Page 58 of Forget

When he almost reached her, she held up her hand. If he hugged her now she’d unravel completely.

‘I appreciate you telling me, but I need more time.’

His expression crumpled. ‘Okay. Your mother and I won’t bother you, but when you’re ready, we’d love to see you.’

She nodded and spun on her heel to head for the door. She needed him out of here ASAP before she fell apart completely. His heavy footsteps behind her reminded her of the last time a man had made a similar noise on her floorboards—Brock—and her sadness multiplied tenfold.

She held open the door and her father hesitated. ‘I do love you, sweetheart.’

And with a brief graze of his fingertips against her cheek, he left.

27

Brock waited outsideJayda’s place, alternating between wanting to punch the windscreen or bang his head against the steering wheel.

He’d hoped to catch her off guard and hadn’t texted her ahead of time. Instead, he’d been the one surprised when he saw some guy leave, but not before touching her on the cheek with a familiarity that made him grit his teeth.

In that instant, he knew he’d made a mistake. The last time a guy had screwed her over, she’d turned to him for comfort. What if she’d done the same now? He’d hurt her badly and maybe she’d turned to some other prick?

His gut roiled with the realisation and he thumped the steering wheel, the lesser of two evils considering he didn’t need a broken hand or a shattered windscreen. His hand ached but he didn’t care as he glared at the dude who sauntered down Jayda’s path as if he’d done it before. Only as he got closer did Brock realise the guy was old enough to be her father.

Her father.There was a vague similarity between the guy and Jayda, something about the shape of their eyes, their cheekbones.

Feeling like a fool, he watched the guy get into an expensive SUV and pull away from the kerb.

He’d jumped to conclusions regarding Jayda. Again. Would he ever learn? Considering what he’d come here to say, he sure as hell hoped so.

Before he could secondguess his decision in coming here, he strode up the path and banged on her door.

‘Leave me alone, Dad,’ she yelled, as Brock glanced at his car, wondering if it was too late to retreat. Considering her tone, she wouldn’t be happy to see him and as the door swung open he was right.

Anger darkened her eyes to indigo, her expression thunderous. It didn’t ease when she locked gazes with him.

‘What the hell do you want?’

‘To see you—’

She slammed the door in his face.

Taken aback, he stood there like an idiot. Okay, he deserved that, but if she thought it would deter him she didn’t know him at all. Which was kind of the point of him turning up unannounced, because she didn’t know him. He hadn’t let her. He’d been an asshole when she’d been nothing but sweet and caring, and in order to fix this he needed to do the one thing he vowed never to do with a woman: open up.

‘I’m going to thump on this door all night if you don’t let me in,’ he said, banging his fist on the door in an annoying rhythm.Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang-bang-bang.Long knocks followed by short raps, over and over, until he heard a muttered curse behind the door and it swung open.

‘I’ve got nothing to say to you,’ she snapped, glaring at him with ill-concealed dislike.

‘Good. Because I’ve got plenty to say to you and I need you to listen.’

Glowering, she opened the door wider and let him in, slamming it behind him before stomping into the living room. There was nothing remotely funny about this situation, but he bit back a smile when she hitched up her blue flannel pyjama pants and kept stomping. By the way they kept slipping down they were old, and he hoped once she forgave him he could rip the damn things right off her.

‘Well?’ She stood in front of the fireplace, arms folded, a deep frown denting her brow. ‘What’s so damn important that you had to bust down my door to get me to let you in?’

‘I made a mistake.’

He had so much more to say but she remained still, not a muscle flickering, and his pre-rehearsed speech that he’d gone over and over in the car on the way to her place faded into oblivion.

‘I did too.’ Her upper lip curled in derision. ‘I thought you actually liked me when I was nothing to you but a quick, convenient fuck—’

‘You are so much more to me and you know it.’

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