Page 28 of My Boyfriend's Protective Daddy

“I did. I was so cautious about things with you that I kept you out of most of the areas of my life. I see now that I kept you so far out of my life that you didn’t even know Cassie’s name, let alone know that I was with her. I see that now,” he says. “So, while it still bothers me that you’re with her, I know that you didn’t go behind my back and take her away from me. I drove her away, and it’s an unbelievable fucking coincidence, but she ended up on your doorstep. I see now that’s not your fault or her fault. It’s mine.”

“Between this and your future plans, it sounds like you’ve been doing a lot of thinking.”

“I have. And I guess I have you to thank for that,” he replies. “If you hadn’t kicked me in the ass like you did, my head may have never fallen out of it.”

We share a chuckle, and in that moment, something between us breaks loose. Like a wall that had been previously high and impenetrable has come crumbling down. It’s the first time we’ve had that sense of openness in the couple of years since Zane first appeared in my life. I don’t want to get too far out over my skis, but I think it’s a big step in our relationship. An important step.

“We all need a kick in the ass sometimes,” I tell him. “God knows I’ve needed it a time or ten in my life. Thankfully, I’ve always had somebody there to help me pull my head out. And I want you to know that I’m here for you too, kid. In whatever way you need. If you need to talk, I’m here to listen. If you need advice, I’ll do the best I can. Or if you need some distance, I get that too.”

“I think the distance you gave me was exactly what I needed,” he says. “But I think I’ve done a lot of self-reflection and maybe a little growing up in that time.”

“It seems like it to me.”

“I’m not going to say this will be easy. Seeing you with Cassie is still weird and uncomfortable. I can’t say there won’t be times when I get a little angry or resentful. It’s something I’ll work on,” he says. “But I also think if you’re willing to help me through those times, we can get through them. Together. We can build the kind of relationship I wanted with my dad when I first came looking for you. If you still want to build that relationship with me, anyway.”

His voice at the end is filled with uncertainty, but also with a touch of hope. I’m not an overly emotional man. Shit, I can’t remember the last time I cried. It was probably back when I was in the Army and saw a buddy get killed overseas. But hearing Zane’s words—my son’s words—chokes me up. My eyes sting and my vision wavers as my face grows uncomfortably and unexpectedly warm. I open the gate and step through the bar then walk over to my son and pull him into a rough but heartfelt embrace. He hesitates for a moment then hugs me back.

“Of course, I want to build a relationship with you, kid,” I say. “You’re my son, and no matter what, I love you.”

Zane buries his face in my shoulder, and though he does his best to control himself, his body shakes as he quietly cries. I turn to see Cassie with her hands over her mouth, her eyes gleaming with tears of her own. A trembling smile crosses my face as I hold my son, and together, the dark clouds that surrounded my heart begin to dissipate, allowing the golden sunshine through.

And suddenly, the last pieces of the puzzle of me fall into place, and I have a sense of completeness. For the first time in my life, I feel whole.

EPILOGUE

CASSIE

One Year Later

“Why are you so nervous?” Cash asks me.

“I’m not nervous,” I respond. “I just want everything to go off without a hitch.”

“And it will.”

“So you say.”

I rush around the dining room, making sure the table is properly set, and that everything is just so. Everything has to be perfect. Seeing that the forks are all askew, I frown and take the time to line them all up properly, drawing a laugh from Cash.

“Babe, it’s Zane. He’s been here a million times,” Cash says. “If he had it his way, we’d eat pizza on paper plates.”

“Well, it’s a good thing we’re not doing this his way then.”

Cash grabs me by the shoulders, halting my frenzied pace around the table, and places a gentle kiss on my lips. I look up into those golden eyes, and my heart melts into a puddle of goo as a shaky smile and a sigh of resignation cross my face.

“What has you in such a frenzy?” he asks.

“Zane is bringing his girlfriend over for the first time. Do you know what a big thing that is? It’s massive,” I say. “And I just want to make sure everything is perfect for them.”

“And everything will be perfect.”

I look around the table and frown again. “I’m not so sure. I think I need to polish the wine glasses one more time.”

“Baby, if you polish them again, you’re going to wear them right through the glass. And then I guess we’ll just have to pass the bottle around.”

I laugh despite my own fluttering nerves. Things with Zane have gotten progressively better over the past year, but there are still times when I see him looking at Cash and me with an inscrutable look on his face. I know there are still times he struggles. But those times have grown fewer and farther between once he started dating his girlfriend, Alyssa. This is the first time he’s bringing her around, and I think that takes things to another level. It’s the first time we’re stepping up onto this new tier of trust with Zane and it’s important this goes well.

“I wish you’d take this a little more seriously,” I chide Cash.

---