And I can’t ask Emma to give up her blood relations. Not for me, asshole that I am. Blood runs thicker than water, and unfortunately, I’m not the man she should sacrifice her life for.
“Dane?”
Emma’s soft, sweet voice snaps me out of my head and I look up to see her peering at me with concern in those soft brown eyes.
“Sorry,” I grunt. “I’ve just got a lot on my mind right now.”
Emma leans close and kisses me on the cheek. Her lips are petal-soft and at any other time, the kiss would be enough to awaken the animal inside of me. But right now I can’t think straight. I keep picturing smug Jason, the Jason from years ago who bragged about cheating on his wife and neglecting his one and only daughter. I always knew he was a snake, but I had no idea he was the kind of monster who would torment my sweet girl and bully her into unhappiness.
“Me too,” Emma confesses. She reaches into the chip bag and pops a handful into her mouth. “These are good. My mom doesn’t let Gina keep them around because she says that she’s too worried about her figure. Honestly, I think she’s a lot more worried about mine, but at least she was always too nice to say something.”
“Emma. You’re not fat,” I say sternly. “And you have to stop calling yourself fat if you’re going to stay here, okay? That’s my one condition.”
Emma flushes. “Okay,” she says. She giggles. “But only if you promise me one thing?”
“What?” I ask. What does she want? The sun, moon, and stars? Because I’ll give her that or die trying, if that’s what she wants. But my sweet girl has a sense of humor.
“I want you to teach me how to make that delicious stew,” she giggles again. “I want to learn how to cook for you.”
* * *
Jesus fucking Christ. How did I go from reclusive hermit to family man? With Emma here, my cabin already feels less like a prison cell and more like a homey little place where a happy couple could live forever.
“Sure,” I say uneasily. “I can teach you.”
Emma offers me the chips but I shake my head. My stomach is already twisting and churning from the sandwich and the guilt.
“That’s more for me then,” Emma chirps. She polishes the bag off, then wipes her hands on her round thighs. As she gets to her feet and gathers the trash from the food, she looks deeply into my eyes. “Dane?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you sure this is okay?” Emma bites her lip and flushes. “I … I didn’t want to put this on you, but I had to tell someone. And I know that I probably shouldn’t have come here, but I needed to see you. I don’t feel comfortable talking to anyone else.”
“It’s fine,” I say. “Here, let me do that.” I take the trash from Emma’s hands and carry it into the kitchen. I wash my hands at the sink and let my fingers stay under the cold water until pain starts to shoot up my arms.
Goddamn, this is so fucked up. I have no idea what to do. Emma is nothing like her dad – that much is obvious after just looking at her – she’s sweet, and it’s clear to me now that she’s been a victim of her father for her entire life.
But at the same time, Jason is Emma’s father. And while I’ve always hated the expression “blood is thicker than water,” I wonder if it’s true in this case. Sure, Emma ran away because she was offended and hurt that her father would make those kinds of comments about her weight. But still. They’re biologically related, and he’s all she’s known for her entire life.
Emma’s still a kid, though. I know she’s twenty-one, a legal adult, but she’s lived a pampered life of privilege. And I can’t imagine that she would adjust easily to living in the woods with someone like me. I don’t even have a fucking television, for god’s sake.
Not to mention that I’m about to seek revenge on her father. Between Jed’s newfound information and the fact that Xander Corp is about to go public, this is the perfect time for me to plan my revenge. I don’t need the money. And I don’t give a shit about the company itself. Even though I helped built Xander Corp from the ground up, it’s Jason’s now. My claim on that company ended years ago.
Besides, this isn’t about becoming wealthy. This is about justice, and making sure that Jason Hadley gets what’s coming to him. Can I really do that with his daughter at my side?
“Dane?”
Emma peeks into the kitchen. She frowns at the sight of me standing at the sink.
“What are you doing here?” she asks.