Page 51 of The Breakup

“He bought you a house?” Christian asked. “Damn, that’s a wedding gift.”

For some reason it embarrassed me. It also ticked me off. “You know what, if you think about it, not only was it his way to keep me happy without having to be monogamous, it’s kind of rude to pick out a house without consulting me. What, my opinion doesn’t matter?” The whole thing seriously annoyed me. “A bracelet is a surprise. Earrings. Even a vacation. Not a house. It’s just a way to control me.”

“Not anymore,” Christian said.

I smiled at him. “Yep. Not anymore.” Then I went over to my father and wrapped my arms around him. So he wasn’t a hugger. So what. I was. Why did I let him intimidate me still? He did love me. There was no question about that, and it was high time I made it clear that even though I was his daughter I was an adult. I wanted to be treated with respect, not patronized.

So I was going to hug him even if it made him uncomfortable. Even if he resisted.

Surprisingly, he didn’t. He hugged me back, tightly. Then he pulled away and eyed me. “I sorry if what I said to you last week influenced your decision to go ahead with the wedding. I feel like if I had kept my mouth shut, you would have called it off sooner and we could have avoided the whole wedding day fiasco. I thought I was doing the right thing.”

That meant a lot to me. “I know. Thanks, Daddy. I can’t really say what I would have done. It was just so awful and confusing. So don’t feel bad.”

He nodded and cleared his throat. Then he glanced over at Christian. “So this is your son?” he asked him, clearly wanting to change the subject.

“Yes. His mother left when he was three months old.”

I felt like Christian said that so my father would know he wasn’t being unfaithful.

“That’s a shame. I’m sorry to hear it. Some women aren’t cut out to be mothers. My daughter Sophie might be that person.” My father jerked his thumb at me. “This one will be fantastic at it.”

This was literally the world’s most uncomfortable conversation. I wasn’t sure if he was warning Christian I might attach or he was endorsing it. Either way I was standing there barefoot with no makeup just a few feet away from the man I had let strip me naked after only knowing him for a few hours, really. And on my other side was my father. Awkward.

“Well, thanks, Dad.” I tucked my hair behind my ear. “I’ll be home tomorrow, okay?” Christian had to return to his regular life. I knew that. So I would go gracefully back to my own. I couldn’t hide forever.

Yet I was selfish enough to want just one more night.

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