Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 45284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
“That’s Luna’s decision to make,” Vincent says. “She’s got a good head on her shoulders.”
“That doesn’t mean you don’t want to know my intentions.”
Vincent nods. “I can tell you’ve… you’ve seen things, Kayden. I can tell because I was the same years after I retired. I can tell part of you is still over there.”
“Maybe a piece,” I say uncomfortably.
“Thinking about the things you did, or the things you didn’t get to do?”
He asks this question with sudden intensity, leaning forward, and I get it. He’s asking if I’m haunted by dishonorable actions I let war lead me to… or if it’s the friends I lost, the battles that left scars.
I look him steadily in the eyes.
“Sir, I comported myself as a Marine should every single second of my tours.”
“So, it’s the latter, then?”
The things I didn’t get to do.
Howling, bullets, crashing, and suddenly I’m running into an impossible situation, no way out, no way to save them.
“You could say that,” I answer.
It’s not right to be so vague with my woman’s father. He wants answers, and I should give them, but he’s prying into places I’ve kept locked up for years, places even Luna hasn’t been able to venture into. She’s made me open up more than anybody ever has, as crazy as that seems since I’ve hardly opened up at all.
“Those are the two types I’ve seen. Men who did things they regret, and men who regret things they should’ve done.”
“I don’t regret anything I did there, sir,” I tell him, “but something went badly. I hesitate to say outside our control because there are steps we could’ve taken with the benefit of hindsight.”
“You can never know that when you’re in it, can you?”
“You can, if you take a step back, if you look at things objectively.”
“Then you can predict the future?”
I shift in my chair. He speaks disarmingly, as though peeling back the layers of my excuses, getting to the root cause.
“I’ve seen it countless times in my work,” Vincent goes on. “Men reliving the moment that broke them—”
“I’m not broken,” I cut in, struggling to keep my voice level.
There’s no scenario where I shout at my woman’s father, where I disrespect him like that. My woman deserves to know I’ll always respect her family.
“No, of course not.” Vincent leans back, shaking his head. “Sorry, son, I didn’t mean that. Sometimes I speak without thinking.”
The word son hammers into me. I know it’s just a figure of speech, but it’s like part of him knows where this leads, with him being my father-in-law.
“What does this have to do with Luna?” I ask.
“Do you think I’d want my daughter dating somebody who is haunted by the bad things they’d done?”
I nod, understanding. He wants to make sure I’m a good person. He wants the best for Luna always, the same as me.
“We don’t have to talk about this now,” Vincent goes on, “but what I need to know is… what exactly are your intentions for my daughter? Do you date around a lot? Is she the latest in a long run, or is there something more serious going on?”
I swallow, wondering how to phrase this without lying, but also without giving him a glimpse of all the madness taking hold of me I feel anytime I think about her and our future together—the love, the passion, all of it.
“I haven’t dated in over ten years,” I tell him.
He gapes at me. “Then why…”
“Why Luna?” I snap, unable to contain myself. “You’re her father, sir. You must know how amazing she is. Funny, kind, nervous in the best way… confident when she needs to be, and talented, too. At twenty, she’s already producing work that would make most tattoo artists proud. She’s an amazing person and I…”
I want to be with her forever.
I bite down, pushing the words away with an effort.
“I want to spend more time with her. I want to see where it goes, but to answer your question… no, hell no, she’s not the latest in a long line. There is no line. Only her.”
Vincent smiles. “You really care about her, don’t you?”
“Yes, sir. I do.”
More than anything.
“I don’t have to tell you we’d have a problem if you ever hurt her. I understand things don’t always work out. I understand romance has its ups and downs… even me, at my age, I know that, but you’ll never cause her unnecessary pain.”
I want to tell him I know things are going to work out between us, know for a fact nothing’s going to shatter what we’re building. I want to tell him there’s nobody in the world I’d rather be with. That she’s mine, forever, but it would be too much, too fast.
“I’d never hurt her,” I growl, “and I’ll always do everything I can to keep her safe.”