What had I said before? About how you can't change people's natures?
It was right then that the buzzer on the table went off, signaling that our food was ready. Dex smoothed a hand over my thigh before sliding out of the booth with the contraption in hand.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my dad reach across the table, fingers outstretched. "Rissy," he whispered.
I watched him, watched those long fingers try and make a trek toward me but I stayed still.
"Talk to me."
I flicked my eyes up to his. There was no effort on my half to forget the memories I had of him as a kid. The memories that had kept me from bulldozing him into being a complete asshole but now... nothing. I felt nothing toward him. "We're talking."
He ground his teeth again. "Without the asshole."
Oh. Hell. No. "I love that asshole. He stays."
The expression he made gave the impression that I'd slapped him. He was outraged. "You're kidding me."
"I'm not."
"I never wanted that for you," he hissed. "Don't you get that? You think me andDeliamoved all the way out here for no reason? We didn't want you around the MC, and especially not fuckin' around with one of them."
Anger prickled my neck. Resentment. Bitterness. "Things don't always work out the way you want them to." I could have explained to him the line of events that led me to Austin but I wasn't going to. I was happy there, and I didn't regret my move for a second. And this man didn't deserve an explanation.
It wasn't like he'd explained anything to me. Ever.
"You don't get it..."
"There's nothing to get," I cut him off, sharply.
"Your mom—"
The more he mentioned her, the angrierI got because it made me think of the woman in his hotel room, and the little boy in Denver. "Don't bring her up."
His light colored eyes flashed. Indecision and who knows what else tore through him. "She was the love of my life."
Now, he was just asking for Dex to kick his ass. Better yet, I'd kick his ass. My hands clenched into fists in my lap. "Is that why you left? Because you loved her so much? You loved her so much you cheated on her and had a kid with someone else?"
He rocked back in his seat. "You don't get it," he repeated.
"No, I do get it. I get that you loved her in your own messed up way, but what were me and Will? Collateral damage? Accidents?" My chin tipped up on its own as my jaw clenched. "Nothing, right? We were nothing to you?"
"Goddamnit, that's not it at all. Why won't you stop being so fuckin' hostile and let me talk?" he snapped.
Yeah, I was done with this. Done with this man and this bull crap.
I swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "I'm here because you need to fix this mess with those Europeans before they kill me or someone I care about. This isn't a social visit to talk about how much you've sucked being a human being, much less a father."
"Quit being such a bi—"
The drop of two pizza trays on the table droned out the end of his sentence. Dex's imposing figure loomed over the table, his hands gripping the edge. "You finish that fuckin' sentence, and I'll skin you alive."
Was he going to call me a bitch? Me?
My throat knotted up at the same time tears managed to find their way into the backs of my eyes. I ducked my head to keep either of them from seeing my reaction. I had to take a deep breath to center myself.
Of all the people in the universe, why did I have to be related to such a douche bag?
Unfortunately, you don't get to choose family, Sonny had told me once. But you do get to choose everyone else. In this case, I was cherry picking who I was going to spend the gift of my life with. NowthatI deserved.Even without the cancer, without losing my mom andyia-yia, I would have wanted more. Notthis sloppy excuse of a man.
