feel I was near, at the ready for whatever she needed.
He flicked his gaze at me and scowled as if I were a piece of trash. And I wasn’t too big to admit that look was powerful. It made me feel like I was nothing. Nobody.
But my pride didn’t matter. Not when it came to her.
And he was garbage for forcing his hand.
“How brazen of you to bring your riffraff lover into my home.”
“I asked him to come,” Teague said, standing shoulder to shoulder with me.
Teague wasn’t a lying type of guy, but if he felt it was necessary, I’d play along.
Beau touched her father’s arm and had the most serene look on her face. Like she didn’t mind being in this house or his presence. If I didn’t know better, I’d almost think they had a good relationship.
“Daddy, I needed a few days to come to terms with the wedding.”
Please let that be a lie.
Because if it wasn’t, I was going to kill someone.
He looked at her as if he wasn’t buying it.
She tipped her head down, a submissive move, before lifting her gaze to him. “I know I’ve resisted. It’s all so sudden, and I haven’t been in a relationship because I’m afraid of losing someone the way you lost Mother.”
Whoa.
If there wasn’t some truth in her words, she was a skilled actress. Even I believed her. Except she’d never once held back with me. Never showed an ounce of fear when it came to expressing how she felt. Even the past few days she’d been nothing but honestly raw.
You stole my heart.
It still shocked me she’d ever seen anything in me worth loving.
And I wasn’t the only one affected by her. Something flickered in Samuel Hollingsworth’s eyes. It was a flash of emotion I wouldn’t have thought him capable of.
“I wouldn’t ever wish that upon you.”
Then why the hell would you watch while that bastard touched her?
“You always want what’s best for me. I’m just stubborn.”
He closed his eyes as if in pain. “So much like your mother.”
I was caught completely off guard. I’d been ready for a showdown, or at the very least, some unpleasant words. The man was good at manipulation. I’d give him that.
There was zero room to doubt he loved his dead wife. I could see it.
His daughter? Whatever he felt for her was warped and twisted. Maybe he thought it was love, but I didn’t.
“I’m sorry.” She took his hands. “But I used these few days to get myself sorted.”
