Page 222 of Law Maker
My nails dug into my palms. “Christmas, Thanksgiving, every break—it was always just us. A family of two while you were with her.”
He leaned back with a scoff. “And yet you had a roof over your head. Clothes. School. A future. I provided everything that mattered. What else could you possibly want?”
“I wanted a dad.” My voice cracked before I steadied it. “Not someone who lied and disappeared.”
His jaw flexed, but the sneer never left his face. “You’re dramatic. Always have been. You talk about neglect, but look at you—college, friends, that boyfriend. You turned out fine. Stop pretending you were some abandoned child.”
“I wasn’t pretending.” My chest rose, unsteady. “I was surviving.”
The pen slammed against the desk, the crack making me flinch. “You think life is fair? Grow up. People make mistakes. People move on. Your mother’s been gone eight years. Nobody clings to grief that long unless they want pity.”
“I guess grief lasts longer when you actually loved the person.”
His eyes narrowed, cutting straight through me. “Careful. You’re starting to sound just like her.”
My stomach twisted, but I forced myself not to blink. “You didn’t love Mom. And you didn’t love me. That’s why it was so easy to neglect me once she was gone.”
“Neglect?” His laugh was sharp and ugly. “I gave you everything. Spoiled, ungrateful little girl—that’s all you’ve ever been.”
My throat burned. For a second, I almost let him win, let him make me feel small again. But not this time.
“No.” My fists trembled at my sides. “You gave me things. But I’ve never had a dad.” I paused. “Though now that I know you’re an even worse person than I thought, I’m sure I was better off without you.”
I turned and stormed out.
He didn’t stop me.
***
Asher crouched beside Mom’s grave, adjusting the roses he’d bought for her—her favorite.
She would’ve loved him. She would’ve been glad to see how deeply he loved me. His mother hadn’t cared about mine, but Asher did.
My father was wrong. I wasn’t clinging to grief. I was clinging to memories—afraid time would strip them away and I’d forget what it felt like to be loved by a parent.
Asher straightened. “The flowers look good. We’ll bring her some more when I get back from the next race.”
“Thank you, Ash.”
He wrapped his arms around my shoulders from behind, letting me lean into him. “I’m sorry your father acted like an asshole. I hoped he’d at least apologize, but I guess he and my mother are cut from the same cloth.”
I lifted and dropped my shoulder. “I said everything I needed. He knows where to find me if he wants a relationship, but I’ll be fine either way.”
“You deserve better.”
“So do you.” I curled my hands around his wrists. “I can’t move past what he did. I can’t pretend nothing happened.”
“Then don’t.” Asher kissed my cheek. “Let’s surround ourselves with people who care about us.”
I looked one last time at Mom’s headstone. She’d deserved better, but she hadn’t lived to have it. I could. I didn’t need to keep begging for affection from someone who would never give it.
“I’m ready to put all of this behind me, Ash,” I said.
Another kiss brushed my cheek, tender and certain. “So am I, peque.”
CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE
Asher
