Page 23 of My Boyfriend's Protective Daddy

“What are you saying, Zane?”

“I’m saying that if you want us to be able to move past this and work on having a relationship, you need to break it off with her.”

I shake my head, the anger bubbling black and hot in my gut. “Are you fucking serious right now? You’re trying to force me to break things off with Cassie?”

“Unless you can convince her to take me back, yeah. Like I said, I don’t want the constant reminder of the pain she caused me—that the two of you caused me—in my life,” he tells me without the slightest hint of humor in his voice. “I don’t think I’d be able to have a real relationship with you with that kind of resentment still running around inside me.”

“You’re serious.”

He nods. “I am. Either break things off with her or convince her to come back to me.”

“Even if I were inclined to do that, I never would. You don’t know how to treat her with the respect she fucking deserves.”

“Then cut her loose and be done with it,” he says with a shrug. “It’s really the only way I can see us building a relationship together. I know you don’t like it, but I’m being honest with you.”

“Wow. That’s just…unreal.”

“Like I said, I’m sharing my honest feelings with you. I’m trying to take your advice by taking responsibility for how I feel.”

His ability to twist my words and warp them to suit his agenda is remarkable. It’s also manipulative as fuck.

“Yeah, I’m not going to play that game. I don’t negotiate with terrorists,” I say. “And that’s exactly what you’re behaving like right now—an emotional terrorist.”

“Suit yourself. But you came here. You wanted to know what it was going to take to rebuild our relationship. Well, that’s it. That’s my price.”

“That’s a shame, kid. It really is,” I say.

“Why’s that?”

“Because there will be a day when you find yourself wishing you had a family. Remember, you’re the one who sought me out. And you did that for a reason. I think it’s because you wanted a father. A family. And you need to remember that you’re the one throwing it all away because you’re a petty, jealous, insecure boy, Zane. I honestly believed there was a decent, good person deep inside of you, but I guess I was wrong. You’re behaving like a child, and in your tantrum, you’re pissing away what you really wanted,” I tell him.

“If you say so.”

I shrug. “Maybe I’m wrong. That sort of thing requires a level of introspection and emotional intelligence that I’m not sure you’re capable of. You certainly don’t seem to have the ability to take responsibility for yourself, so perhaps I’m wrong about the rest of it, and you’ll be fine going through life alone and without any meaningful relationships. Without anybody who cares about you. Relationships, be it with family or a woman, require sacrifice and honesty. I’m starting to think you don’t have those things in you. Like I said, it’s a shame.”

Without another word, I turn and head for the door, leaving him sitting on the sofa watching me go.

“You really care about her, don’t you?” he calls.

I pause with my hand on the doorknob then turn my head, looking over my shoulder at him.

“Yeah. I really do,” I reply. “Good luck to you, kid.”

I walk out of his apartment and close the door after me. I got my answer. I don’t like it and wish it could be otherwise, but Zane has a lot of growing up to do and I can’t help him do it. Not at the price he wants me to pay.

12

CASSIE

“Judging by the look on your face, it didn’t go well,” I say.

Cash closes the apartment door and locks it, shaking his head. His face is drawn, his lips pulled down at the corners, wearing an expression of grief.

“It didn’t go well at all,” he replies.

He drops down onto the couch beside me, and I can see the weight on his shoulders. Leaning over, I place a gentle kiss on his cheek.

“I’m sorry,” I say.

---