“Ava.”
“Father.”
Yeah, the Carters weren’t a touchy-feely bunch. I hadn’t realized how lonely and… lacking my family had been until I met the Dukes. God, they were warm, friendly. Inviting. Mrs. Duke had hugged me more since I’d met her than my mother in my entire life. The entire family was in each other’s business, and not like my father with mine. They bickered and bantered, teased and joked, but they were there for each other. Had their backs. Obviously, Tucker got his hands on me much more intimately than the others in the family. Landon Duke patted me on the shoulder or forearm when he greeted me, a little bit of familiarity, but not too much since he was in love with my BFF. Gus Duke was a hugger. He gave bear hugs that squeezed the air right out of you. While he was single now, I knew whomever he found—along with the other two vets in their joint practice—would not feel the least bit neglected. And Julia Duke, we’d gone to get pedicures twice already to a little place in town that allowed us to bring wine. Yeah, those were fun times.
My father cleared my throat, bringing me back from my wanderings.
“I need to talk with you.”
“Yes, I gathered,” I said. I felt silly with all four of us just standing there, so I went to one of the chairs that faced my father’s desk and sat down. I was doing this on my terms, not his. “I’m here. Please talk.”
He cleared his throat again and went to sit back in his leather desk chair. The wall of windows behind him offered a view of the other Denver skyscrapers with the Rocky Mountains in the distance. It was a beautiful view, but nothing like the Montana prairie and purple mountains that surrounded Raines. The big city wasn’t for me any longer. I felt stifled. Crowded.
“You need to come back.”
I arched a brow, saw the clear blue eyes that matched mine stare me down.
“I need to? I was thinking perhaps you might have missed me and wanted me here.”
“You made your bed,” he replied, flicking a glance to Colton and Tucker who stood behind me. Obviously, my father knew I’d made my bed with both of them.
“And yet you still need me here in Denver. Why is that?”
“I’m being blackmailed for insider trading.”
My mouth dropped open and I stared at him wide-eyed. That was the last thing I expected him to say. Insider trading happened all the time in the financial industry, where someone shared secrets about a stock or a company that allowed someone to buy or sell stocks to either make money or prevent a substantial loss. It was illegal and jail time was the consequence. My father was an asshole, but I’d never considered him to be shady.
“Have you done insider trading?”
His cheeks flushed and he folded his hands in front of him on his desk. “I’m not answering that.”
“Why? Because you don’t want to implicate yourself in case this goes to trial and you have three people who can share your admission under oath or because the idea is preposterous?”
He didn’t comment, so I continued.
“What about the blackmail?”
“The evidence being used to blackmail proves my involvement will be shared with the SEC if I don’t comply.”
I was reeling with the fact that my father was guilty, but I had to push that aside for now. He hadn’t wanted me to come here for my sympathy.
“And what do they want to keep it all a secret?”
My father looked me in the eye. Held it. That was the look I remembered. “Marry you.”
I stood then, laughed. My heart was beating wildly and the adrenaline made me shake. I felt a big hand on my shoulder. I looked up. Colton. He didn’t look the least bit happy, but he said nothing.
“Perry,” I said. It was so obvious.
My father gave a slight nod, but it was enough.
I laughed again. “We dated a few times. He escorted me around town to various functions at your request. That’s a long way from marriage.”
My father stood abruptly, clearly recognizing I wasn’t going to give in and say yes Daddy like I had when I was eight. His chair rolled back, bumped into the low bookshelf beneath the windows.
“Hundreds of thousands of dollars in education and all you had to do was spread your legs to be useful. If I’d known Perry would find you to be one hell of a lay, I’d have sent you to public school.”
Tucker was around the desk before I could even blink. He had my father slammed against the wall with his