“What relationship?” The question was like a slap. “From what I’ve seen, ye barely acknowledge he exists except to hand him off to someone else.”
“Ye daenae ken what ye’re talkin’ about,” he said, his voice low and warning.
“Daenae I?” She was relentless now, her own pain at the way her parents had often dismissed her need for love seeming to fuel her anger. “I ken what it’s like to have a parent who acts like ye’re nothin’ but an obligation. I ken what it feels like to be dismissed, ignored, treated like ye’re nae worth the effort of actually carin’.”
She saw him freeze before understanding flooded his features.
“That boy deserves better than what ye’re givin’ him,” she continued, her voice thick with emotion. “He deserves a faither who actually wants to ken him, nae just someone who makes sure he’s fed and clothed like a pet.”
“Enough.” The word cut through the air like a blade.
“Nay, it’s nae enough!” She slammed her hand down on his desk, making the inkwell jump. “I cannae stand by and watch ye do to him what me parents did to me, I cannae let ye make him feel like he’s nae worth lovin’!”
For a moment, they stared at each other across the desk, both breathing hard. Elijah could see the pain in her eyes now, raw and honest and probably more than she’d meant to reveal.
“Ye’re oversteppin’ yer boundaries,” he said finally.
“I’m his stepmaither and yer wife,” she shot back. “I’m nae oversteppin’ anythin’.”
“Ye are if ye think yer position gives ye the right to question me choices as a faither.”
“Then what does it give me the right to do?” Her voice was bitter now. “Because so far, it seems like I’m good for raisin’ yer son and warmin’ yer bed but nae for havin’ opinions about either.”
The mention of his bed sent heat shooting through her, unwelcome and immediate. Last night, she’d lain on the bed stiffas a board, every muscle tense while she’d wondered if he would be able to resist pulling her against him before morning.
Focus, this isnae about that.
“It gives ye the right to do what I tell ye to do,” he said coldly. “Nothin’ more.”
She laughed. “Of course. How foolish of me to think marriage might involve some partnership.”
“Partnership?” He leaned forward, bracing his hands on the desk. “Let me make somethin’ clear, wife, I dinnae marry ye for partnership. I married ye because I needed a mother for me son and a woman in me bed; if ye thought this would be some romantic fairy tale, ye were sorely mistaken.”
Iris flinched at his harsh words before forcing her expression to harden again.
“At least I understand ye clearly now,” she said flatly.
But instead of retreating, she straightened her shoulders and looked him dead in the eye.
“But let me make somethin’ equally clear, husband.” The word dripped with sarcasm. “Ye may have married me for convenience, but that doesnae mean I’ll stand by and watch ye damage that boy. I ken what it’s like to grow up feelin’ unwanted, and I cannae let it happen to him.”
“Ye’ll do what yer told.”
“Will I?” She tilted her head, studying him with those sharp brown eyes. “What happens if I daenae, Elijah? What happens if I decide to disobey yer precious orders?”
She watched something flicker across his features. “Ye daenae want to find out,” he said softly.
“Really?” She leaned forward, matching his posture, bringing their faces within inches of each other. “Because from where I’m standin’, yer threats are startin’ to sound awfully empty.”
“Get. Out.” His voice was deadly quiet.
“Or what?”
“Or I’ll show ye exactly why they call me the Beast of McMurphy.” He straightened to his full height, using every inch of his size to intimidate her. “And trust me, lass, ye daenae want to see that side of me.”
For the first time since she’d entered his solar, uncertainty filled her heart.
“Ye can try to frighten me all ye want,” she said, but her voice had lost some of its fire, “but that boy needs someone to fight for him. If ye cannae be his faither, then I’ll be the parent he deserves.”
