Page 23 of Sugar Rush (Sugar Bowl 2)

"Why?"

My dad doesn't want to know my reasons so he can offer me fatherly advice. He wants to know so he can figure out exactly which son he should align with if it comes down to a choice.

"I can't tell you the details," I maintain. "But I'll just say this...JT is not a good man. He's rotten to the core, and trust me when I tell you, there's going to come a time when you're going to regret having him as a son. You'd best start distancing yourself now before you find out exactly how wretched a human being he is."

My father's stoic facade starts to crumble a bit. His brow wrinkles with worry. "If he's in some type of trouble that will bring shame on my name, I need to know--"

I hold up a hand and cut him off. "How can he bring shame on your name? You've never publicly acknowledged him as your son. I suggest you keep it that way."

For this first time since this conversation started, my father looks unbearably uncomfortable. He actually drops his eyes down to his desk, pressing a finger to his temple, which he taps in consternation. I can see he's troubled, and this makes me think that perhaps it's not a well-guarded secret that JT is his son. I can tell by the worry in his eyes that someone else knows, and this worries him.

"Dad," I press him. "Will you do as I ask?"

Sitting back in his chair, my father sighs deeply as he raises his gaze back to me. He seems to be searching for something to say, but I can tell indecision is warring within him.

"I'm telling you, Dad...if you believe anything I say, don't give him the money. Things will get very ugly if you do."

"Is that a threat to me?" my dad asks, not in an affronted manner, but with a tired edge to his voice.

"Not at all," I assure him quickly, and then decide to give him just a tiny bit more information to help sway his decision because I need him on board. "I'm telling you JT is bad news. I'm not going to give you details, but I will tell you he's committed a crime that could see him doing serious time in prison. You need to distance yourself from him so you don't get dragged down into the mud. Trust me that I'm trying to do what's best not only for me, but for everyone close to him. But my main interest right now is to get him out of the company before the shit hits the fan, so The Sugar Bowl doesn't suffer because of his mistakes. I'm trying to sever ties from him before this goes down, and I want to make sure you don't have any existing ties as well."

These words hit my father hard. His face sort of sags, turns slightly gray. For the first time in my life, I think he looks old. A tiny stab of pity hits me as I realize that I'm laying some troublesome shit on his doorstep. Then I immediately banish it when I envision the way he and my mother treated Caroline when she was raped.

"I know I haven't been the best father," my dad says as he looks at me with haggard eyes. "But I tried to support you both the only way I knew how, which was financially. I know money better than I know parenting. Maybe if I would have taken more of an interest in JT..."

His voice trails off and I can see he's going into pity mode. He's not worried about JT and his demons. He's worried about his own personal failings and how this may reflect upon him. While I don't really care about bolstering his pride, I do need to keep him focused on doing what I need.

"No, Dad," I say firmly. "What's wrong with JT can't be fixed with fatherly love. He's broken, probably on a cellular level. He's broken, no matter what good influences have been around him."

My father's eyes water a tiny bit and he looks at me with unmitigated hope that perhaps this isn't his fault. That maybe even his defective genes come from Candace, and JT was going to be a screwed-up individual no matter the circumstances.

I can see he needs some type of absolution for being a shitty father to me and an absent father to JT, so I tell him what he needs to hear, regardless of whether it's true or not. "He's broken, Dad. Nothing and no one could have prevented his actions or fix them now. Trust me on that."

Our gazes lock and I give him an encouraging smile.

Finally, he lets out a deep breath of regret and says, "All right. I won't loan him any money if he asks."

I let out my own breath of relief as my hands grip the armrests of the chair. I start to pull myself up, eager to leave now that I have my dad's cooperation. "Thank you."

"Are you in any danger or trouble?" he asks, and that catches me off guard. I don't think I've ever heard him ask me such a question...with such genuine concern for my welfare.

"No," I assure him with a smile. "I'm fine. Will be better after I can get JT out of The Sugar Bowl, but I'm good right now. Don't worry."

"Okay," he says quietly, and I start to turn away from him. But then he says, "Does this have anything to do with the young lady you brought with you tonight?"

This also catches me by surprise and I turn back to him. "Why do you ask?"

My father cocks an eyebrow at me. "Beck...not once in your ten years of adulthood have you ever brought a girlfriend here. Not only that, I can tell how protective you are of her. And whatever this quest is you are on to sever JT from your life, I think the motivation must be powerful. I'm guessing it's the girl."

My dad will figure out the details soon enough once JT is arrested for Sela's rape, but I'm not about to share that with him. Instead, I merely say, "Everything I do is with the idea in mind of solidifying my future with her."

And for the third time this evening, my father stuns me. He looks at me with admiration and says, "That's a good reason to make a bold move. For love."

I blink at my dad, confused over his words. I didn't think he knew what love was. Hell, I'm not even sure I quite understand it; only that my feelings for Sela are overwhelming to me at the worst of times, and infinitely comforting at the best of times.

Nodding in affirmation to my dad, I merely say, "Merry Christmas. And thank you."

"Merry Christmas, Beck," he says as I turn from him and walk out of his office.

I make my way down the staircase, wondering if Sela stayed in the music room and how horribly my mother may have been treating her. I could see the moment Sela said she was from Belle Haven that my mother's lukewarm curiosity morphed into acute distaste. While I'm sure she doesn't care about my personal happiness, she's very much interested in making sure that I marry the right person and produce socially acceptable grandbabies for her. After all, Caroline did the unthinkable and had a child from the product of rape, and that just wouldn't do for the North family's prestige.

Halfway down the stairs, I see Sela, standing at the bottom, looking up at me with a warm smile. It's like she appeared almost magically, because she was the person I wanted to see the most right then. I level a bright grin at her and trot the rest of the way down.

My arms go around her waist, hers go around my neck, and I plant a deep kiss on her right there, knowing it will set San Francisco gossips on their ears. I vaguely hope my mother is around watching and that she's immensely embarrassed by my behavior.

When

my lips pull back from Sela's, she whispers, "I take it the meeting went well?"

"Better than well," I say with a brush of my lips against her temple. Taking her by her hand, I start to pull her to the foyer so we can leave. "I'll tell you all about it, but we have more important things to do right now."

I see Percy at the entrance, grabbing our coats from the massive closet just off the front door. Sela's hand squeezes mine and she asks coyly, "Oh yeah, what's so important that we have to do right now?"

"Don't you remember?" I ask mischievously as we reach Percy. I take Sela's coat from him first and help her into it. "Whipped cream and sex toys."

I say this, of course, loud enough for Percy to hear and his ears turn bright red as Sela looks at me with wide eyes.

"What?" I ask in mock surprise as I grin at her. "You agreed earlier. Whipped cream and sex toys in front of the Christmas tree when we got home."

Sela drops her face and snickers. I turn to Percy and take my coat from him with a jaunty smile. I expect to see condescension in his expression that I would embarrass him and Sela like that, but instead his lips are quirked up in amusement even if his ears are still red.

He turns to Sela and bows slightly. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Sela. I hope you have a Merry Christmas."

"I hope you do too," Sela tells him warmly as I slip my coat on.

Impulsively, I reach out and give Percy a hug. A bro-type hug with a gentle clap on his back. "Merry Christmas, Percy."

"Be well, Beck," he says with misty eyes as he opens the door for us. "And Merry Christmas."

I wake up slowly, feeling sated, warm, and secure. The sun hasn't quite cracked the horizon, so our room is bathed in a bluish-gray light. I'm lying on my side, my head resting on Beck's bicep as he's spooned around me. His other arm is curled around my waist, large palm fanned out across my stomach. I can tell immediately that he's already awake but just content to quietly hold me.

"Merry Christmas," I say with a rough voice.

His palm presses into my belly and his face nuzzles into the back of my neck. "Merry Christmas. Sleep well?"

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