Page 49 of Forbidden Grumpy Boss

“Your father.”

I stiffen instantly.I don’t want to talk about that either.“No.”

“You can’t keep the man shut out, Leah.”

“I can,” I snap, turning to look out the window, watching the sky stretch endlessly beyond us.

Silas doesn’t let up. “Leah, look, you’re torturing him. And it’s—”

“It’s what he deserves.” The words come out before I can stop them, sharp and cold. “It’s what hefuckingdeserves.”

Silas blinks, taken aback.

He wasn’t expecting that. Hell, I wasn’t expecting that either. I looked in Caleb’s direction to ensure he didn’t hear me curse. He didn’t.

I exhale slowly, trying to reel myself in, but it’s too late. The floodgates are open. “My life is a mess because of him, Silas. Don’t you get that? He ruined everything!”

Silas remains as still as a stone marble; he doesn’t interrupt.

I feel the tears pricking at the corners of my eyes, and I hate it. I hate that I’m letting him see this, letting him see just how much my father gets under my skin. But I can’t stop it now.

“Harvey Grayson is a piece of shit.” I wipe the prickling tears away. “Mom . . . she was everything to me, and he was everything to her. She loved him so damn much, and he just threw it all away. He cheated repeatedly. And each time, he begged until she took him back. Do you know what that does to a person?” Silas doesn’t speak. “To a person’s self-worth?” I clench a fist. “He chipped away at her until the happy woman I knew was reduced to a depressed, soulless husk.”

“Jesus, Leah.”

I laugh, but to my ears, it sounds dry, witless. “That’s what she was before she finally left. Depressed. And she only left because she knew if she stayed around him, she wasn’t strong enough to withstand his incessant plea, but she had had enough.”

I swallow hard, the words feeling like razor blades in my throat. “And then she died in an accident in a foreign country. Alone. Trying to escape him.”

Silas doesn’t say anything for a long moment. His hand is still on mine, a silent gesture of comfort. But I’m not looking for comfort. Not now.

“He didn’t even wait,” I continue, my voice thick. “He got engaged to the last woman he cheated with before mom wascold. But we all know how that went, too. How the hell is he your best friend if you don’t even know these things about him?”

“We met four years ago, remember?” Silas avoids my eyes.

The tears finally spill over, and I hate it. I hate showing this much of myself. I usually don’t cry, I don’t break down. But here I am, cracking open in front of the one person I shouldn’t be vulnerable with.

“I’m not talking about him anymore,” I say, my voice shaky.

Silas gives me a long look before nodding. “Alright. I won’t bring it up again.”

We sit in silence after that, the weight of everything I’ve just said settling between us. I wipe away the tears, composing myself, and take a sip of the juice the flight attendant has brought over. Silas does the same, though I can tell he’s still thinking about what I said.

I need to talk about something else.Anythingelse.

“What should I expect from the Caldwells?”

Silas nods like he understands why I’m changing the subject. “They’re . . . moral. Or at least they present themselves that way. Also, Henry Caldwell is a bit of an asshole, so he’ll come at you.”

“I’m used to dealing with assholes.”

He studies me for a moment. “Leah, the deal with the Caldwell family has to be a success.”

I nod, my mind shifting gears. Right. The reason we’re even doing this.

“If they believe we’re really engaged, we win. So, I need us on our A-game.”

“I know.”

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