53. Deacon
Chapter fifty-three
Deacon
Growing up, I always knew my parents were proud of me. They may not have always liked my choices, but they never made me feel like they loved me any less because of them. My parents always jumped at the opportunity to talk about their sons, and they lit up whenever they relived our accomplishments or shared our dreams.
As I sat across from a man who had an amazing and accomplished daughter, I couldn’t understand why he was such a jackass. His smug grin and extended whiskey glass over the table made me want to take a swing at him.
He was everything Lyla said he would be—predictable and disappointing.
When I didn’t clink my glass against his, he raised his hand to the right. A photographer ducked into the corner table and continued with his meal.
“Another photo op, huh?” I said, sounding much angrier than I intended to.
“I’m not sure what you’re implying,” Aaron stated. “My brand manager hires content creators to capture moments of my life I want recorded.”
“Like introducing your daughter to the fiancée you’ve had for over a year? Those kinds of moments?” I raised my glass to my mouth, watching his lips curl into a disapproving smirk. “Or comparing her to a girl she just met a few minutes ago, only to learn that your soon-to-be stepdaughter has spent more time with you than she has?”
“Lyla isn’t someone I can just introduce to people. She’s difficult and can be a lot. You have to know this by now. She’s never been someone I can have by my side for long periods of time before she draws the attention of a negative storyline.”
“Lyla is a lot of things—”
“See?” He clapped his hands, resting them on his lap. “She’s impulsive, unorganized, and completely lacks the common sense that’s needed to do anything productive with her life—”
“With all due respect, sir,” I interrupted, placing my glass on the table. His mouth went slack, and it was clear that people didn’t usually speak to him in my choice of tone. Now that I had his attention, I took a deep breath to steady myself. “You’re not going to talk about my girlfriend like that.”
His face relaxed as he took the floor again. “Lyla was my daughter before she became your girlfriend.”
I leaned on my elbows and tightly clasped my hands. “You think you get to call yourself a father because you set some money aside?”
His lips formed a hard line, and his green eyes met mine in a cold gaze. There was nothing paternal about this man. Driven by money and power, he would never put anyone else before himself, no matter how hard they tried to impress them.
“If you continue to disrespect her, I will take Lyla home tomorrow,” I threatened calmly. “You don’t get to drag her to any location you want when you decide to pop up every few months. Any promos or other bullshit you plan to use her for while she’s here stops now. ”
“I don’t know what Lyla has told you, Deacon,” he said cooly, “but when she gets bored of you in a few months, remember this moment.”
“And you remember this,” I mimicked his tone. “As long as I’m with Lyla, you’re no longer going to treat her as someone who is disposable to you. You have a brilliant and beautiful daughter with a passion for a dream that she just wants your help to build. Do you know how many parents would do anything to give their kids the opportunity you’re holding against her? And why? Because she doesn’t fit the mold you’ve tried to push her into?”
He didn’t respond, but I knew he was listening.
“Time is a precious thing, Mr. Brooks. We don’t always have as much as we think we do with the people we love. I don’t doubt that you love your daughter, but you have a shitty way of showing it. She’d do anything to get some kind of approval from you, and as long as I’m in her life, she isn’t going to do it anymore.”
Lyla and Lily returned to the table, laughing at something right before they sat down. They continued the conversation as Tonya took her seat, rubbing Aaron’s forearm and trying to steal his attention away from me.
Aaron and I exchanged no other words for the remainder of dinner. Still, the heat simmered in my gut when Tonya asked Lyla about her plans for Chicago, and Aaron commented about visiting for Christmas. Lily asked Lyla more about how she and I met, and when Lyla brought up the Stripper Pole Video, I stole glances at Aaron to gauge his response. He sipped his whiskey as the girls chatted, and when a photographer came around the table again, we all threw on a smile to wrap up the night .
“You’re going to have to let me know when you’re moving after graduation,” Lily exclaimed on our walk out of the elevator. “I’m taking summer classes, but I should have a little bit of a break so we can plan a time to get together!”
Tonya hid her disapproving smirk behind Aaron as the engaged couple watched their daughters hug goodbye. They lingered by the concierge desk to check on the cars while we stood near the entrance.
Lily extended her hand, and I shook it gently. “It was nice to meet you, Lily.”
“I’ll be seeing you again soon, I hope? I never got to ask if you were moving to Chicago, too.”
I felt Aaron’s stare from across the lobby.
“We’re still figuring out the details,” I said, kissing Lyla’s temple. “We want to make sure she’s got everything in order before she makes room for me.”
Lyla rolled her eyes. “He’s just being modest. He has to decide which school he wants to go to since he has so many options to choose from.”
“Impressive.” Lily crossed her arms. “I’m glad we got to meet in person, Lyla. Our parents can be, well, you know.”
“I know.” Lyla leaned into my chest. “I’m glad we met before my dad mentioned you. He has a way of ruining things before they can even start.”
Lyla and Lily shared one final round of laughter before Aaron and Tonya approached us.
“Lyla,” Tonya said with a soft smile. “Always a pleasure.”
“It's nice to finally put a face to the name,” Lyla offered.
“When is your flight home?” Aaron asked once it was just the three of us.
Lyla nervously tucked a curl behind her ear. “Thursday. Tonya booked a short trip. ”
“She knows you’re pretty busy.”
“She made that part pretty clear,” I said before he could drag this out any longer. “It was nice to see you again, Mr. Brooks.”
I held out my hand, and we parted ways after a firm handshake. I stepped outside so Lyla could have one last moment with her dad before their next quarterly meeting. We both knew his chances of visiting in December were slim, but since it was only March, he had plenty of time to find another reason to meet up.
I leaned against our taxi and watched Lyla exchange a stiff hug with her dad. When she made a beeline toward me, I opened the door for her and allowed her to slide in first. She stared out the window, and I knew she was trying to hide from whatever was happening in her head.
I reached for her hand, lacing my fingers with hers. “Hey.”
She looked over as a single tear rolled down her cheek. I reached to brush it away with my thumb, and she grabbed my wrist. “Don’t,” she warned. “I’m okay. I just need two minutes.”
My heart sank as she rested her head against the seat and closed her eyes. “Two minutes?” I repeated.
“Two minutes is the usual time I give myself to recover. My dad doesn’t deserve anything more than that.”
Her dad didn’t deserve any of her time, but I kept that comment to myself. I scooted closer so she could rest her head against my shoulder.
A few months ago, I remembered thinking that I would knock the lights out of anyone who hurt this girl. As I witnessed Lyla’s reaction to a person who was supposed to love her unconditionally, I realized I didn’t want to just bring pain to the person who hurt her—I wanted to be the one to protect her from it all in the first place.