“Have a good time, baby,” Avaleigh said.
“Yeah, have fun,” Daniel repeated, but with absolutely no emotion.
Angelle walked over to the door and opened it.
Boon had heard her coming and was standing right in front of the door, smiling at her. “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” she replied. “Sorry you had to wait.”
“Not a problem at all. I’d wait all day if you needed me to.”
“Next time, you’ll get to wait inside,” Angelle said, placing her hand on the curve of his elbow as he offered it to escort her to Maverik’s house.
“So, there’s going to be a next time?” Boon asked teasingly.
“I guess I should have said if there’s a next time you can wait inside,” Angelle said.
“If you’d like it to be so, there will be many next times,” Boon said.
“I would like that a lot,” Angelle said, smiling up at Boon before casting a scolding glare back at her father standing in the door watching them as they left the house.
“You better check yourself, my love. You’re going to distance yourself by trying to keep her away from him,” Avaleigh said.
“I don’t want to lose her, too. And I don’t want you to have to lose her, too.”
“We won’t if we just let her live her life. And I haven’t lost anyone. Kids grow up and go live their lives. It doesn’t mean we won’t be a part of them.”
“She doesn’t know how to even have a friend!” Daniel exclaimed.
“That’s true. But she’s learning. Give her the space to figure it out. We can always swoop in at a moment’s notice if we’re needed. But the fact that you don’t trust her is going to start eating at her more than the fact that you’re less than polite to the young male she likes.”
“He’s a boy,” Daniel snapped.
“No, he’s not. He’s Tempest’s uncle. And Gargoyles age slowly. You know that. He might even be older than we are, biologically, at least.”
“Great, that just makes everything better,” Daniel said, flopping down in his recliner.
“Do you really dislike him?”
It took a few minutes before Daniel decided to answer. “No,” he finally said. “I don’t even know him. But I’ve always believed Gargoyles to be a violent race. And now there’s one that wants my daughter. It’s like sending your daughter off with a male that has a history of fighting and violent outbursts and believing he’ll never turn it on her.”
“He’s not like that. And I’ll be the first one to tell you that just because you have an impression of a certain being behaving a certain way, doesn’t mean that’s the rule for everyone in it. Case in point, you. A Dragon terrorized me, and I labeled you just like him, simply because you were both of the same species. Don’t label Boon. Give him the benefit of the doubt. If he turns out to be what you fear him to be, then kill him. But I think that your gut will tell you you’re wrong if you’ll just listen to it.”
“Why her? Why does he have to set his sights on Angelle?”
Avaleigh reached out and lay her hand on top of his where it rested. “Why hasn’t any other male taken the time to look beneath her shyness and see for themselves just how amazing she is?”
Daniel quietly regarded Avaleigh.
“This male, who she happens to respond to like she never has anyone else, sees Angelle. Not just a quiet, shy, antisocial girl. He sees her heart, her kindness, her soul, even her quirkiness, and he’s drawn to her. How is that bad?”
Daniel looked his mate in the eye and finally nodded. “I’m being an asshole.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Aren’t I allowed to be an asshole every once in a while?”
“Not at Angelle’s expense.”
