“You-you wouldn’t!”
“Oh, I would. And just so you know, these have been emailed to another party. As security. Anything happens to Gigi or me and these go public. Let’s see how fucked you are then, old man.”
“Wait. Wait.” He held up his hands. “Let’s not be too hasty here. Maybe we should come to an arrangement. I’ll pay you a fair rate for the house.” He didn’t bother looking at Gigi as he said this.
Macca gave him a disgusted look. “So you can tear it down and build a resort? Or is the developer you took that deposit from cutting you out of that and going it alone?”
“You know about that.” His father looked haggard. Old.
“I do. You’re not tearing down Nan’s house.”
His father turned to Gigi now. “Girl, it’s more money than you’ve ever seen before. Wouldn’t you like a fresh start?”
“I have a fresh start. Your mum gave me that.” She spoke quietly, moving closer to Macca. “She loved that house and so do I. I’d never sell it to you.”
His father’s eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth.
“We’re leaving now,” Macca said before he could spit out more bile. “Everly and her son are going to move into the house. Do not contact them. Do not go near them. Do not step foot on the property. And do not think about contesting the will. Or pictures start getting released.”
“I’m broke,” his father spat out as Macca turned away, tucking Gigi under his arm. “I’ll have nothing. This guy I took the deposit from, he’s not a good man.”
Macca glanced over his shoulder. “That has nothing to do with me. This is goodbye. For good.”
He walked out without another word.
* * *
She sat quietly in the car as Macca backed out of the driveway. About five minutes down the road, he steered the car over to the roadside and just sat there, staring out the window.
She reached over and placed her hand on his thigh. “Honey? You okay?”
He turned to glance at her, his eyes glittering with an emotion she couldn’t decipher. Not anger. Not sadness. Almost something in the middle.
He took in a deep breath and let it out on a shudder. “I could have killed him.”
She’d thought he was going to. Her mind had already been thinking of how they were going to get rid of the body. She probably needed to watch less crime shows.
“I’d never have forgiven myself if I did that in front of you. I was supposed to protect you, and instead I blanked out in a rage.”
“I wouldn’t have blamed you if you had. He’s a terrible human being. And I was never at risk. You always protect me.”
“You didn’t tell me everything that happened that day,” he said to her in a low voice.
Uh-oh, he was feeling better if he was scolding her.
“Um. No. I didn’t want to create more problems between you and your dad.”
He just shook his head. “You didn’t create the problems. He did. And we were already estranged. What happened just now, all it did was give me that final closure. I know there’s no coming back here. I hated him before. But now, he’s nothing.”
She sucked in a breath, hurting for him. Because no matter how brave his words or that he hadn’t seen his father in years, it still had to hurt. She knew that part of her was still broken over her father. Being treated so badly by someone who was meant to love you unconditionally, it was a unique kind of pain that maybe never completely went away.
She just hoped over time, they could help each other heal.
“You’re in trouble for holding back from me, little one,” he growled at her, leaning over to capture her chin with his hand. “I’m spanking that ass when we get home.”
She settled into her seat, knowing this was the last time she’d probably sit comfortably today.
And that didn’t worry her in the slightest.