Page 89 of Bossy Mountain Daddies
I step forward before the other two can speak, knowing I'm the one who can most easily pass in this world of corporate decorum.
"We're here to see Daniel Hawkins," I say, keeping my voice pleasant. "Is he in?"
She blinks, her fingers hovering over her keyboard. "Do you have an appointment?"
"No, but he'll want to see us. It's a family matter." Not entirely a lie—Griff is his father, after all.
"I'll... check if he's available. Your names?"
Before I can answer, Griff steps forward. "Tell him his father is here."
Her eyes widen slightly as she glances between us, clearly trying to process this information. She picks up her phone, murmuring quietly into it. After a moment, she hangs up and points down a hallway.
"Third door on the right. He says you can go on back."
We walk down the corridor, the plush carpet muffling our footsteps. Through glass walls, I glimpse young professionals in crisp suits hunched over computers or speaking animatedly on phones.
Griff pushes open the door without knocking. Daniel is standing behind his desk, his posture rigid, clearly bracinghimself for Griff's arrival. When Buck and I follow Griff in, Daniel's face shifts from wariness to shock.
"What the hell?" His eyes dart between us.
"Surprised?" Buck asks, crossing his arms over his chest.
Daniel's office is exactly what I would have expected—tastefully minimalist with expensive art on the walls and a view of downtown Denver. A framed diploma hangs prominently behind his desk. So fucking corporate America if makes me sick.
"What is this, some kind of intimidation tactic?" Daniel asks, his voice rising slightly.
"We need to talk," Griff says, his voice steady. "About Skye."
Daniel's face hardens. "There's nothing to talk about. She made her choices."
"Yes, she did," I step forward, keeping my tone measured. "Choices that are none of your business anymore."
"She's fucking my father and his two best friends. You don't think that's my business?" His voice drips with disgust.
Buck moves forward, towering over the desk. "Watch your mouth."
I place a restraining hand on Buck's arm. "Daniel, Skye left town because of what you posted online. She was afraid you'd post more about her relationships with us."
"So?" Daniel scoffs. "People deserve to know what kind of person she really is."
"No," Griff says firmly. "What happens between consenting adults is nobody's business but theirs. You don't get to shame her publicly because your ego can't handle her moving on."
Daniel's jaw works silently for a moment. "She's with three men at once. I mean, what the actual fuck?"
"I get it" I say. "This doesn't fit into your narrow view of what's acceptable. But she wasn't cheating on anyone. Unlike you."
The barb hits home. I see it in the way he flinches slightly.
"You were the one who broke her heart, Daniel," Buck says, his voice quieter now but no less intense. "You were the one who betrayed her trust. She found something that made her happy after you hurt her, and you're trying to punish her for it."
Daniel sinks into his chair, some of the defensiveness leaving his posture. "I never expected her to end up with..." he gestures vaguely at us, "with my father. With all of you."
"Neither did we," I say honestly. "It wasn't planned. It just happened."
"And now she's gone," Griff says, his voice rough with emotion.
Something flickers across Daniel's face—a shadow of regret, perhaps.
