Page 62 of Protector Daddy

“Okay. Bye, Dad. Love you.”

My options were to just hang up and possibly hurt my daughter or to respond as I always did. We’d been ending every conversation with I love you for the better part of a year now. I couldn’t risk hurting her—even if that meant I’d lose Honey.

I knew as well as I knew my own name that Mav would run to her with what he thought he’d heard, thinking he was being a good big brother.

Maybe he was. Maybe I’d had no business ever getting mixed up with Honey and not only because it had been totally unethical and unprofessional to start making out with a job interview candidate.

But I’d face that transgression in my thoughts yet again later after I dealt with this one.

I didn’t look away from Mav. This time, I didn’t lower my voice. “Love you,” I murmured before I ended the call.

“You bastard.” At his sides, he fisted his hands. “That damn well didn’t sound as if you were talking to your sister.”

“No.” My gaze landed on Jimmy, currently sitting at his desk to file a report. He didn’t make any secret of his curiosity. Jared was in back in his office, and Honey’s shift had just ended a half hour ago, so Miranda was at the Dispatch desk. Small favors. “Can we step out?”

“I should say no. You don’t even deserve that courtesy.” But he strode ahead and out the front door, letting it bang in his wake.

Following him felt as if I was a dog trotting behind with my tail between my legs. I hadn’t done anything wrong—well, I had, but not the wrong he thought. And not a wrong any different than his recent one.

Only difference was his baby’s mother wanted him in their child’s life. So maybe that was on me too, that I hadn’t been enough for Penelope. I’d certainly tried to be. In the end, I’d fallen short and the best thing I could do for her was what I’d done.

Give her plenty of distance.

I walked around the side of the building. Mav was leaning against it, his booted foot propped against the brick, his balled fist tapping against his thigh. “Just tell me what’s the point.”

“Of what?” I asked warily. I still wasn’t sure he wouldn’t throw a punch.

If I was thinking what he must be, I wouldn’t blame him. I’d probably do a lot worse to a guy I assumed was cheating on my baby sister.

“She’s been so happy lately. Maybe some of it’s the new job, but c’mon, we know somehow some way it’s you. You’ve made her smile in a way I’ve never seen. And while I absolutely do not get how or why, it’s not my place to figure it out. Until now. Who the fuck were you telling you loved, man?” His eyes slitted. “I know it’s not Honey because she just left here. So you better get talking.”

I made myself meet his furious gaze. “My daughter Reagan.”

His brow furrowed. “How did you get a daughter?”

I barked out a laugh. Considering my obvious lack of a social life for so many years, it was a reasonable question. But once upon a time, I hadn’t had a problem in that department. I’d had plenty of girlfriends in high school. Some might say even more than my share. Back then, I was the starting quarterback on the football team and never lacked for female attention.

Then I’d fallen for Penelope Conner and everything changed.

“High school girlfriend,” I said shortly. I’d never intended to tell Mav first. I owed that information to Honey and my family first. But here we were. “Her mother raised her.”

The wrinkles between his brow deepened. “You didn’t want to be involved?”

Laughing again was the only thing I could do so I didn’t put my fist through the brick wall. “I wanted to marry her. Bought the ring, gave her the speech. She didn’t want to marry me or to be tied down with a child. She was too young. She wanted to be free. So we made an agreement that she’d keep the baby if I agreed to give her and the child their space. Her parents were rich and important. My family was blue collar in the extreme. I agreed to her terms.”

“Fucking A, what a bitch.”

I said nothing. At this point, it was very turbulent water under the bridge.

“Then what?” he prompted.

I gave him a sidelong glance. “That wasn’t enough for you?”

“Not when you’re…” he coughed, “dating my sister. What happened after that?”

“She doubled up on classes and tested out early with her high school diploma. She moved across the state and had the baby in Buffalo. She sent me some pictures.”

“Oh, how nice of her. And you tolerated that shit?”

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