Page 146 of Broken & Bound

Despite everything, I laughed.

“And then?”

“And then I’d know my little girl was finding her way back. She erects walls. She draws lines in the sand. She’ll tell you to leave. She’ll pretend she doesn’t care. But, son, it’s your job now to stand outside the door.”

“My job?”

“Yes. Tell me, do you love my daughter?”

“It doesn’t matter, she doesn’t wan—”

“I didn’t ask you what she wants. I asked if you love my daughter?”

Emotion lodged in my throat so suddenly I had to look away. My heart lurched, and I felt the sting of tears in the corner of my eyes. I would not fucking cry in front of this man like a damn little kid. I took a deep breath, working to control the emotion.

“With everything inside me. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her. I think Sebastian believed this was some fling. Temporary or some kind of game. He couldn’t have been more wrong. The only game I was playing was my end game.”

“I see. This is good to know. You look like you’ve got more to say.”

I nodded, clearing my throat. “I’ve always believed you don’t marry someone you can live with. You marry someone you can’t live without. There’s a difference.”

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“That’s how serious I feel about your daughter. And this was well before the babies.”

Another few minutes passed as I worried that I’d once more overstepped my boundaries. I shifted my gaze to the family portrait above the fireplace. It was a recent one, so looking at her face was as if she were here before me. The vice-grip on my heart squeezed a little tighter.

“Well, I consider myself an expert on my daughter. And I can tell you she wants you to fight. Her words said one thing, but her heart says something entirely different. And my last piece of advice and maybe the most important is this. Stop listening to the guilt. Because it’s convincing you to abandon the very woman you say you love.”

I looked back at him, breathing through the hurt. “I miss her so much. I miss everything about her.”

The confession broke loose the pain I’d been holding onto.

“I know you do. And she misses you, even if she won’t admit it.”

“I just want her to be okay.”

“Then come with me.”

Every muscle in my body locked. That was a horrible idea. Just randomly show up, unannounced. Especially given the meaning of the beach house and its importance to them as a family. I couldn’t invade their space like that.

“She needs you. Her pride won’t allow her to give in. Don’t run away. Let her know you’re all in. That you’ll fight for her.”

I heaved and had to look away.

What if she rejected me? Could I stand that? How much worse could the pain get, honestly?

Worst she could do is scream at me to go away. That would be better than leaving without seeing her one last time. Face to face.

“I’ll say it once more. If you love her, then come with me.”

I frowned, shaking my head. “Sebastian almost killed me the last time we were in the same room with one another. I’m not welcome. Well Kinsley would welcome me, but as you know, we vote as a family. Or well, they would have voted on this, trust me.”

He smirked, his lips turning up. “Well then, I guess it’s a good thing that Martina and I, along with Christopher and Sophia, own the beach house. The kids don’t inherit until all four of us are gone. None of us have any plans of dying anytime soon. We’ll adopt the voting philosophy. Play by their rules.”

I hesitated, but the urge to see her was so overwhelming.

“It’s time for this to end. She needs to start the healing process. She can’t do that without you. The whole family needs healing. I don’t think you understand how broken things have become on the whole. You are a part of this family.”