She turned my face back to hers. “You are and you have.”
Slow was going to be difficult because there wasn’t a second that passed when I didn’t want to kiss her. She turned in her seat and rested her head on my shoulder. Repositioning so she could snuggle into my hold, I wrapped my arm around her, unsure of how many steps backward we’d taken but knowing I would take as many as necessary to have her back.
The weight of my phone seemed to double as I waited for my call to go through.
“I’m surprised it took you so long to call,” my father’s voice answered.
I rested my elbow on my desk and rubbed my head. Sleep had been minimal. I’d kissed Tori goodnight when we got back and given Reid a hug, but I’d kept my distance today, going in early to work out. I wanted to give her space, to let her lead at her pace.
“Tell me what you have on Bradman.”
He chuckled. “You are more like me than you think, William.”
My teeth ground at the name and the accusation.
“Just tell me. I know you have something, or you wouldn’t have dropped the hint about him.”
“Your lawyers still working on breaking that NDA?”
“How do you know about that?” I asked, standing and walking to the window.
“Bradman is infamous for them. He has a hard time keeping women on his staff. I’m surprised she lasted as long as she did, and her departure didn’t surprise me.”
The clenching of my fist did nothing to ease my anger.
“What do you have on him that I can use?”
He was quiet for a moment. “What’s in it for me?”
Just like my father to offer something with conditions.
“What do you want?”
“To meet my grandson.”
If I hadn’t been standing, I would have fallen out of my chair. As it was, my jaw almost hit the ground.
“No.”
“Then you can use your resources to find what you need.”
“You can’t possibly think I would let you anywhere near him after all you did to me.”
He snorted, which only caused my grip on the phone to tighten. “I made you the man you are. Built character and resilience in a boy who clutched at his mother’s skirts and cried at a scraped knee.”
“Normal things children do, yet you seemed to find them repulsive enough to beat me for them. I’m not letting you within ten feet of my son, and I can guarantee Victoria won’t.”
“Good luck with Bradman.” The phone disconnected before I could say more.
I shoved the phone back in my pocket just as Liv peeked her head into the office.
“Oh, I know that look. Did you talk to Dad?”
Hands scraping through my hair, I motioned for her to close the door. “Unfortunately.”
“What’s the asshole up to now?”
I crossed my arms over my chest. Her brow arched, and she sat in a chair, waiting for me to answer.
