Page 85 of Just What She Needed

"No fighting or screaming," he continued. "We're going to talk about this calmly. And I'm going to start by picking up where we left off in August."

Sienna's eyebrows lowered and she looked away, but she didn't interrupt.

"I don't know how to say this any other way, all right? But Sienna, your mum and I aren't ever going to be a couple again."

Still silent, she hunched her shoulders and looked down.

"I know that's disappointing to you, because you got your hopes up." Rhys kept his voice gentle and his tone reasonable, and prayed he was getting through to her this time.

"But Mom said..."

"Your mother may have said something, but I don't think she really meant it. I think she was upset about her divorce, and when she saw me in Chicago last year, she got a bit off track." Right. He was surprised his nose wasn't doing a Pinocchio at the whopping great lie he just told. "But she and I aren't meant to be together. We're two totally different people who don't mesh well. Your mother..." He sighed. "Your mother needs someone who's home more than two or three months out of the year, someone who keeps regular hours and can provide some stability. You know as well as I do that stability isn't exactly part of my repertoire. You said it yourself, right?"

He was heartened when she nodded, however unwilling it might have been.

"And by the same token, I need someone who accepts that I'm not around a lot. I need someone who can ignore the rumors and gossip online and in the media when someone snaps a photo of me talking to an actress at an awards show after party. Someone who can not only handle the people I'm with but can fit in with them if she needs to. Do you understand?"

"I guess." Her tone was more petulant than he would have liked, but he thought they were making progress.

"That's good. I'm glad you understand why it didn't work out between your mum and me, and why it won't ever work. Look, Sienna, your mother is young and beautiful, and she'll meet someone else in time."

An irritated huff greeted this statement.

"She will, trust me. And when she does, I want you to give him a chance. If he's good to her and makes her happy, then it's what's best, right? Same thing for me."

Sienna's jaw firmed, and she shot him a hard look from the corner of her eye.

"Yes, I'm talking about Rhett. She's good to me, she's good for me, and she makes me very happy."

"I can't stand her."

Rhys repressed a sigh. "You don't know her. I realize it was a shock to you when you saw her with me in New York, because you'd been led to believe there would be a different outcome to your visit. But none of that was Rhett's fault. She didn't do anything wrong, and you need to stop blaming her for it."

And the Princess of Pout made a reappearance. "I'm never going to like her, Dad. Ever. So, you need to get rid of her now before it goes any further."

"That attitude is very immature, and I'm disappointed in you. I'm not going to get rid of her, Sienna." With a sinking heart, he watched the outrage grow more pronounced on his daughter's face. "And I'm not going to choose between you and Rhett. I love you both, and I want both of you in my life."

She jumped to her feet and glared down at him. "Never gonna happen, Dad. I mean it. As long as you're with her, you can't be around me."

Rhys held onto his calm demeanor with supreme will. He wasn't going to let her goad him into another fight. "That's your choice, not mine. Just remember, Sienna, you're going to have to live with the consequences of it."

"Whatever that's supposed to mean." She tossed her head, and he was reminded of the many times Hayley employed that same gesture. Jesus God.

"It means that I'm not going to beg you to accept Rhett. It means that I'm not going to be sorry about being with her. It also means that until you apologize for thinking you have any right whatsoever to meddle in my life and try to control anything I do then I have nothing more to say to you."

Her mouth dropped open. "So, you are choosing her over me."

"I'm not choosing either of you over the other. There's room for both of you in my life, and I hope you'll come to realize that. When you do, and when you're ready to apologize, you know how to reach me." He got to his feet, his body heavy with sorrow. "Until then, I'm through talking. Come on, I'll have T escort you and your friends to your car."

32

I love you all. I love you more than life itself, but you're all fucking mad.—Ozzy Osbourne

After an assessing look out the window at the bright sunshine, Rhett pulled up the weather app on her phone. It might look warm outside, but it was still February and she knew some sort of coat was in order. When she saw the predicted high was near 60 she let out a soft sound of pleasure. Maybe winter really was retreating. Long sleeves and a light jacket would keep her comfortable while she looked at the house. Even though she was sure it would be an exercise in futility.

It wasn't that she was that hard to please, but none of the dozens of houses she looked at were right. They were either too new and cookie cutter, or too old and beyond help. She blamed that gorgeous old Victorian. After her mother's death, Rhett called Mel's friend Gary and had him go look at the house with her, figuring a contractor would be able to assess the condition of the house. And, oh, Gary had assessed it. He'd taken about five pages of notes even before they got inside, and once he'd seen the interior he just threw up his hands.

Her heart still sank when she remembered the dilapidated condition of a once-beautiful home. Carved into miniscule apartments and stripped of all its original details, the house had been neglected until it wasn't fit for habitation. Even Rhett had to agree it was beyond saving.