Page 9 of Sunshine
Everything’s about Reece.
What I can do is call my parents and find out what the fuck they’re playing at. And find out how they even found out I had a daughter.
They don’t want Reece; they want a way to control me again. And I won’t let my little girl be used as a pawn in their fucking game.
“We have a right to know our blood, Case.” My mother’s voice feels like nails on a chalkboard.
“Blood? She’s a child, not blood. And fine, right to know her is one thing, but to say I’m unfit and you want the job? I’m a damn good father to that little girl and you have balls saying otherwise when you don’t even know us. I haven’t talked to you since before I went undercover. To pretend to know me is disgusting.”
“It got your attention, didn’t it?”
“Are you fucking kidding me? My attention? This isn’t a game, Mother. This is a little girl’s life. A little girl who has lost her mother and grown up not knowing her father.”
“Were you planning on introducing us?”
I grit my teeth. It never even crossed my mind. But thinking about it now, no, I wouldn’t have. I want nothing to do with them, and my daughter doesn’t need their shit either. “I hadn’t thought about it. My focus has been on her and getting her adjusted.”
“If you make her the center of your world, Case, she’ll grow up spoiled,” my father pipes in and chuffs.
“She is my world and excuse me if I don’t take parenting advice from you.”
“We were good parents. You had the best of everything. The best nannies, the best tutors, the best schools, the best extracurricular activities. You’re just too stubborn to admit it.”
“I had the best of what you wanted for me and not so much what I needed which… hint, hint… hands-on parents.”
“You’ve always been ungrateful, Case. It’s why we cut you off.”
I laugh. “You can’t cut someone off who never took their trust in the first place. And honestly, legally you couldn’t cut off my trust. It came from Grandfather. If I wanted that money, I could walk into the bank and take it.”
“How could you not care about sixteen million dollars?” My mother lets out a hiss of distain.
“Money has never meant a damn thing to me, Mother. Family, loyalty, and love. Those are the things that matter. And I plan on raising Reece with love and support, helping her to become who she’s meant to be, not who I want her to be.”
“You weren’t very loyal to that biker gang you were involved with, were you? You told your sister they were family.”
“Jesus, Mother, I was undercover, I had to say that. I’m a goddamned cop, not a biker.” And yet, I did feel guilty, but that was because they acted more like family than my family ever did. Not Slash or Preacher, but the others. Mack especially, which is why he’s still my closest friend.
She huffs, “Well I don’t know which is worse. Either is embarrassing to tell our friends.”
“You find having an RCMP officer as a son as equally embarrassing as having a son in an outlaw biker club? That says a lot about you.” I sigh. My energy is depleted as if I’d run a triathlon. “Leave us alone and when this is over, I’ll have Posy bring Reece by so you can meet her.”
“Always getting your sister to do your dirty work.” My father chuffs again.
“We’ve already secured Reece a place at Templeton Academy. What size is she? I’ll order uniforms.”
I curse under my breath. “She doesn’t need private school, Mother.”
“Of course she does. Don’t be ridiculous. Haven’t you heard the state of public schools these days.”
“I’m not shipping my daughter off to be raised by faculty who only care about the next donation. I want to raise my daughter, spend time with her, love her and get to know her. And I consider it a goddamned privilege to do so.”
I can almost visualize my mother’s pinched expression, and I sigh again. “I don’t want to fight anymore. I’m sorry things haven’t been good between us. I’m sorry I don’t know how to deal with our history. I just wanted your love and support in fulfilling my passion, but none of that matters now. All that matters is Reece and if you want to know her, that’s fine. We’ll make it happen.”
“Your passion should have been to take over your father’s company, not going off to play cops and robbers like a five-year-old.”
That’s what she took out of my statement? Jesus. “Right,” I say bitterly. “Well, Posy will be in contact once this is all settled.” I hang up before I say something I’ll regret.
“Do I look outlandish?” My daughter blinks up at me with those big eyes that melt me every time and frowns.
