Page 184 of So This Is War
“Hey,” he says softly as he pulls me onto his lap so he can look at me better. I reach up to wipe at my tears, but he beats me to it. The pads of his strong thumbs run below my eyes, catching my tears. “Don’t cry, Wylie.”
“I’m sorry.” I let out a low breath. “I just . . . I’ve never had someone believe in me like you do, other than Sandie, and you haven’t even seen anything I’ve done. How can you so freely hand it over, and my dad can’t?”
He runs his hands over my sides soothingly as he says, “I really don’t know, Wylie. I wish I could give you a reason, but sometimes parents can be blinded by the future they planned out for their children, not realizing, that it’s not up to themto plan it. It’s up to them to nurture the plans you have for yourself.”
My lip wobbles before more tears fall down my cheeks. “I wish he was different. I wish his love wasn’t conditional. I wish he would accept me for who I am and what I want.”
“I wish that too, Wylie,” he says softly. “And maybe someday he will, but you have to keep being you. You have to keep being the person you want to be, and you have to keep working toward your goals, regardless of whether he approves. Allow him to catch up to you. Don’t fall back to appease him.”
I stare down at his handsome face and endearing eyes, and I think he’s such a different man than I initially believed him to be. In my head, he was the playboy, the guy who fought on the ice and fucked at night, and I wanted a piece of that. It felt dangerous and exciting, but sitting here with him, being around him the last few weeks, I can see he’s anything but that man.
He’s kind.
He’s hilarious.
He has a warm heart.
He’s compassionate and supportive.
He’s the complete and total opposite of my father, and I truly believe that’s why I want to cling to him.
Why I need him in my life.
Why I want him so desperately because I want the comfort. I want the protection. I want the stability he offers so freely.
“Thank you,” I say to him as I lean down and kiss him softly on the lips.
When I pull away, he says, “No need to thank me, babe. I’m here for you.”
“I know you are, and I can’t tell you how appreciative I am of that.”
“You don’t need to,” he says. “We support each other. That’s how it goes. At the end of the day, we’re there for each other.”
I play with the collar of his shirt. “You say that as if we’re in a real relationship.”
His brow quirks up. “Uh, we are.”
I chuckle. “So . . . if presented with the opportunity, you’d introduce me to someone as Wylie, your girlfriend, not Wylie the wench who lives in the nanny hole?”
He lets out a laugh as he considers it. “Wylie, the wench who lives in the nanny hole, has a nice ring to it, honestly, but I’d have to go with Wylie, my girlfriend.”
“Good answer.” I smooth my hands up his chest and lean forward, making out with him for a few seconds, letting our mouths explore as his hands wander down my back to my ass.
That’s when I pull up, and he groans in disappointment.
“Baby, keep kissing me,” he complains.
“Can I show you something first?”
“Is it your tits?”
I chuckle. “No, it’s a drawing I did.”
“Then, hell yeah, show me.” Smiling, I move off his lap, but he stops me. “You don’t need to get off me to show me.”
I roll my eyes. “Really? You know I’m a sure thing. You don’t need to keep me on your lap.”
“It’s a comfort thing. I like you here,” he says, those pleading eyes nearly cutting me in half.
