Chapter Twelve #3
had some things to work through. But oh, the orgasm after had been one hundred
percent worth it. “I had to save Devi. O’Donnells get the job done. No matter
what they have to do.”
Her da raised a hand toward the man working Sanctum’s bar
this evening. “We need two. Make ’em doubles.”
She was kind of glad Nate had taken his anxieties out on her
backside because she needed to be loose for this talk. Despite the fact her da
had told her he loved her, she was still nervous. “Da, I thought we should
talk.”
He shook his head. “Not until we’re properly lubricated.” He
nodded as the bartender slid two glasses in front of them. He raised his toward
her.
She picked hers up and they clinked glasses as they said sláinte
in chorus and she tipped back for her first drink.
She sighed at the taste and realized her da had made the
same sound.
Her mom was right. She was her father in feminine form. The
question was could he accept her.
“Now, we should talk,” her father said with a sigh. “I
suppose this conversation is a long time coming.”
She was confused, but then she was often confused. “Long
time? I thought you just figured out I’m not some saint. You know I’m not evil
either. I’m pretty normal for a woman.”
“Normal? Ain’t nothing normal about you.” He snorted. “My
darlin’, did you honestly think I didn’t see you all these years? Did you think
I missed all the times you said you were going to Bri’s or Devi’s and you snuck
out with some gangly boy who couldn’t grow facial hair?”
There hadn’t been too many times. “Why didn’t you stop me?”
He took another drink. “Because I know what my relationship
was like with my mum when she brought her foot down. Right on me neck. My
mother put the raising of my brother on me and ignored us most of the time. She
had other priorities. But when I did what most young men would do, like have
any kind of a social life, she would ground me. I hated my mother a lot.
Dreamed about being anywhere except her house. I couldn’t stand the thought of
you hating me, Daisy.”
Her heart clenched. “I could never hate you, Da.”
He seemed to let the words sink in. “I followed you most of
the time. To make sure you were safe.”
“A lot of those times Aidan came with us, or Cooper or the
twins.”
“Yes, I made sure of it,” he confessed. “You weren’t doing
anything that’s not natural for a young woman your age. But I always worried
you would end up… I worried you would end up finding a man like me one night.”
“What?” Her father was the best.
“Like I used to be,” he said with a sigh. “Not now. Falling
in love with your mum set me straight, but I wasn’t the same man before.”
“Momma says you went through women like they were chicken
wings.” She and her mother had several long, painful conversations about her
da’s past.
“I really liked chicken wings.” A wicked smile hit her da’s
face.
She could see his call. “I really liked bartenders.”
Her da’s head shook, but he laughed. “Oh, Daisy, you’re my
sweetest miracle and my worst nightmare.” He reached out, cupping her cheek as
he stared at her. “I was ready for Aidan. I’d practically raised my brother. I
knew how to handle a boy. My brother went bad, but I figured your mum would
offset anything nasty in my DNA.”
“It wasn’t in your DNA. It was in his. Your brother was a
bad guy. He was selfish and mean. There wasn’t anything you could have done to
save him. I know you tried.” She couldn’t allow her father to think he’d been
anything but wonderful. Even if he had apparently been the stud of choice
amongst the Dallas chicken wing waitress scene.
“Then I found out we were having a girl.” His expression
went soft. “I can’t tell you how scared I was at first. I didn’t know how to
raise a girl, but I knew Avery would teach me. When they put you in my arms and
I looked down at the sweetest face I’d ever seen, I lost my heart all over
again. I thought I was raising a little Avery.”
“I’m not like Mom. I’m afraid that’s Aidan.” Her brother had
their mom’s temperament. He was patient and kind and knew how to stick with
something. She was like their father. A bit mercurial until she knew what she
wanted. Something of an imp at times.
“Yes, I realized you were like me when you were around
twelve. And then I realized you had my sex drive, too, and that was when I
started to choose delusion.” He knocked back the rest of his whiskey
resolutely. “Now, what you have to understand is delusion is not a bad place to
be. Delusion can be nice. Just because a man chooses to park his RV in delusion
and live there happily for a few years doesn’t mean he doesn’t love his
daughter, doesn’t mean he don’t understand her.”
“It means he needs time to process that his baby girl is a
woman and she’s going to make mistakes and go wild at times,” Daisy said
softly.
“But she’s still my little girl,” he replied. “And I’ll
always be her da. Daisy, you and Aidan are the best things I’ve ever done in my
life. I’ll always see you as a sweet baby who toddles around after me. I’ll
always feel the way you used to rest your head against my shoulder and sleep,
and I would sit there no matter how much work I had to do because nothing was
more important than letting you rest. This family… It’s more than I could have
imagined.”
Tears pierced her eyes. “I love you more than you can know.”
“You’re just learning about love,” he said with a smile.
“And I’m happy for you. So Nathan Carter?”
She sniffled and decided to tease him a bit. “I don’t know.
Maybe.”
Her father’s face went red. “He told me he was going to
marry you.”
“Uhm, do we really need a piece of paper?” Yes, her imp was
out today.
“You do,” her father said, righteous indignation in his
words. “You absolutely do.”
“Hey, stop teasing your father.” Her mom joined them,
putting a hand on her father’s shoulder. “I’ve been around them all week. Trust
me. They’ll be married far sooner than they should be, but when it’s right,
it’s right.”
Her father’s gaze softened when he looked at her mom. He
picked up her hand and brought it to his lips. “Well, we married within three
weeks of meeting each other, so I think it can work out. Have I told you how
much I missed you?”
Her mom ordered a whiskey of her own. “No. You were too busy
starting a cartel war that led to your best friend’s daughter nearly getting
murdered and our own being forced to use all of her assets to save her.”
“Now, Avery, you can’t blame it on me,” her da countered.
“First off, it worked. As of an hour ago, the man Daisy is supposed to testify
against is dead. Shanked in prison because someone started a very good rumor
about him turning on another cartel and exposing their crimes. What’s good for
the goose and all. Brighton told us when we were explaining all the bodies.
Kai’s pissed, by the way. We got blood on the concrete or something and it
could be triggering to patients. I say it’s like immersion therapy.”
“That’s not a good therapeutic plan in the case of PTSD,”
Daisy pointed out. “Oh, and I’m going back for my master’s in clinical
psychology. I’m going to start a children’s practice at the Ferguson Clinic. I
told Uncle Kai all about it.”
“No wonder he looked a little green,” her father said.
“I think it’s a wonderful plan.” Her mom held her glass up.
“To our Daisy.”
“Hey, what the hell is happening?” Her brother was dressed
hastily, his shirt not properly buttoned and…yes, it was inside out. “Gabe
shows up at the club and tells me Devi got kidnapped and Daisy distracted the
bad guys with her boobs and now everyone is dead, but you guys are drinking?”
Her poor brother. “Just another night for the O’Donnells.”
“Get my son a drink, Matt,” her father ordered. “And top me
and my daughter off. Did I mention to you my sweet Daisy can drink anyone under
the table?”
Aidan sank down beside her. “I have no idea what’s going
on.”
“Daisy and I have agreed to be ourselves around each other
from now on.” Her father picked up his now full glass again. “The bad guys are
all dead. Your sister has a career path that has nothing to do with danger, and
both my kids are getting married. Nate hasn’t formally asked yet, but he knows
what happens if he doesn’t. So let’s have a toast, and then you two should stay
away from the main stage unless you want to know how you were conceived.”
“I’m going to need more liquor,” her brother said.
Maybe her da was onto something. She lifted her glass. “I
think we can stay a little delusional, Da.”
He grinned and winked her way. “To delusion.”
That was something she could drink to.
* * * *
Nate stared across the lounge where it looked like the whole
O’Donnell family was now celebrating.
Damn, his woman was fine.
“You really think you can handle her, son?” His father stood
beside him. The same way he’d been for as long as Nate could remember. Brody
Carter might have missed the first couple of months of his life, but he’d more
than made up for it.
“Of course he can.” His mom wrapped an arm around his waist.
“He and Daisy are a perfect match. Just like her parents.”
He watched as Liam and Daisy managed to slap their shot
glasses on the bar in time and drink in perfect synchronicity.
A terrible thought hit his brain.
“I’m the Avery, aren’t I?”
His father patted his shoulder and sighed. “Yes, son, I’m
afraid you are definitely the Avery.”
“Hey,” his mom said. “That’s not such a bad thing to be.
She’s all kinds of awesome.”
Nate threw his head back, laughter filling him. His woman
was wild, and he would have to balance her. She looked over and smiled his way.
It wasn’t a bad thing to be at all.
He led his parents into the bar to join their extended
family.