Page 1 of Wooed By Daddy

Prologue

Kelly

“Unbelievable,” I hiss as I watch my mom being lowered into the ground.

You’d think watching as your only parent is being buried, you’d feel sorrow, hurt, or numbness. Not me, I’m only here because I have to be. If given the choice, I’d have gotten on with my day just like any normal one.

“What’s unbelievable, Kel?” The deep gravelly tone of Grant has my stomach tightening. I can’t believe that I still have this reaction to him. Four years he’s been in my life—albeit as far as I can keep him—and every day since that first meeting, I’ve had this intense sexual attraction to him. Something that I can never act on, he was married to my mom.

“That all these people are sad and acting as though Helen was a saint. The woman was a bitch, Grant, we all fucking know it, and this farce isn’t doing anyone a favor.”

“Kelly, I know that you and your mom had a rocky relationship, but she’s dead, and you should let things be. Nothing good comes from holding in the anger.”

I scoff. “You have no idea what Helen was like. She gave you the side you wanted to see, you were blinded by your love that you chose not to see anything other than what you wanted.”

He sighs heavily but thankfully doesn’t say anything else. I can’t and won’t listen to him tell me how great of a woman she was. It’s bullshit. I know better than anyone who Helen Liston was.

The woman only cared about herself. She deserves to rot in hell, and I for one, am glad to know that she’ll never be in my life to hurt me again.

Once the funeral is over, I make my way back to my car, I’m not waiting around to listen to people celebrate her life. I can’t listen to it.

“Kelly,” Grant says loud enough so that I can hear him.

I take a deep breath and come to a stop at my car. “What, Grant?” I ask not so kindly. I don’t have the energy to do this shit.

“Where are you going?” he questions, his lips pursed, his brows knitted, and the corner of his eyes narrowing.

“Away,” I tell him honestly. “I didn’t want to be here, but because you wanted me too. It wouldn’t be seemly to have her only child not be at her funeral, so I came. My duty is done. I’m so fucking done. Don’t call me again, Grant. To me, this life is over, and I no longer want a part in any of it.”

His eyes narrow, but he thankfully doesn’t say a word. I take that as my cue to leave and climb into my vehicle and drive away. It takes me thirty minutes to get home, and the moment I’m in the door, I break down.

I lost everything because of my mom. She believed that she was in competition with me. Four boyfriends she fucked of mine just so she could teach me that she was prettier and sexier than I was. This was all before the age of eighteen. I knew I had to get her out of my life, I couldn’t be around her toxic behavior any longer.

I was fine, I was free. I was happy. Until seven months ago and my world came shattering around me. I was engaged to a man that I thought truly loved me —it’s one of the many reasons that I stayed the hell away from Grant. I’m no cheater, but with Grant, he makes my body hum in ways I never thought possible—Ian was the perfect man, or so I thought, we had been together for four happy years, and we were so excited to start a new chapter in our lives, or so I believed—I was ten weeks pregnant and blissfully happy, that was until I returned home to find my now ex-fiance in bed with my mom.

I was shattered, completely blindsided. I ran out of the apartment and tripped while going down the stairs. That was the day that I lost everything, including my baby.

Forgiveness is something I can never give the woman. I don’t care if she’s dead. She got off way too easy. But the woman can no longer hurt me.

* * *

I’m roused from my sleep by loud banging on the door. Frowning, I glance over at my clock and see that it’s just past midnight. I was so emotionally drained after today, I fell asleep early. The banging continues, and I sigh. Glad that I don’t have any neighbors.

After I was discharged from the hospital, I had to return home, a place where Ian was waiting for me. He apologized profusely, he was wracked with guilt, but I no longer cared. He betrayed my trust in a way that I’d never be able to forgive. As we both owned our apartment, we decided to sell, and Ian’s guilt got the best of him. He gave me more money than what I was owed, but I took it and ran. Now, thanks to my best friend Sabrina—who’s an amazing realtor—I’m living out of the city and have my own home. I’m finally on the way to being back to my old self. I’m slowly taking it one day at a time.

I pad through the house and open the door, in my sleepy state, I didn’t take the time to check who was at the door. I’m stunned to see Grant standing there, his clothes soaked and his eyes filled with anger.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he snarls.

I don’t have to listen to this shit. I push the door closed, wanting him to leave, but he places his foot in the way and barges into my house. “Out,” I hiss, not in the mood to listen to the bullshit.

“No,” he growls as he closes the door behind him and stalks toward me. “I need to know what the fuck is wrong with you. You couldn’t put the bullshit aside for a few hours?”

I scoff. “What bullshit would that be, Grant? Hmm, how my own fucking mother slept with four of my boyfriends before I hit the age of eighteen?” I yell, and he rears back, his face filled with shock and horror. “Or better yet, how about I push aside the fact that seven months ago, I came home to findmyown fucking mother inmybed fuckingmyfiance? Hmm, which bullshit should I push aside to appease people that have no damn idea what Helen was like?”

His eyes soften, the anger gone, in its place is raw emotion. He frames my face and hauls me close, his wet clothes pressing against my thin white oversized tee. It feels so fucking good to have someone hold me that I don’t even care.

“Oh, baby, I had no idea.”

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