“Your stress, Miles.”
“Fuck that!” His heart monitor bumps up a notch. He points at me. “Are you fucking my daughter?”
I press my lips together tightly. Sophie should be here to step in. She’s better with her words than I am. She’d know how to handle this. Miles’ face goes a frightening shade of purple, and I rub the back of my neck.
“Miles …”
“Fuck.” He rubs his forehead.
“It’s not like it was with Bella.” I get out quickly. “It’s not just sex.”
“And it’s not just you, is it?” That growling edge to his voice … that’s the voice that promised murder multiple times over in the past. “Is it!”
“No.”
“All of you?”
“Yes.” No point in lying now.
“Did it start in Italy?”
I rub my jaw. “Miles, you don’t need the details.”
“But I’m going to fucking have them. You all are my best friends. We’ve gone to war together. We fought side by side. And now you’re ….” He coughs loudly and repeatedly.
Before I can say anything else, nurses swarm in and calm him down. I sit down. They ask me to leave, but Miles puts that to bed immediately. “That fucker is staying right there.”
When they head out, I glance towards the door and rub my jaw. “Miles, we care about her. It’s not like being with Bella. Sophie means so much more.”
“You think that makes it better?” Miles roars. “When I get out of here, we’re done. All of us. I’m taking Sophie away from you assholes, sending her back to her mother’s.”
“Talk to her first,” I advise as I stand.
“And where do you think that you’re going?”
“Home, to tell your daughter that she can stop beating herself up about not telling you.”
“What?”
I sigh and face Miles. His face is completely blank. I shrug. “She wanted to tell you. It’s been killing her. But she’d rather deal with the guilt than threaten your health.”
Miles doesn’t say anything to that. He just looks away. I nod once. “I’ll let her know that you’re aware. I’m sure she’ll be here tomorrow as soon as visiting hours open to talk to you.”
“I don’t want to see her.”
“And that’s going to matter.” I snort.
I walk out and shake my head again. He’s pissed. I expected that. But for him to be that hypocritical … I know it’s because Sophia is his daughter, his only daughter. And I’m sure that once he thinks it through, he’ll be able to relax.
We’re not monsters that are taking advantage of some young girl that doesn’t know any better. None of us would make Sophie do anything she doesn’t want to do, and somewhere in his head, Miles knows that.
He was with us regularly when we were all with Bella. He knows that sure, sober yesses are required for anything to happen. He just needs to get his anger out. I call Roman and am almost surprised when he answers.
“Take Sophie’s phone.”
“Holden?”
“Miles knows,” I growl.