Page 57 of From the Wreckage
My throat tightens.
“She had nightmares for months. Panic attacks. Couldn’t let me out of her sight. That’s when I decided we needed out. A clean break.” He takes a pull of his beer, staring past me like he’s back in that moment. “Found the cabin in Silverpine. Needed work, but it was quiet. Safe. That was all that mattered.”
I study him across the table. Most people see easy charm when they look at Grayson—steady smile, quick laugh, always ready to help a buddy out. But beneath it, there’s steel. He’s a man who’s been gutted and rebuilt around a single purpose: protecting his daughter.
“You never remarried?” I ask carefully.
He shakes his head, lips curving into something that isn’t quite a smile. “Nah. Dated some, nothing serious. My priority was Bri. Still is, even now that she’s older. After what her mom did? That kind of betrayal doesn’t just disappear. It stays with you. Changes you.”
The words hit like a hammer.Still is.His daughter. His life.
I look away, acid churning in my stomach.I’ll never be good enough for Bri. I’m a broken, ruined man.
And here I am—sneaking kisses in shadows, pulling her into my bed, marking her as mine. Something he’ll never forgive me for if he finds out.
I take a long swallow of beer, hoping it’ll cool the guilt clawing up my throat.
But it doesn’t.
Because no matter how good of a man Grayson is… I’m not.
Later that night,I’m inside my cabin, drowning in the silence.
I sit on the edge of my bed, staring at the necklace box I kept, the empty space where the sunflower pendant used to rest. The one that’s against her skin. Gracing my angel’s neck.
I shouldn’t have given it to her. I shouldn’t have kissed her. I sure as hell shouldn’t have been inside her.
But I did.
And the sad reality is, I’d do it again.
My phone buzzes on the nightstand, her name lighting the screen.
Angel: Can’t sleep. Keep thinking about you.
My chest tightens. I drag a hand over my face, fighting the pull. I should ignore it. Let her fall asleep, let this burn out before it consumes us both.
Another buzz.
Angel: I miss you. So much.
Guilt is a vice, squeezing tighter around my ribs. Grayson trusts me. He sat across from me earlier, drinking beer, laughing like I belonged here. If he knew what I’d done with his daughter, he’d put a bullet between my eyes. And I’d fucking deserve it.
And still, my thumbs move before I can stop them.
Me: You should sleep, angel.
Her reply comes fast.
Angel: Sleep won’t come without you. I keep wishing I was in your bed instead of mine.
I curse under my breath, my hand fisting at my thigh.Christ, she’s going to be the death of me.
Me: You’re playing with fire.
The three dots bounce, and my resistance thins even more.
Angel: Then let me burn. Dad’s going to bed. I can sneak over in twenty. Will you let me?
