Page 58 of Daddy's Friend’s Mate

I stepped up next to Regina and gruffly yanked her to my side. “You don’t know what she believes or doesn’t believe, Kiki.”

Kiara furrowed her brows. “What are you talking about?”

My irritation doubled, making it hard to control my anger. Rage from last night reignited in my core since it had nowhere to be channeled when the fight with Teresa had abruptly ended. With so much heat swirling in my gut, I could barely control myself.

Or my strength.

I crushed Regina to my side, softening only when I heard her squeak with discomfort. “You shouldn’t talk to GG like that.”

Kiara narrowed her eyes. “Since when do you call her GG?”

“Since I went on a trip with her and earned her trust.”

“I don’t see what that has to do with the mates thing. You don’t know her like I do, Dad. You’ve barely paid any attention to either of us before. What’s up with you? Did something happen?”

Regina started to speak until I growled.

Blotches of red tunneled my vision. I hadn’t gotten this aggressive about Regina since the fight, which made sense. Our lives were in danger just last night, and I had yet to shake off the agitation that Kiara’s mother had slammed into me. I thought that part of my life was over.

Apparently not.

And I’d be damned if my daughter pushed away her best friend because she didn’t approve of her mating with me. To hell with that. Regina belonged to me. She caught me when I fell for her; nobody else would ever be her match. Because nobody else could soothe my aches and pains like her.

There wasn’t another woman on this planet who would stand by my side when faced with my ex and fight the good fight. Her commitment to me was plain as day, bright and glorious in the afternoon sunlight. If I chose to ignore that, then I’d miss the chance of a lifetime with a woman who was truly as unique as she was beautiful.

I allowed my fingers to climb Regina’s spine, sliding easily over the nape of her neck. Mine.

Kiara frowned while taking a step back. “You’re being weird.”

Regina held up her palms like she was getting ready to surrender. “Hey, he’s had a long weekend, okay? We ran into a lot of trouble while we were in Athens.”

Though my daughter didn’t look entirely convinced, some of her suspicions melted away. “Alright, that makes sense. I can’t imagine a city of vampires would be fun for a wolf.”

Regina nodded. “We’re both exhausted. It’s been a long weekend. We had to go up several asses and around a million corners just to locate Ander.”

“Why didn’t you text me all this stuff, GG?”

“We were totally focused on the mission. I’m sorry I didn’t keep you better updated, but a lot was going on.”

Slowly, Regina snaked out of my grip. I pretended like my heart didn’t crack at the feeling of her pulling away from me. My palm itched to have her back, to grab the nape of her neck again and keep her steady at my side. Where she belonged.

Because she was mine.

Like the kind and gentle woman I knew, Regina took Kiara’s hands and held them while she glowed with care and understanding. “Listen, we ran into your mother—”

Kiara glared at me. “You what?”

“Hey, look at me,” Regina calmly instructed. “Focus on me, okay? Breathe.”

It took a minute for Kiara to turn her vengeful gaze on Regina. But once she did, she relaxed a little bit. She took a deep breath. The skin under her right eye twitched, reminding me she was of the same flesh as me. We were very similar in many ways, yet different in others.

And both of us had a strong connection with Regina.

Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.

Instead of being angry, Kiara appeared sorrowful. I hated that she was upset by the news. I thought if I kept it to myself, I could keep it from hurting her, but it didn’t matter what I said. Teresa’s reckless actions were hurtful, whether Kiara knew about them or not, because they affected my behavior and me.

And that translated to my daughter.

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