Page 90 of Bossy Mountain Daddies
"We're not here to threaten you," I continue. "We're here to ask you—as men who care about her—to leave her alone. To let her live her life without fear of public humiliation."
Daniel is quiet for a long moment, staring at his desk. When he finally speaks, his voice has lost its edge. "Alicia dumped me last week."
His vulnerable words catch me off guard. "I'm sorry to hear that."
He laughs bitterly. "For some rich asshole."
Buck shifts uncomfortably. "That's rough, man."
"Yeah, it is." Daniel runs a hand through his hair. "It fucking hurts, actually. Being replaced. Being... disposable." He pauses. "I’m guessing that's how Skye felt when she found out about me and Alicia."
"Probably," I say quietly. "Maybe worse, since you were living together. Planning a future."
He nods slowly. "What I did was shitty." His shoulders slump. "And then seeing her with all of you. It felt like... like I'd been replaced three times over."
"She didn't do it to hurt you," Griff says. "She was just trying to heal."
"And you posting about her online," Buck adds, "that was meant to hurt her."
Daniel doesn't deny it. "I wanted her to feel as humiliated as I did when I saw her with you. It was petty. Stupid."
"Yes, it was," I agree. "But you can choose to be better now."
He looks up at us. "She really left because of what I might post?"
Griff nods. "Left without saying goodbye. Just a note saying she couldn't face the scrutiny when everyone found out about us."
"Shit." Daniel rubs his face.
"So will you leave her alone?" Buck asks directly. "No more posts about her? About us?"
Daniel is quiet for a moment, then nods. "Yeah. I will." He looks at Griff. "I'm sorry. For everything. For how I've treated you since the divorce."
The surprise on Griff's face is palpable. "Where's this coming from?"
"Getting dumped gives you perspective, I guess." Daniel's smile is sad. "Makes you realize who's actually been there for you all along."
An unexpected weight lifts from my chest. This isn't at all how I expected this confrontation to go.
We stand in awkward silence for a moment, all of us processing this unexpected turn.
"I should get back to work," Daniel finally says, gesturing at his computer. "But... thank you for coming. For telling me how my actions affected her. I needed to hear that."
As we turn to leave, he calls out. "If she comes back... tell her I'm sorry. For everything."
"We will," I promise, though I don't know if we'll ever get the chance. “Or you can just call or text her yourself.”
“I’m pretty sure she doesn’t want to hear from me,” he replies.
Walking back to the car, the tension that carried us into that office has dissipated, replaced by a strange mix of melancholy and relief.
"Well, that went better than expected," Buck says as we climb into the truck.
"Yeah," Griff agrees, staring at the steering wheel. "Never thought I'd hear an apology from him."
"People can surprise you," I say, looking back at the gleaming office building. "Sometimes it takes getting your heart broken to understand how badly you've broken someone else's."
As we pull out of the parking garage, I feel a tiny spark of hope ignite in my chest. Not for Daniel's redemption, but for the possibility that if he can change, maybe other things can too. Maybe, just maybe, this isn't the end of our story with Skye.
