Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 59690 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 298(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59690 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 298(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
His eyes went distant. “Hmm…”
“Chase!” I said with a laugh. “Stop! No one is going to punch you.”
“No, but…well, my dad is going to be a problem.”
“Yeah. Our dads suck. What else is new?”
“We should tell my mom first.”
I nodded. “That’s fine. We don’t have to do it all at once. We can take it slow. I don’t care, Chase. I just care that you’re mine. You’re mine, right?”
“I’m yours.”
“Good.”
“I’m not doing this in half measures, Harley. Everyone is going to know that you’re mine. I’m not running away from us anymore. I don’t want to have to hide. I want my family to know. I want everyone to know. I’ll deal with the consequences, all right?”
“We’ll deal together,” I corrected.
“We will. But most importantly, I’ll have you.”
I wove my fingers together behind his neck and tugged him down until our lips nearly touched. “You’ve always had me.”
And then he kissed me, long and hard and full of promise.
6
HARLEY
Our grumbling stomachs drove us back into town. My wet hair was in a hasty ponytail on my head. I left my black jean shorts unbuttoned and rolled down to reveal the wet bottoms beneath. I went without my shirt, just my bikini top. Chase was seated on a towel. His blue shirt clinging to his tan skin. Bowie was in the back of the Subaru with his tongue lolling out the window.
We dropped the dog off at Chase’s house before driving back to mine so I could get a change of clothes. He’d stayed the night at my place the night before, and I had every intention of staying the night at his. But I had my first day at Wright tomorrow and needed work attire.
Chase followed me out of the car, locking it behind us as I all but skipped up the sidewalk.
“We’re going to have to figure out how to get Bowie to stay at my house,” I told him.
“Does Bailey like dogs?”
“She’d better. We don’t really have a backyard, so it might be cramped.”
“And Bowie is a lot.”
I shrugged. “He’s the best. Just like his namesake.”
He laughed as I fit the key into the lock and turned the door handle. I stepped inside with Chase on my heels and nearly skidded to a stop in the doorway.
My throat closed as I saw the man standing in my living room. “Owen?”
“Hey, honey,” my dad said.
Chase froze behind me. I could practically feel his shock as he closed the door firmly behind him. He cleared his throat. He stepped forward and offered his hand. “Hello, sir.”
“Sinclair,” Owen said, shaking his hand.
I still hadn’t moved.
“What are you doing here?”
Owen released Chase’s hand, and that was when I saw his mask drop. Just a split second, but long enough for me to recognize it. It was the same emotions I kept locked up tight from years of learning from the best. But he couldn’t hide from me any more than I could hide from him.
He was furious.
Beyond furious.
He was practically murderous with anger. How quickly had he left Vancouver to get here the next day after discovering I’d withdrawn? I’d blocked him, along with my brothers yesterday afternoon. It was a long-ass flight for him to make it that quickly.
He’d thought that he’d won. I was going to Harvard Law. Even better, he’d gotten Jordan to respond to him. We all knew that Jordan was his favorite. He might not have admitted it, but it was obvious to anyone involved. Now, Jordan wasn’t talking to him. No one was talking to him. And I wasn’t going to Harvard.
“I came to fix this situation,” Owen said.
“How did you even get inside?”
“I have a key,” he said as if it were obvious. “I own the building.”
My jaw dropped. “What?”
“What? You thought I’d let you live anywhere? Of course not.”
I shook my head. It was dizzy with anger at the realization. He would never stop. He would go and go and go until he got what he wanted. Whether that was Harvard or my living situation or anything. If he wanted it, he’d manipulate to get it.
“You’re unbelievable.”
“I will always take care of you.”
“I don’t want you to take care of me,” I snapped. “That is the whole point.”
He shook his head. “You’re acting like a child. I know you’re smarter than this.”
“I’m smart enough to know that I made the right decision blocking your number and having my brothers do the same.”
“Ah,” he said slowly. “Is that why I can’t reach them anymore?”
“Yes! Because you refuse to stop meddling.”
“Meddling? You mean, taking care of my daughter,” he argued.
“Taking care of me isn’t ratting me out to my brothers when I don’t fall into line.”
Owen clenched his jaw. “We had a deal, you and I. You broke your end of the deal.”
“Are you insane? If you’re supposed to be my father, you don’t make stupid, manipulative deals with your daughter to get what you want. You just parent. But fuck, you can’t even do that.”