Page 78 of Broken

Gabby.I suppose that’s better thandaughter, but that’s something he never uses unless he’s put out with me, or he thinks I’ve fucked up again.

“This is mine and Gabby’s house. This is our bedroom, and maybe you don’t get this, but she ismywoman. So, that meansyou’re the one fucking out of line,” King growls. “Now, I’m only going to say it one more time. Get the fuck out there with your wife and wait on me and my woman to come to you, asshole.”

“And I told you that’s not happening.”

“Okay, let’s dial it down a notch. Dad, just go into the kitchen with Mom and King and I will be?—”

“Shut up, Gabriella.”

My body goes solid, because Dad finally used my full name like he used to, but he did it in a way that I donotlike. It feels all kinds of wrong and for some reason, I kind of want to cry.

“You do not tell my woman to shut up,” King growls, advancing on Dad again. I wrap my hand around King’s bicep while keeping my other hand on the sheet.

“King, honey, calm down,” I whisper, pushing past the pain my father has just inflicted.

“Jesus, Gabby.Anotherone of Dragon’s sons? What were you thinking? Haven’t you done enough damage to that family?”

My body jerks with that blow. I mean, I kind of expected it. It’s not cool that it came from my father, either. I thought it would come from Dragon or Dom. Heck, maybe even T. Somehow, I didn’t think it would come from my dad. I hate it.I freaking hate it.Still, his words this time are a bigger blow and that’s when the tears sting my eyes. I try to suck them back—I really do. But I feel them slide down my cheeks.

“Sunshine,” King whispers, turning his attention to me. He knows how much my father’s words hurt me.He knows.I try not to look at him. I don’t want him to see my tears. He turns away from me and I turn to look at my father. Dad flinches when he sees me crying. I see regret on his face, which kind of surprises me.

“King!” I scream because he drives his fist into my dad’s face. Dad goes down at once. My man has muscles for days and it’s clear he didn’t hold back at all. He’s also seriously pissed.Next, he kicks Dad. I would think that would hurt King because he’s not wearing shoes. Technically, he has no clothes on at all. He doesn’t even flinch, however. Instead, he reaches down and shoves Dad out the door. Through all of this, Dad is looking at me, and he doesn’t fight back. In fact, he doesn’t say a word.

King grabs the door and mostly hides behind it before calling out. “Gabby and I will be out in a bit, Beth,” he calls, his voice hiding most of his anger. He calls my mom by her name—which I didn’t even know he knew—and talks like they’ve known each other all my life. It’s weird, but it’s kind of sweet.

“Sounds good,” Mom says, and weirdly, she sounds kind of calm.

“You get your fucking ass away from my door and if you ever try to talk down to my woman again, I don’t care if you are her old man, I will take care of you in a way that you can’t talk to her again because you won’t be able to make your jaw work to open it up and let your poison out. Do you feel me?”

Dad doesn’t respond. I can’t see him, but I wonder if he’s still trying to look at me, because he had just been staring at me, not doing anything else. That is until King manhandled him out of our room.

“King, sweetheart,” I whisper.

“I said, do you feel me?” King hisses toward my father.

“I’ll be in the kitchen,” Dad says quietly. I find that weird, too. My dad never walks away—like ever.

In answer, King slams the door so hard I’m surprised it didn’t come off the hinges. He walks over to me, his fingers gently touching my cheek. He leans down and kisses my now dried tears. “I’m sorry, baby. I don’t know how that asshole got the door open, but we’ll face them and get this over with.”

“It’s okay, King.”

“It’s not. It will never be okay for anyone to treat you like that and throw shit in your face. It’s especially not cool that it’s your father.”

“King—”

“It also pisses me off that the motherfucker stormed in on a private moment with me and my woman. It was time that is only for the two of us and the fact something beautiful between us is now marred and ugly for you pisses me off even more.”

“King …” I whisper because his words are everything I need to hear right now. My man loves me. I’m secure in that. I’m safe with him and because of that, after years of thinking I knew what love was, I realize how stupid I’ve been my whole life.Until now.

“Let’s get in the shower and clean up. Then we’ll face them together.”

His words make me smile as I look into his beautiful eyes. “Together,” I tell him.

“That’s right, Sunshine.Alwaystogether.”

“I love you, King.” My words make him smile and I feel that smile vibrate in my heart.

“I love you, too, Gabriella. I’ve heard Dragon tell Nicole something I never could grasp until lately with you,” he whispers.

---