Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 146392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 732(@200wpm)___ 586(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 146392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 732(@200wpm)___ 586(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)
Boomer bristled, his shoulders squaring. “That’s not your call.”
TJ matched his energy. “It sure as hell is when they’re planning on stealing her research. Then there was the prom date that was really a bet with a bunch of jocks to see how fast he could get her in bed.”
Boomer’s face went a nice shade of pink. “What?”
“Lou knows. About all of it. About how either Kala or I would deal with problems so she didn’t have to. So she could just be Lou. Like I said before I love your daughter. I’ll do anything I need to do to protect her. When she was dating that asshole, too-old-for-her professor, I didn’t do anything.”
“Because you couldn’t find anything on him?” Boomer asked.
TJ shrugged. “We tried. You should understand that Lou’s dates have been vetted since she was able to date.”
Boomer let out a long sigh. “Then why, son? Why not love her the way she should be loved?”
“Because up until now I didn’t think I could,” TJ replied. “What was I supposed to do? Should I have gotten some minimum wage job and been her dead-end boyfriend? Should I have slept with her knowing I was going into the Army and we would be apart for years at a time? Should I have asked her to give up her dreams and marry me? What would you have had me do, sir?”
Boomer sat back, his anger obviously deflating. “Well, I would have liked a heads-up that someone was trying to steal my daughter’s research. Did you think about bringing an adult into any of this?”
“Don’t raise independent kids if you expect them to cling to you. We took care of things. They were our problems to deal with,” TJ insisted. “And honestly, what would you have done that Kala and I didn’t do? We didn’t want Lou to know. She wasn’t ready then. She is now, and it’s not about wanting her to be grateful to me. I don’t want her gratitude. I want what I’ve always wanted. I want her to love me. It is right now.”
“It’s right for you,” Boomer pointed out. “What if it’s not right for Lou?”
“Then I should go back to Europe and rejoin my team and not come home unless she asks for me.” It was his fucking nightmare. “I don’t know how I’ll watch her fall in love with someone else. See, this is why I pushed it off. I knew the minute we got physical the friendship part was over and I would be alone.”
“You have a massive family around you,” Boomer pointed out.
TJ shook his head. “I got nothing if I don’t have her.”
“All right. I can see where you’re coming from, but you have to understand that Lou’s been doing the whole watching you from afar thing for a long time. What you describe as the worst outcome for you now has been her reality for years. I understand not getting physical with her during high school and college. I actually think that was a mature decision.”
TJ wasn’t so sure. “It wasn’t. It was fear.”
“Sometimes fear is a good thing, but it’s time to put that away now,” Boomer advised. “If you want to try a relationship with Lou, you have to be brave.”
“I want to marry her. I know it seems fast…”
Boomer’s head shook. “Nothing about this has been fast. Not a damn thing, and that’s why you have to understand you’re on her timeline now. She’s been on yours for years. Can you give her some time to adjust? I’m not telling you to leave her alone. I think that would be the worst thing you can do, but can you back off on having everything your way?”
“I’m not…”
“You are,” Boomer argued. “You’re upset with her because you crooked your finger and she didn’t fall in line. I know that sounds harsh and it’s probably not what you meant, but it’s how it has to feel to her. What you feel right now, she’s been going through for years.”
He felt his gut twist. “I never meant to hurt her.”
“And she’s not trying to hurt you. I know my girl, and that big brain of hers is working overtime to try to solve the equation. She’s asking a million questions you and I wouldn’t think to ask. Why now? What did I do to finally make him see me, and what will happen when he realizes I’m still the same old Lou? How can I give in when everyone will know it won’t work in the long run? How will I hold my head up when he leaves me?”
“She wouldn’t have to because Kala would murder me. She made that plain a long time ago. Our partnership when it comes to Lou only goes so far.” He sighed and sat back. “I can tell her I won’t leave, that this is forever, but I can’t make her believe it.”