“Great, you sound like Mom. I tried to talk to her, and she was stupid about it. Forget it.”
Chris took the key from the ignition and turned to Lily before he moved to get out of the car. “Sweetheart, I didn’t hear you. I was concentrating on what I was doing.”
“I said I like girls!” she shouted before getting out of the car and slamming the door behind her.
Chris sat in stunned silence before scrambling out of the car behind her. She was inside the main door and waiting by the second door when he caught up to her. Her arms hugged her middle, and he could practically feel her anxiety. The lobby of his apartment building wasn’t the place for a heart-to-heart, so he unlocked the door and followed her up to his apartment.
“Okay,” he breathed once they were inside the privacy of his apartment. “Is that what you’re so afraid to tell me?”
“It’s not a phase!”
Chris held up his hands in defense. He wasn’t sure why she was on the attack. “Okay, sweetheart. I would never assume it was. You love who you love. I’m not mad at it.”
Her lip quivered as she looked at him, eyes wide like a deer in the headlights. “I tried to tell Mom and she said it’s just a phase and that I shouldn’t make a big deal about it. It’s not a phase, Dad.”
Chris slowly made his way over and wrapped his arms around her. “Okay. Is that why you want to stay here? Because your mom doesn’t understand?”
To his horror, she completely broke down. Sobs tore through her body as she held on to him for dear life. He was remindedof how broken she was when he arrived in Florida. He’d thought she had made progress after being away from there, but she was more broken now than he’d ever seen her.
“I told my best friend Macey,” she choked out between sobs. “She told people that I had a crush on her, which isn’t even true. Nobody will talk to me, and Mom doesn’t even care. She said it’s just a phase!”
Once again, his heart shattered. No wonder she didn’t want to go back. School was hard enough as it was. She could stay with him and get a fresh start without judgement and without a parent who minimized her feelings. He was by no means perfect, but if something was important to Lily, it was important to him.
“Sweetheart, I’ll do everything I can to keep you here with me. Love is love and your feelings are your feelings. It’s that simple.”
“Promise?” she asked, looking up at him.
“Yeah. I promise.”
“I love you, Dad.”
Chris hugged her tightly. “I love you too, sweetheart.”
Chapter 25
CHRISTIAN
It had been two weeks. Two weeks since his world changed. Two weeks since he was able to face his reflection in the mirror. Two weeks since he was able to face Mallory. He kept his word to Lily and fired the shot which he assumed would begin World War Three with his ex-wife, and that had left him so mentally exhausted that he chose the coward’s way out and avoided Mallory.
He didn’t want to stay away from her, but he just couldn’t face her. When she suggested they take a few steps back and keep things casual, there was no reason for him to treat her the way he did. He still couldn’t shake off the expression on her face when he basically left her bent over the counter and leaking his cum without much more than a goodbye. He couldn’t blame her if she never spoke to him again.
“Are you going to walk up with me?” Lily asked as he parked in front of Mallory’s building.
She’d continued to keep an eye on Lily even though he’d been avoiding her. He was grateful, but at the same time it made him feel like even more of an asshole. Facing her was something that he desperately needed to do, but he wasn’t sure he could.
“I don’t know, Lily. I need to get to work …”
“Just come up, Dad, and tell her you’re sorry. It’s so weird over there now. She makes a big deal of pretending like she’s happy when she opens the door and it’s just me. And she avoids any topic that could somehow circle back to you. It’s exhausting.”
With a big sigh, Chris put the car in park, and removed the key from the ignition. He couldn’t go back and undo everything he’d done, but he could be a man and own up to it. Lost in thought, trying to come up with something to say, he didn’t even remember the walk to her apartment. Before he knew it, she swung the door open and stared at him in surprise.
“Ch—Christian,” she stuttered. “Hi.”
Lily slipped around her and into the apartment, leaving Chris and Mallory staring at each other in uncomfortable silence. She wore a crop top and high-waisted leggings and had her hair in a messy bun. God, that messy bun did something to him every time he saw it. Between the bun and the tiny sliver of her exposed stomach, Chris folded his arms across his chest to keep from reaching out to her.
“Hi,” he breathed. “I’m sorry.”
She looked him up and down before stepping into the hall and closing the door behind herself. “For?”
