“I need to talk to Declan. I need to.”
“You don’t need to do anything with that man. You need to go back home. This guy is bad news, Addie.”
I crack open the passenger door and step out, looking back at my father whose face has turned cold with a disappointment deeper than any I’ve ever seen from him. “I’m sorry.”
He narrows his eyes and steps from the truck.
I move toward Declan, drinking in his large body. “We should talk.”
“There’s no talking,” my father barks. “You’re not seeing him. I was understanding about you needing room to grow, Addie. I know you’re an adult, but I’m not going to stand here and let you make a terrible mistake. You’re not thinking clearly.”
Declan steps between my father and I. “She asked for a second to talk to me.”
“It’s okay, Declan. He—”
My father straightens his back and balls his fists. “You come onto my mountain, you open your shit club, and you fuck around with my baby girl?” Dad laughs. “That’s not how this goes. You see what happens now is you get in your fucking truck, you go back to your hole in the wall, and you leave little girls alone.”
“Dad, I’m not a little girl. You and mom are like twenty years apart in age. You can’t really talk.”
He turns his head. “That’s different, Addie, and we aren’t talking about your mother and I. We’re talking about you and this dead-beat piece of shit.”
“He’s not a piece of shit, Dad. I like him, a lot.”
Declan wraps his arm around me and pulls me into his chest then looks up at my father. “My top priority is keeping Addie safe, sir. I won’t let anything happen to her. But she’s an adult, and I won’t let you talk to her the way you’re talking any longer.”
Heat lights my skin until I’m sweating.Did he really just say that?I’m not sure whether to turn and hug him or kick him in the shin. My father isn’t a bad man. He’s the best guy I know. He just hasn’t learned how to manage my adult boundaries yet. Though, by the sounds of things, Declan is going to help with that.
“Or what?” My father steps forward, sandwiching me between the two enormous men.
“Or you’ll ruin your relationship with your daughter,” Declan rumbles. “The sooner you see that she’s an adult with her own mind, the better off you’ll be.”
My father has never been one for unsolicited advice… not from anyone. He’s a mountain man, country folk, who prioritizes family above all else. He doesn’t go against that code for a second, and to him, Declan and the club threatens all of that. They threaten his way of life.
“Dad,” I suck in a deep breath and let it out slowly, “I need some space.”
My father’s brows narrow, and his chest visibly tightens as he steps back, holding up his hands before scowling toward Declan. “You leave my daughter be, or I’ll make your life a living hell. Do you hear me?” Dad’s gaze switches toward me as I climb up into Declan’s truck. “I need to know you’re safe, Adelaide. You can’t be with him.”
Declan runs his hand back through his hair and looks toward me. “Addie, the last two days have been a sleepless hell, and I came out here tonight hoping to make some kind of gesture that would make up for everything, but I don’t want to come between you and your family. I want to see you happy and thriving. If your life is easier without me in it, then it’s worth me walking away.”
I stare back at him as a light rain starts to fall. “Could you do that? Could you stay away from me that easily?”
He smiles and looks away then back again. “Considering the past two days have been a sleepless hell, I don’t think so, but I’d be willing to try for you.”
My forehead crinkles. “And what if despite all these obstacles, the only thing that makes me happy is you?” I lace my fingers with his. “Your hands. Your touch.”
He looks at me long and hard. “Well then, I reckon we’re going to hurt some people getting there. We just have to hope they turn around once they see what we have.” He runs his large palm over the side of my face and looks down at me. “But we can take our time with this. I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
Maybe that’s what I need…time.Time to let some of this heat wear off. Time to decide if what I feel for Declan is real or just my hormones going crazy.
Chapter Six
Declan
It’s my fault she’s in pain and I want nothing more than to make it better. Looking back, it was stupid as hell coming out here without talking to her first.
This is why I don’t do relationships. They’re confusing, and everyone ends up hurt in the end.
“You can drop me off at the hotel on Main Street,” she says. “I stay there some nights when I need space from my family.”