Lo frowns deeply. “Why do you need to talk to her?”
I’ve never had a conversation alone with Jonathan Hale. I don’t think I ever needed to.
“She’s dating my son.”
Lo doesn’t move. He’s twenty-four and wears anger like a weapon. It almost makes me shrink back, but he’s on my side of things. If anything, I should be recoiling from Jonathan, right?
“I’d like to talk to her alone,” Jonathan repeats.
I’m confused. I don’t know what to do because my boyfriend doesn’t talk to his father, so even entertaining the idea of listening to Jonathan kind of feels like a betrayal. Should I cold-shoulder Jonathan too? In solidarity? I don’t know how this works.
These are deep waters that I actually need help swimming in.
“I’m not leaving her alone with you,” Lo snaps.
“Stop being a little—”
“If Ryke found out that you talked to her in private, he’d kill you. So think of it as me doing you a favor.” Lo crosses his arms.
Jonathan rolls his eyes and then focuses his attention back on me. I sit up and tuck my legs to my chest. His eyes fall to the saying on my shirt, and his lips rise in amusement. “How long have you and Ryke been dating?”
“A little over a month.”
I have to remind myself that I’ve known Jonathan since I was a little girl. He’s even Poppy’s godfather.
Jonathan tilts his head at me. “Your father is warming up to that timeframe, but your mother seems to think you’ve had a relationship long before that.”
I’m not surprised that she believes that. The tabloids have been throwing out those rumors for a while. “She’s wrong. Ryke wouldn’t ever be with someone underage.” Even me.
“I know,” Jonathan says, surprising me. “Ryke’s a lot of things: stubborn, hardheaded, foul-mouthed.” He stares at his glass. “But he’s made it clear that he’ll never follow in my footsteps.” He washes back the liquor.
Lo tenses on the couch, and his eyes briefly flicker to me. I know the truth, what Jonathan is talking about, like the rest of my family, but it’s different airing it out like this.
Twenty-four years ago, Jonathan had an affair with an underage girl.
Lo’s mom.
The press doesn’t even know the identity of Lo’s mother. It’s what’s kept Jonathan out of jail.
“Is that all you wanted to ask?” I wonder. “Whether or not Ryke was with me before I turned eighteen?”
“That and I wanted to know if you could talk to Ryke for me. I’d like to have dinner with him next weekend, catch up. You’re welcome to come too. The more the merrier.” He almost takes another sip of his drink, but he realizes his glass is empty. But he doesn’t stand to refill it again.
I glance at Lo. I don’t know what to say.
Lo suddenly rises from the other couch. “Dad, I’d like to talk to you alone.”
“Well we all can’t have what we want, can we? I said I’d like to talk to Daisy alone, and you mouthed off to me. So I will kindly do the same to you. Cheers.” He raises his empty glass.
My heart thuds. I’ve never, in my life, been in a room alone with the two of them. And from what I’ve heard, it can get nasty.
Lo turns his head, his eyes hitting mine. “Give us a minute, Daisy.”
I stand to leave, but Jonathan destroys my chance to escape. “Don’t be ridiculous, stay. My son doesn’t dictate when I speak to people.”
I freeze.
Lo glowers. “I know what you’re doing. And it’s not going to work, so just stop.”
Jonathan raises his brows and leans back against the couch, his arms outstretching over the top. He waves him on. “Please, Loren, tell me what I’m doing. Enlighten me, since you think I’m so dimwitted.”
Lo grinds his teeth.
Jonathan just smiles and says, “I’m waiting.”
“You can’t use her to get to him,” Lo retorts. “Just leave her alone.”
“Is that it?” Jonathan asks.
Lo stays quiet.
His dad straightens up on the seat. “Let me educate you, Loren,” he says, “when there are paths to be taken to achieve a goal, real men don’t stare at them with their cock in their hands. They take the goddamn path whether it fucking works or not.” He points at him with his finger. “And I will do everything I possibly can to get my son back, just as I would do for you.”
The first half of that speech makes me cringe, and the second makes me reevaluate the first half. Now I can see why it’s confusing having him as a father. I don’t know whether to run away or stay and hear him out.