Page 116 of Hate to Love You

A patronizing smile touches his lips as he shakes his head. “You can’t possibly know what you want out of life and who you want it with.” He allows those words to sink in. “And neither does my son. You’re the first girl he’s ever been involved with. How long do you think that’s going to last? Two months? Four? Maybe, if you’re lucky, six?”

Just as I open my mouth to respond, a deep voice cuts in, “I don’t know how long it’s going to last, but that’s for Natalie and me to figure out. Not you.”

I shoot to my feet and spin around. As soon as I do, our gazes collide. Everything in me tightens. It’s only been a couple of days since I’ve seen him, but it feels like forever. The urge to throw myself into his arms floods me, but I don’t make a move.

I can’t.

Not yet.

Not until we’ve hashed everything out between us.

“Brody,” I whisper. My heart feels like it’s sitting in the middle of my throat, making it impossible to breathe.

His golden eyes coast over me before skewering mine with intensity. “What are you doing here?” he asks softly.

“I had to speak with you.” There’s so much pent-up emotion bubbling beneath the surface of my words. It’s difficult to keep it contained. It’s all I can do not to blurt out my feelings. To beg for Brody’s forgiveness.

He raises a brow. “And it couldn’t wait until I got back?”

I shake my head. “No.” It’s silently that my eyes plead with his. I just want him to give me a chance to explain. To make it right.

Brody turns to his father. That’s when I notice the bag hoisted over his shoulder. “I can handle the rest of the weekend myself.” His voice turns cold and hard. “I won’t be needing your help.”

John pales as he quickly gets to his feet. “Brody—”

“I’m serious,” Brody snaps. “I’ll handle it from here on out. I don’t need you to hold my hand or decide what’s best for me. I’m more than capable of making those decisions for myself.”

It looks as though John will argue, but at the last moment he jerks his head into a tight nod. “If that’s what you want.”

“It is,” Brody confirms.

“Then I’ll change my flight and head back tonight. Keep the appointment in the morning with Dana and let me know if you come to any decisions.’

Brody rolls his shoulders and relaxes his jaw. “Thank you,” he says gruffly.

John glances away for a moment before his eyes come back to rest on his son. Emotion seeps into his voice. “I was only trying to do what I thought was right. That’s all.”

“I tried telling you what was best for me and you didn’t want to hear it. I won’t be ignored any longer. I’m tired of you making all of the decisions and steamrolling over the ones you don’t agree with.”

By the humbled look on his face, I don’t think John McKinnon is used to his son taking control of his life. I get the feeling that it’s going to be difficult for him to step back and give Brody the breathing room he so desperately needs.

John shoves his hands into the pockets of his black slacks and shrugs. “Fine, I’ll back off.”

Brody releases a pent-up breath. “Thank you.”

“I’m going to head upstairs and make a few calls. Then I’ll be out of your way.”

“I’ll contact you when I get back to town.”

John nods. “Sounds good.”

Ignoring me, his father walks away, heading to the bank of glass elevators. Once we’re alone, Brody pins me with his eyes. My body vibrates with nerves. I have no idea how this conversation will go and that scares me to death.

The man standing in front of me is my everything, and I pushed him away instead of holding him close the way I should have.

I point to the grouping of furniture. “Can we sit and talk?”

“Sure.” His whiskey-colored eyes stay locked on mine as he drops down onto the chair next to me.

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