Page 114 of Reputation (Tempt)

“Take a seat.” His tone was commanding. This wasn’t a request. And I wasn’t going to cower.

He wanted to talk to me man-to-man?Fine.

I slid my hands into my pockets and remained standing. Cool. Calm. Unaffected.

Declan leaned against his desk, crossing his arms over his chest. “Why do you want to marry my daughter?”

“Because I love her,” I said. I might not be interested in marriage, but I did love Emerson.

He scoffed. “Cut the shit. You may be able to fool everyone out there—” he gestured to the backyard “—but I know something else is going on.”

Oh shit. What did he know?I tried not to let my panic show.

“Nothing is going on except for the fact that we want to spend our lives together.”

“No.” He shook his head, wagging his finger at me. “No. She’s different since she met you. She pushes back about doing her training. And she was never this stressed.”

He was right; Emerson was stressed. And while I understood where he was coming from as a father myself, it felt like he was looking for someone to blame, when he should be shouldering part of the responsibility. Still, I didn’t want to antagonize him. I didn’t want to cause even more tension for Emerson.

I needed to disarm the situation. Ideally, I’d charm him and disengage before he tried to delve too deeply into our relationship.

“I know that being engaged to me comes with a certain level of…attention,” I said. “I’ve tried to shield Emerson from it as best I can. And when I can’t, I’ve given her tools.”

“Did you know the paparazzi and yourfanshave been harassing her at training?”

Whatever expression I made must have shown my surprise. Emerson hadn’t mentioned anything about it.

“I had to kick one of them out of her locker room.”

I jerked my head back. “What?”

Why hadn’t she told me?

He nodded. “She’s putting up with a lot of shit just to be with you.”

“I know,” I said, thinking it was even more true than he realized. The invasion of privacy. The lies…

“But that was true even before you were engaged. I mean…” He smoothed a hand over his hair. “She used to despise you.”

I cringed but tried not to let it show.

“For months,” he continued, “she was miserable.You—” he pointed at me “—made her miserable.”

I knew it was true, but it was even worse hearing it from Emerson’s dad. I hadn’t realized just how unhappy I’d made her.

“And then—out of the blue, a mere six months later—we find out you’re engaged.” He shook his head. “It doesn’t add up. Why would an infamous billionaire bachelor suddenly change his ways and decide to get married again? And why her? Why, of all the women in the world, did you choose my daughter?”

I wasn’t sure whether he was questioning me or merely lamenting the situation. He’d almost said the words as an accusation, as if I were trying to punish him or something.

“We chose each other,” I said. “Because we love each other. And you, of all people, should realize that love isn’t always convenient or easy or simple. But when you find the right person—the person who you’re meant to be with—it’s worth it.”

He nodded, contemplating my words. And then he started clapping, slowly, the sound echoing throughout the room and mocking me.

“You know—” he sneered “—I have to hand it to you. You put on a good performance. And for a minute, I almost believed you. But everyone knows your reputation.”

“You can believe me or not. Regardless of what you think, Emerson and Iaregetting married.”

Shit. Shut up. You’re only digging a deeper hole for yourself.

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