Page 39 of Peaches & Cream

Daryl kisses the top of my head. “I know it’s close to Beaumont City, and maybe you don’t want to open yourself up to judgment about carrying my baby when people recognize you, but if we get a place on the edge of town where there’s not so many people… You can be near your mom, and we can be discreet. You’ve tried some city living, but what about that cabin in the woods you wanted to try? I saw a picture of a cute one when I was walking past the realtor’s just now.”

My heart alights with the warm glow I’ve started to feel every time I see or hear something I like. It’s sort of an internal radar that I think was always there, but I’d forgotten how to read it. I turn in his arms, and he naturally makes room for the baby between us. Daryl takes one look at my smile and grins. “We could head out there and take a look now, if you want.”

I nod. “I want.”

He kisses my forehead. “Then you shall have. We’ll see you later, Margot,” he says, giving my mom a kiss on the top of her head. “Enjoy your flowers.”

I give Mom a kiss too, and take his outstretched hand. “Let’s go.”

We head out the door just as my father is heading in.

“Cadence?” He stops short, stares at the size of my it-happened-nine-months-ago belly, watches my proud baby-daddy put his arm around me, and then hits me with a glare of derision.

“This is what you wanted, is it, Cadence?” He gestures at the both of us. “You betrayed your family and spread your legs for a man old enough to be your father. I’m so disappointed in you.”

I inhale sharply and the amount of rage I want to scream at him is so massive, it clogs in my throat, too big to get out.

Daryl looks at me and steps forward. “With you as her dad, is it any wonder she went looking for a man who could offer her stability? You failed to provide it,” he states concisely. “She didn’t betray your family. You did. And you should be ashamed.”

“Don’t you talk to me about?—”

“Vander, hush your puckered little mouth before I fuck it with my fist.”

Oh my God.Did he just say that? Fuck, that was hot. That cabin had better have some woods around it, because I’m going to need to ride him under some trees when we leave here.

I step next to Daryl, pat his hand, and clear my throat. “Dad, what Daryl beautifully paraphrased for me, wasPlease, shut the fuck up. Own your shit and stop projecting it onto me. You’re a weak coward, who let a little girl bear the burden of your guilt because you were too pathetic to handle it yourself, but it’s over now. And stop making out like Daryl’s the villain, when you know it’s been you the whole time. Stop wasting your energy on bringing us down. You have no power here.” I draw a circle around my face with my finger and then expand that circle to include Daryl’s, when he lowers his face next to mine.

We’re a team. An attack on one of us is an attack on both, and we’ve got each other’s backs.

Dad’s frown lines intensify, and his lips quiver with unspoken spite.

I raise my eyebrows. “If you’ve got something to say, say it.”

Dad shakes his head. “I never would have expected such disloyalty and insolence from you, Cadence.”

“Well, what the fuck were you expecting?” Daryl asks with a laugh. “You back a fierce and beautiful soul into a corner and then wonder why she’d resent you and fight back? With all due respect sir, you’re a fucking idiot.”

I press my palm to Daryl’s chest and ease him back a little. “Dad, try to see things from a different perspective. You know, one that’s not your own, maybe? You could be proud of your daughter. Your daughter who is a warrior. I am literally strong enough to withstand any pressure life can through at me, and that’s all because of you,” I say feeding his immense ego so he’ll feel validated enough to listen.

He stands a little taller, but doesn’t say anything. He’s looking at my baby bump again.

“Did you hear me?” I ask, my tone harsh.

He lifts his gaze to meet mine.

“I said, I’m strong because of you.”

He blinks a few times and almost smiles.

“I’m strong because you’re an abusive asshole who needs therapy. It’s your turn to be molded by hard work and emotional turmoil. Make the effort, and maybe I’ll allow you to meet your grandkids one day. Come on, Daryl. I need an ice cream, and you need a milkshake.” I grab his hand and tug him down the street while he’s grinning over his shoulder at my dad.

“That was beautiful to watch, Babe,” he says, adjusting his cock as we walk away.

“Thank you. Now where is this cabin? And can we go look at it on our own? Because my nipples are fucking hard and tingly, and I want to sit on your cock while you suck them.”

He opens my door for me and slips his sneaky fingers inside my panties, as he helps me into his truck. “Anything you want, Babe.”

The cabin iscute as hell. It’s up in the mountains, borders on the edge of a forest, has its own small lake, and lush, rolling pastures, that would be perfect for children and horses…

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