Page 66 of Who We Were

I'm one to talk. It's clear Vincent and Kate don't think highly of me. Not even Kate's mate, Beckett, seems to like me and I can't blame them. Shit, Amaya can barely look at me and she's been practically hiding behind Vincent for the past ten minutes I've been inside her home.

I came here for a reason, and I'm not leaving until Amaya and I have cleared the air. The main issue is she won't approach me, and I am not in tune with my emotions enough to make it happen.

We've been standing around talking in the kitchen, well, Amaya and her friends have been, and I've been leaning against the wall along the outskirts.

"What can we do for you, Paul?"

My lip threatens to lift in a snarl at Vincent's monotone drawl, but I rein it in. He's been far better to Amaya than I have been, so yes, maybe I do deserve his judgment and ire.

I straighten and tug on my suit jacket sleeves. "Amaya, can I speak to you in private, please?" I didn't mean for my voice to come out so formal, but it's my default.

Unfortunately, it doesn't help to make my daughter more comfortable with me. Stiffening, she peeks up at Vincent in question. I have to try really damn hard to swallow my annoyance that she would turn to him instead of me for anything, and I know it's irrational. I've known that I have a kid for almost two months, and I'm already being replaced.

I should be the most important man in her life, yet I've never earned that title. But maybe it's time I try. Like the thought warmed me from the inside out, I feel my gaze soften on my daughter and my lips tip up in a gentle smile.

To my surprise, Vincent doesn't steamroll her into a decision. Instead, the big alpha just watches her with his own kind of warmth and waits for Amaya to decide on her own.

"You'll be here?" Amaya whispers to him.

Vincent nods. "I'll be right here if you need me, okay little mate?"

Okay, well I won’t ever be able to help my teeth grinding when he calls her things like that.I'm sure that's normal, right?

Amaya relaxes when he kisses the corner of her mouth, even as a blush rises on her cheeks. I clear my throat and look away, opting to wait for her to come to me. I swear I hear Kate and Beckett snicker.

I'm too old for this.

"Okay." Amaya murmurs, much closer to me now. "Is the patio okay? We have nice chairs out there."

I bite my tongue at the wordwe, which all but confirms that Vincent has actually moved in. Ignoring the ridiculous urge to protect her from everything, I nod. "Whatever you want to do, darling."

"Uhm." She fidgets and looks back at Vincent, who gives her an encouraging smile while dishing up some pizza for the other two. "Okay, yeah. Let's do that."

Amaya's quiet on her feet while she leads the way down the back hallway and out the door. Her feet are barefoot and I can't help but smile at the reminder of how much she hates her toes being constricted.

Do they make toeless socks?I'll have to look it up because those would be a good Christmas gift for her.

"This okay?" Amaya mumbles, fidgeting near the nice cushioned patio chairs.

Her uncertainty makes me hate myself even fucking more than I did ten minutes ago. I should never have moved her out of my home. I can't even remember if my reasoning was valid or not.

"This is beautiful, Amaya." It is. Her backyard is lush with greens and strung up twinkly lights that weren't here when I bought the place. The fire pit in the center of the stone patio looks as good as I remember.

The perfect backyard for a family.

We settle into our seats, Amaya tucking her feet beneath her. In the seat next to her, I lean forward so my hands are on my elbows and take a deep breath. Then, with a big exhale, I release everything I should have said long ago.

"Amaya, I'm so sorry," I begin, looking my daughter in the eye. "I wasn't there for your childhood and as soon as I knew about you, I should have done better.Beenbetter."

Tears are already welling up in her eyes, and as much as I want to reach out to hold her hand, I don't, but I tell her what I'm thinking. "I want to hold your hand, but we aren't there yet, and I don't know if we'll ever be, but I want you to know how much I miss what we could have built when I brought you home. Instead, I kept you at arm’s length because I was scared."

She rears back a little, looking like I hurt her with my words.

"I wasn't scared of you, darling," I soothe. "I was scared of me. Of loving something, someoneso much and messing it up. Instead of giving you everything a father should, I convinced myself you would be better off without an alpha who knows nothing of emotions. Of love."

My breath stutters out of me as I close in on my truth. "I've been alone my entire life, Amaya. I'm basically mated to my work. Family was an idea I never thought I would be blessed to have."

I huff, a sad smile pulling my lips up. My head drops back and I stare into the canopy of trees. "You know, when I was younger, I dreamed of finding my fated pack. Falling in love, starting a family, moving into a pack home. I used todreamof what it would be like to sit around a table filled with laughter and happiness."

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