Page 120 of Blade

I tried to move her to the side, but she dug her heels in.

“No, it isn’t.” She looked around Declan at King. “What did you tell him?”

Smirking at his niece, he replied, “Everything.”

Asshole.

Becca leaned back over, looking up at the father she’d just met.

“No.”

He hadn’t taken his eyes off me since Becca told him no the second time. He hadn’t stopped scowling since we walked into the clubhouse.

“Hey, big guy, I’m down here.”

He looked down at his daughter again, and his scowl softened.

“I need you to promise me something.”

“I can’t do that, baby girl,” he told her, shaking his head.

“You don’t even know what I’m going to ask.”

“I may have only learned I had a daughter today, but I’m not stupid. I know what you’re gonna ask me to promise and I can’t do it. He hurt my baby girl, now I have to hurt him. There are rules, Beck.”

“You didn’t know I was your daughter when it happened,” she protested.

“Doesn’t matter, and he didn’t just do it once. I need him to understand what happens when he hurts my little girl, so he doesn’t do it again.”

“Shit.” King gasped.

Becca took a deep breath.

I could see she was trying to keep her temper in check.

“Your what?” she snarled.

Declan stopped glaring at me and focused on Becca.

“My little girl,” he repeated and waited for her to react.

“I am not—” she started.

“I’m gonna stop you right there.” Declan held his hand up, cutting her off. “From this day forward, you are and will always be my little girl. That is a father’s prerogative. I may not have been able to be there when you were little, but I’m here now. It is my job to protect you, to defend your honor, and beat the ass of any man that hurts you. Do you understand?”

Becca stood there, all her bluster gone with her father’s words.

She nodded her head, looked back at me, and whispered, “I love you.”

Then, before I could blink, she ran over to King.

My mouth dropped open in disbelief that she just threw me under the bus.

I looked up at Declan and the smile across his face distracted me from the fist that landed on my jaw.

For the second time today, I got knocked on my ass.

Despite the pain in my face, I was happy my girl was getting everything she ever wanted.

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