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I’m not going to let him play games with me. If he’s here, and he’s acting like this, it means he knows. There’s no point in denying it or drawing this out.
“Say what you came here to say.” I bite back, fists curling at my sides.
A muscle twitches in his jaw. “I want you to admit it.”
I open my mouth to answer something scathing, but no sound comes out.
Phillip’s eyes flash. “Go on, Penn. Tell me.” In a flash, he’s out of his seat and striding toward me. “Tell me!” He roars, and before I can even think of raising a hand to defend myself or ducking out of the way, my oldest friend’s fist flies forward, and I’m on the ground.
My nose is gushing blood into my mouth so quickly that I choke on it. I barely manage to suck in a breath before his boot comes in contact with my bare stomach.
“Stop!” Somewhere above me, there’s a flash of pink, and I blink up to see Daisy shoving Phillip away from me. “Stop it! Are you kidding me, Dad?”
“Fucking say it, Penn! Say it!” Phillip yells over Daisy’s shoulder as I stagger to my feet, every breath burning and blood still pouring freely from my likely broken nose. “I trusted you! I fucking trusted you!”
“Dad!” Daisy snarls. “Stop it.I’m an adult-“
Phillip scoffs, momentarily distracted by Daisy’s words. “An adult? You have no idea what you’re doing with your life. This little rebellion you’re on-“
“Just because I don’t want what you have, doesn’t mean I’m rebelling.” She grits out. “You’re a hypocrite. You don’t get to have a say in this. Get out!”
Phillip’s jaw drops, and I know why. I’ve never seen Daisy speak to him like this. Ever. “Hypocrite?” He manages to bite back. “What the hell does that mean?”
Daisy lets out a humorless laugh. “Do you know how many times I’ve seen a tabloid cover with your face on it? How many times I’ve seen videos of you falling down drunk or peeing on a car or something equally disgusting?” She shakes her head in disgust. “You sleep with women younger than me, the whole world knows it, and you have the nerve tohit Penn?”
Phillip’s expression flickers. “It’s different, Daisy. He’s known you your whole goddamn life. It’s fucked up,“
“You have no business calling anyone else fucked up,” Daisy replies sadly, and Phillip recoils like he was just hit too. “Penn’s only with me. How many women have you slept with this week? This month?”
Slowly, Daisy turns and crosses the kitchen to me, her expression crumpling when she sees my face. She takes my hand in hers and looks back at her father. “We’re together,” I tell him unnecessarily, gripping Daisy’s hand tightly in mine. “It won’t be changing.”
“You’re making a mistake, Daisy,” Phillip yells after us. “You’re always saying you don’t want a life like mine, but look at the man beside you.Hedoes.”
???
“I’m so sorry.”
My eyes open instantly, gazing up at Daisy. I’m sitting in bed, and she’s hovering above me, eyes red from crying, a bloody washcloth in her hand.
Wordlessly, I reach out and tug her into my lap. “It’s not your fault,” I murmur, kissing her hair. “None of this, Daisy.” My heart aches far worse than my physical injuries. I would have done anything to spare her this.
She sniffs. “He hurt you, Penn. I can’t believe he actually hit you.”
“I can,” I snort. “I’m surprised he didn’t do worse, actually.”
“Penn!”
“I’mfine, little brat. Do you think that’s the first time Phillip’s hit me?”
Daisy groans, burying her face in my neck. “I don’t want to know, don’t tell me.”
“Hey. Look at me.” I nudge her chin up. “I’m okay.We’reokay.”
Daisy’s body relaxes against mine, and she leans forward to kiss me softly, careful not to hit my nose.
“I’m so mad at him.” She murmurs when we break apart. “He wanted me to have personal security when I moved back here, and I shot him down. I think he hired somebody anyway, and that’s how he found out about us.”
I don’t reply. Truthfully, I think personal security for Daisy would be an excellent idea, but I’m also not dumb enough to agree with her father right now. Besides, we have more important things to discuss.
