Chapter 19 #2
Now, that just pissed him off. Why the hell wouldn’t he want to be with her? His hand slid from her thigh to cup her jaw gently but firmly. “Not sure why you think I wouldn’t want to be with you, firefly. I don’t make a habit of saying things I don’t mean.”
Her eyes shone with a mix of longing and uncertainty. He’d expected anger. That he could have dealt with. But this fear and worry? That he wasn’t sure how to tackle. Not until he understood exactly what caused it.
It was like Wilder was the danger rather than him. She didn’t pull away from him, but she was far from relaxed. He waited, giving her time to collect her thoughts and explain.
“My used-to-be Daddy lives in Wilder,” she said finally.
His gaze sharpened, and he tried to keep the heat from his voice. The last thing he wanted was for her to think he was angry with her. “Yeah?”
She drew in a breath like the effort cost her. “I told you about him. His name is Erwin.”
From her expression, it appeared to him the name tasted bad coming out of her mouth.
“Erwin what?” Mace asked evenly.
She gave a humorless huff. “Erwin the Vermin.”
If he hadn’t been so furious at the things he knew about Erwin, he’d have smiled. “I’m guessin’ that’s not his legal name.”
“It should be… but no. His name is Erwin Pierce.” Her jaw tightened as she tried to swallow. “His family owns half the county. They have a lot of money and even more influence because of their political donations. He has the whole golden-boy package.”
This conversation needed to be done so he could hold his little firefly and tell her how brave she was. But even though it cost him, he remained still so she could get everything out.
“And he—” She hesitated, shame flickering across her face. She turned to him, her eyes begging him to understand. “He didn’t start out awful, Daddy. He was charming and attentive. He said all the right things. I felt… special.”
Her words scraped down his spine. He wanted to punch the fuck out of that little prick. “Baby, you are special.”
“I can see now that he isolated me. But it started so slowly that I didn’t realize what he was doing,” she continued, her voice low.
“He’d make snarky comments about my friends, about Tildi and Boone.
And they're really, really nice people. But Erwin said they didn’t really get me.
That they held me back from being a good girl. ”
Forget punching. Mace was going to kill this guy.
“I tried to get away from him. So many times. I promise, Daddy. Promise! But he’d send me flowers and tell me he was sorry.
And how his life wasn’t the same without me.
That he’d change. So, I’d take him back.
It would be fine for a while, and then it would start all over again.
Eventually, I stopped trying to get away.
After that, it got worse. I couldn’t do anything right.
Everything was always my fault.” Her laugh was brittle.
“He was a textbook case. I just didn’t see it because I didn’t want to. ”
“You were manipulated,” he said flatly.
“I was stupid.”
His jaw flexed. “No,” he said in his sternest Daddy voice.
Even now… hell, especially now… he wasn’t putting up with that.
He shifted her on his lap and gave her a hard swat on the bottom before hugging her to him and kissing the top of her head.
“You may not call yourself negative names. You are one of the kindest, smartest, most creative people I’ve ever met. ”
She shook her head. “Thank you, Daddy. But what I was trying to get to was that he’s untouchable partly because his father funds the mayor’s campaigns.” Her lips pressed thin. “And because his uncle sits on the ranch board. People don’t want trouble, so no one stands up to him.”
Well then, good ol’ Erwin was in for a shock.
Mace was going to do a hell of a lot more than stand up to that fucker.
He didn’t know the population of Wilder, but for a town full of Daddies, it sounded like his little girl was fighting her battles with no help.
“What about your friends? What did they say about how Erwin treated you?”
She looked away.
“I didn’t tell anyone,” she admitted softly.
“I was embarrassed, especially after I kept taking him back. My friend Tildi has Boone. They live on Wild River Ranch. It’s this big, solid, safe place.
Boone and his brothers are great Daddies.
I didn’t want to look like the idiot who fell for the same snake oil salesman eight thousand times. ”
Mace’s pulse slowed in a dangerous way. “You think that makes you weak?” he asked.
“It makes me stup—um… na?ve,” she shot back quietly. Then her voice dropped. “I’m not afraid of him hurting me, Daddy.”
Now they were getting to the crux of it. His entire body sharpened. “Then what are you afraid of?” he asked, voice too calm.
She looked at him then, really looked at him. “I’m afraid of him hurting you.”
It took him a second to process what she’d said.
She wasn’t ashamed of him. She wanted to protect him.
Damn. His little firefly had lit up his world and set his heart on fire.
He was a full foot taller than she was and probably outweighed her by a hundred pounds.
But his brave girl wanted to protect him. Over his dead body.
Something flared to life inside Mace. Hot and focused. His protective instincts didn’t just rise. They locked in place.
Trying not to be insulted, he asked, “You think I can’t handle him?”
She rolled her brilliant eyes. “I think he fights dirty.”
“So do I. I guarantee you I’m better at it than a dipshit named Erwin. And don’t think you’re not gonna pay for that eyeroll, either.”
Her brows drew together. “Daddy, you don’t know him.”
“I don’t need to.” His tone didn’t rise. It hardened. “Men like that are the same everywhere.”
She shifted on his lap. “He’ll make things hard for you. Make you look bad. Use his family’s weight to push against you and whoever supports you.”
His thumb slid under her chin, lifting her face so she had no choice but to meet his eyes. Would she support him? He knew the answer, but he still wanted the words. “Would I embarrass you, babygirl?”
Her response was instant. “No!”
Not even a flicker of hesitation. He pressed further. “Would you be ashamed to claim me?”
Her eyes flashed. “Of course not.”
Good. He nodded once. “I can handle Erwin.”
She opened her mouth to argue. “I’ve handled worse,” he continued. “Men with more money, more power, and more reason to come after me.” His gaze didn’t waver. “I’m not easy to scare off, firefly.”
Her breathing hitched.
“The only thing I need to know is whether you want me there. Because, if I come to Wilder,” he went on quietly, “it’ll be because of you. And if this thing between us sticks the way I think it will, I’ll stay with you. But if that happens, it’s because you chose me.”
The rocking chair creaked again. Her tight grip on his shirt loosened. He held her gaze with his own. “So, tell me, little firefly. Do you want me?”
She didn’t whisper. Her voice didn’t tremble. There was no hesitation. “Yes.”
Mace went still. He didn’t even breathe. He searched her face, making sure she understood the promise she was making. This wasn’t flirting on a porch swing. It wasn’t campfires and contests. This was a choice.
Her choice.
His hand slid into her silken hair, fingers threading through the damp strands at her nape. Her breath hitched, but she didn’t look away.
He leaned in slowly, giving her plenty of time to move. She didn’t. His mouth claimed hers, and she melted into it. Her hand slid up to his shoulder, her fingers curling into muscle.
He deepened the kiss slowly. His thumb traced along her jaw as he angled her face to deepen the kiss. Her lips parted on a quiet exhale, and he tasted rain and promise and something that was entirely her.
The rocking chair moved beneath them, steady and rhythmic. A realization settled heavy in his chest. This wasn’t temporary anymore. Not for him.
He broke the kiss just enough to rest his forehead against hers.
His hand stayed in her hair. His other arm remained firm at her waist. “Listen to me, babygirl. I don’t do halfway,” he murmured in a low but unwavering voice.
The backs of his fingers brushed once along her cheek.
“If we do this, it’s with the goal of forever.
It’s not something we do as long as it feels good and walk away from when it gets hard. ”
His eyes searched hers, and he saw it there. She was vulnerable yet unflinching and unafraid. That was all he could ask.
“I don’t play at forever,” he said. “If I say I’m yours, it’s because I intend to build something that lasts. Even when it’s messy. Even when Wilder pushes back. Even when Erwin the Vermin tries to take us down.”
A flicker of heat crossed her expression at that. His girl liked that.
He brushed his nose lightly against hers. “You understand what you’re sayin’ yes to?”
“Yes, Daddy,” she replied again. A small, fierce smile curved her mouth. “I don’t scare easy either, Daddy.”
He no longer tried to hold back his smile. “I’ve picked up on that.”
He kissed her again, slower this time. Deeper. He gripped her hair, gently forcing her where he wanted her. When he pulled back, his gaze held hers. His thumb brushed once along her jaw before his hand fell away completely. “Speaking of that, we still have your punishment to deal with.”