Page 84 of Break Me, Daddy

Another long, weighty silence. “Did I ever tell you why I wanted to become a surgeon?”

The segue felt random, but he had a hunch it was anything but. “Not really.”

“It was my father’s idea. When I told him I wanted to be a doctor, he balked at first. Our family has a long legacy in the business world, and since my mother was either unable or unwilling to provide him any more heirs, I was pretty much his only hope. But eventually he gave in, on one condition.”

“You had to become a surgeon.”

“Yeah. I was still in middle school at the time, and I hadn’t really given much thought to what kind of doctor I wanted to be, so it seemed like a fair enough compromise. But now, well, I’m not so sure.”

If he ever got his hand the assholes who had given birth to her… “It’s fucking ridiculous to expect a child to choose her life path before she’s old enough to vote.”

“It really is, but that’s the way things are done in our circles. Lottie is the exception, rather than the rule. Her dad, well, he kind of fell apart when her mom died so he wasn’t really present, I guess is the best way to put it, to force anything on her. But pretty much everyone else I know, that’s just the way it works. Wealth comes with expectations. And as I said, I’m my father’s only heir.” She snorted out a laugh, tinged with bitterness. “A disappointment to him from the womb, to hear him say it.”

“What does that mean?”

From the corner of his eye, he saw her glance up at him, uncertainty stamped all over her face. “I should probably wait until we get home to tell you.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re going to be pissed. At him, and at me for not telling you sooner.”

The tremble in her voice broke his heart. Fuck the rules, even if they were the ones he’d put in place to protect himself.

Reaching over, he linked his fingers with hers, bringing their joined hands up to his lips. “Whatever it is, we’ll talk about it. Deal with it together.”

“Thanks.”

With her hand firmly tucked in his, he turned onto his driveway, his heart beating a little too hard, a little too fast. “Stay right there,” he said as he released her hand to shut the vehicle off.

“Yes, Sir.”

She was definitely not feeling like herself if she hadn’t even given him a sassy comeback to his gruff order. Trying to ignore the little niggle of worry in the back of his mind, he climbed out of the car and made his way around to her door. Without giving her a chance to argue, he reached across her just like he had when they’d first started dating and unbuckled her seatbelt before plucking her up out of the car and carrying her inside.

“I can walk, you know.” There was a hint of her usual sass in those dry words, but it did nothing to help settle his jumping nerves.

“I know. I wanted to hold you.”

Sighing, she dropped her head to his shoulder. “It’s really hardnotto fall in love with you when you say things like that.”

Then what are you waiting for?

It wasn’t the time or the place to push her for answer on that front, so he kept the questions to himself as he carried her to the living room and settled with her on his lap. “No more stalling. What is it you didn’t tell me?”

Silence filled the space between them, dragging out for several long seconds before she sighed. “You have to promise you won’t get mad.”

“I can’t promise that. But I do promise to listen to whatever it is you have to say.”

“Good enough, I guess.” Wiggling a bit in his arms, she shifted so she was looking him in the eye, but only for a moment before her gaze dropped to his chest. Placing a finger under her chin, he nudged her head back up, forcing him to meet his gaze again. Her bottom lip trembled, but then she firmed it up again, determination filling her eyes.

“Okay. So. You remember the day I got that speeding ticket and I said I was distracted?”

How could he forget? “Yes.”

“Well… I was distracted because I’d just left a meeting with my dad and the dean of my school and it didn’t go very well.”

Hurt warred with anger inside him, making his chest ache with both. But this wasn’t about him, or how he felt about her not talking to him. This was about her. “What happened?”

“The meeting itself went about how I thought it would. Dad tried to throw his money around, tried to buy my way back into school but Dean Michaels wasn’t having it. Which I was honestly relieved about. I’m not in any shape to go back to school right now.”

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