Page 30 of Mass Sins

I straightened up and closed the bible. Before he came in, I was flipping through the pages to find the perfect verses for Sunday’s Mass.

“Warn me about what?” I was all ears.

That man could’ve been some random guy whose daughter I fucked before, or maybe his wife talked to me for a bit too long after Mass, and he was here to tell me to stay away from her next time. Thing was, there were many women listening to me preach on Sundays, and some of them liked me a little too much, wanting to talk privately after Mass, and hoping to get to know me better.

Not that talking to them bothered me, but I couldn’t be more than a priest to them.

The man cleared his throat and crossed his arms over his chest, looking defensive and determined. “You know my daughter. Benedetta.”

Ah…damn.

Hearing him say Bennie’s name made me smile. I couldn’t help it. And now that I knew who that man was, I could see the slight resemblance to her daughter. My smile turned into a smirk. He was here to warn me not to hurt her. Normally, I would’ve been annoyed if the daughter he was here for was just some random girl I met somewhere. But Bennie wasn’t someone random. She was who I was dating, and the one who was slowly turning my head upside down in the best way possible.

“I do know your daughter. I had the pleasure of getting to know her and taking her on a date,” I told him, feeling way more relaxed now.

I wasn’t going to get killed by a random man in my church. That was a relief.

“Yeah, about that. She told me she’s coming to your place for another date tomorrow night. Where do you live? On church grounds?”

“No, sir.” Calling him that felt unnecessary because I was closer to his age than Bennie’s. But then, I wanted to be respectful. I needed him to like me. “I have a house in South Boulder. Quiet little place with a nice neighborhood.”

“What’s the address?”

I pursed my lips, amused by his questions. Though, if I had a daughter, I’d be just the same. I liked this guy.

I told him my address, and he took a moment to burn it into his brain to remember it. I was fine with that. “I imagine Bennie has told you about her difficult past. She has been through enough, and she doesn’t need a man to put her through hell again. You don’t hurt her, you don’t break her heart. I’ve not done a very good job looking out for her when she was with her ex because he managed to trick me too, but I will protect her like hell to make sure whoever gets to date her next won’t mess with her feelings.”

He was being loud and clear, but he wasn’t done yet. So I let him continue.

“If your intentions with her aren’t good, I want you to stop seeing her. If you’re serious about her, then I won’t stand in the way. So,father, what are your intentions with my daughter?”

In my religion, lying was a sin. Luckily, I never had to lie or come up with them to hide something. I was an honest man, and women were the last ones I would lie to, especially when it comes to feelings.

I walked around the altar and down the few steps to stand in front of him. Mr. Madden was a big man, standing tall at about six-three. He had a beard that was turning white, but the hair on his head was still a dark brown. Just like Bennie’s.

“I respect you for protecting your daughter. I can see where Bennie got her character and values from. I will be honest with you, Mr. Madden—”

“Connor,” he muttered, not happy that he told me his name before finding out my intentions.

I smiled. “Connor. I wasn’t looking for something serious. Truthfully, it’s not what I’m supposed to do, but I’d lie if I said that I never had the urge to date women and one day have a family. I’m a man, after all, and in today’s time, even us priests don’t follow the same rules from earlier years. I’ve only known Bennie for a little over a week now, but I had the pleasure to get to know her on our date last Sunday. I had a wonderful time, and she has infatuated me in a way I wasn’t prepared for. My intentions with her are good.”

Connor watched me closely as I spoke, and once I went silent, I held my breath, waiting for him to say something. I thought I sounded fairly honest, because I truly was, but I wasn’t sure my words were convincing enough.

He let out a heavy sigh, looking defeated when he ran his hand through his hair. “I mean it. Don’t hurt her, or I will break your neck.”

An amused grin spread across my face. “Some vulgar words to say in a church.”

“I’m not religious. Not anymore. I’ve lost respect for the church.”

Fair enough.

“I’m not judging, Connor.”

“Good.” He was about to turn and walk away, but he stopped himself to shake my hand. He watched me as the grip around my hand tightened, and with gritted teeth, he said, “Buy her flowers. Peonies. They’re her favorite.”

I would’ve bought her flowers either way but knowing her favorite ones was helpful. For a father who was glaring at me with a death-stare, he sure was doing me a big favor.

I shook his hand for a while longer and smiled with a thankful expression. “Thank you, Connor.”

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