Page 93 of How to Resist Prince Charming

With that, he brushed past Tom but stopped in the doorway. When he spun back around, Tom knew he was going to let it all out now.

“When I was younger, I came here one day with Dad, but he was too busy to let me play in his office. You let me come into yours, though, while you talked on the phone. I sat on your desk, which my dad never let me do, and I swung my legs back and forth as I ate from a mini bag of potato chips you’d found for me in your desk.”

Braxton shook his head slowly. “I remember thinking I wanted to be cool, just like you.” Lifting his face, he met Tom’s gaze. “I don’t want to be like you anymore.”

Tom fell into the visitor’s chair, defeated. “I don’t blame you any,” he rumbled out humbly.

“Jesus, Tom.” Braxton’s voice cracked. “What did I do to make you hate me so much? I was just trying to be a good son.”

“I know.” Hell, now Tom’s voice was breaking up too. “I know that now. But I didn’t—”

“And you didn’t think to give me the benefit of the doubt?” Braxton demanded.

“I’m sorry.”

“And Lenna?” the kid pressed, his devastated pleading blue eyes demanding answers. “I know we shouldn’t have kept it a secret. That was probably the biggest mistake I ever made, but damn it. That didn’t make it any less real. It didn’t mean that I didn’t care—”

He turned so Tom couldn’t see his face. “Why did you take her away from me?”

Tom didn’t think his answer through. He just said, “Because she’s mine.”

Braxton spun back, his gaze flashing with fury. “No. She belongs to no one, and she didn’t deserve what you did to her.” He balled his hand into a fist. But instead of saying anything or acting, he rushed from the room.

Tom blew out a guilty breath.

How ironically everything had ended. He finally approved of Braxton Farris...after he’d already destroyed the man’s life and ripped him away from the girl he loved.

CHAPTER 26

In Tom’s opinion, the only thing a man could do to redeem himself from becoming a complete ass was fix his mistake when he knew he was wrong.

Sure, he’d always known butting into Lenna and Farris’s affair wasn’t right and honorable. But after learning what he’d learned today, the wrongness of his actions felt iniquitous...even from his protective-father perspective.

Like a repentant sinner taking his first confession, he arrived at Lenna’s apartment with a package tucked snuggly under his arm. Evening had come, and the hours since he’d talked to Farris in his office had passed with grueling misery, creating a knot of guilt in his stomach that had grown into a nasty case of indigestion.

He knocked on his daughter’s apartment entrance and waited, shuffling his feet uncomfortably to ease some of the pressure his roiling innards generated behind his belt. Seconds ticked by; his anxiety mounted. He wasn’t looking forward to this, but it had to be done. He’d wronged his baby girl, his firstborn. That wasn’t something a fellow could look back on and be proud of.

When she finally pulled the door open, his heart dipped into his knees. As soon as she saw him, she burst into tears.

“Oh, hell,” he muttered. “Sweetheart.” He stepped inside, arms open to tug her into his embrace.

But Lenna pulled back.

He stopped in confusion. “Lenna?” he whispered, already dreading the worst.

She licked her dry lips and glanced away. “How long have you known?”

He knew exactly what she meant but wasn’t ready to address the subject yet. He’d wanted to butter her up first, give her the present, and tell her how much he loved her.

Unable to meet her eyes, he hedged. “Known what?”

“Cut it out, Dad. I’m talking about Braxton and me, and you know it. How long have you known what we did?”

Tom winced. “He told you what I did?” His guilt shifted into panic. The indigestion moved up his esophagus, and here came full-blown heartburn.

Had Farris brainwashed her away from him again?

“He told me you lied,” Lenna said. “That was all. But I didn’t believe him.”

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