Page 85 of Honeymoon Phase
My jaw drops. “Are you meeting to tell them that I’m married now, and the deal is off?”
His lips twitch. “Perhaps.”
“What the hell do you mean perhaps?” I grind through clenched teeth.
“Well, Addie May, a year is a long time away still. You and Luke Fletcher might not work out,” he huffs, moving past me to go back to where he left his coffee mug.
I twirl on my heel to stare at the man who raised me. “Me and Luke will work out just fine.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” He eyes me harshly before taking a loud slurp of his coffee.
“What is that supposed to mean?” I march over and stand toe to toe with the old man, refusing to let him speak complete nonsense without backing it up.
“Oh, come on, Ads,” he barks, waving his mug at me. “I know your marriage with Luke is bullshit.”
“You don’t know that,” I exclaim, crossing my arms over my chest. “I’m living with him, aren’t I?”
“And still paying rent at your apartment,” he adds, taking another sip of coffee.
My lips part. “How do you know that?”
“Boulder ain’t that big of a town, sweetheart. Word gets around.”
He stares out the window at the guys all working in the yard, and I watch his body language closely, still not understanding why he’s being like this. My dad can be an asshole, but he’s usually a reasonable asshole. I don’t understand this side to him.
“What are you doing, Dad?” I ask, walking over and trying to lower my voice to a softer level. “Why are you meeting with those people?”
His nostrils flare. “They want to present me with a new offer.”
“A new offer? What kind of offer?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I’m meeting with them.”
I blink rapidly, my mind swimming with this sudden new information. “But I got married to fulfill the stupid trust stipulation. I’m throwing a wedding because you asked me to. Why are you even entertaining these people?” I stare up at him, a knot forming in my throat because this feels personal now. “Why are you so determined for me not to run this lumberyard?”
“I’m not.”
“You obviously are,” I exclaim and fight back the tears welling in my eyes.
He scoffs and rolls his eyes dramatically. “Don’t get all emotional. This is just business.”
“This is my life and I should have a say in it!” A stray tear runs down my face and I swipe it away quickly, irritated that more seem to be following in its wake. Crying in front of my dad is never a good thing. In fact, it just adds fuel to this ridiculous fire he has over me not being able to handle the business on my own.
I really did think it had to do with me not being married. I thought that convoluted trust was legit, and marriage was the only thing preventing me from taking ownership. But now Ican tell there’s something else brewing here. Something my dad isn’t saying.
His nose wrinkles as he looks at me. “This is why I think it’s a bad idea for you to run this place on your own. You’re too damn soft for all of this.”
“I am what you made me,” I growl, anger bubbling up in my veins. “I am you. I am your daughter. I’ve given my whole life to this place. Just because I don’t have a dick and shed a tear every once in a while doesn’t make me any less capable!”
“Now that’s enough,” Dad barks, setting his mug down to glare at me. He thrusts a finger in my face. “You’re crying over nothing. It’s just a meeting. Get your panties out of a wad and leave it be for Christ’s sake.”
Without another word, he stomps past me, out of the office, through the building center, and back into his car, stirring up a whole lot of insecurity and a whole lot of rage that I have no idea what to do with.
Luke
“So how goes it with the wifey?” Calder asks from across my brother Max’s dining room table as he tosses some poker chips into the middle. “I haven’t seen much of you two the past couple of weeks. Do I take it the honeymoon is going well?”
Calder waggles his brows at me, and I wince as I stare down at my cards, which have been cold all night. It’s our monthly poker night, which usually consists of the four Fletcher brothers and a bunch of Max’s guy friends from Boulder who have turned into our friends throughout the years. But tonight, it’s just the four of us.
