Owning Her Innocence (Innocence #1)(13)

“Haley, I’m glad to see you’re doing better. I was so worried about you. I was so angry about what happened. I knew it wasn’t your fault, but I just couldn’t think straight and I didn’t want you waking up in the house you were just attacked in. William has been treating you well, right?”

“Of course, Father. He’s always doing what he thinks best for me.” I move to take a seat at the table. William slides into the one next to mine and my father sits across from us. It’s like we’re already gearing up for battle.

“It seems like it’s been forever since the three of us sat down to a meal together. With Haley going off to college, I guess there won’t be that many for a while,” my father says.

Well, fudge, I figure it’s now or never. “Father, about that. The thi—”

Cutting me off, William slides his hand onto mine. “Let me, sweetheart. I really should be the one to tell him.”

Glancing down at our locked hands, my father’s eyes go hard and I can see his jaw clench. “What the f*ck is going on with you two?”

“Before I start, I want to make it clear I never touched her before yesterday.”

My father is on his feet and I follow suit.

“Are you f*cking shitting me right now? My daughter? My f*cking daughter?” My father yells.

William has remained seated. “Roger, please let me say what I have to say before you go off the rails. You know I love this girl. There’s no denying that.”

Taking a step back, my father lets him continue.

“I know I haven’t been around much lately. The reason for that is because my feelings for Haley started to change. I thought with some space and time they would pass. They haven’t. They don’t seem to be lessening, but growing stronger.”

William runs his hand across the stubble on his chin, as if he’s trying to put together what he wants to say.

“I’ve felt like I’ve been going insane and, well, I just can’t fight it anymore, and I’m not going to. You really have two options here, Roger. I want you to bear in mind that I love this girl more than anything in this world, and I will do anything to make her happy. Option one, you can lose your shit, we have a full out fight and you walk out the door without her. Option two, which I hope you pick, you get on board and you walk out the door without her. Either option you choose, her ass is staying right here.”

Williams’s words make my stomach flutter, and I’m so happy that he isn’t letting me out of his grasp. But my attention is focused on my father. It feels like forever before he slowly sits himself back down in his vacated chair. Releasing a breath that I didn’t even know I was holding, I sit back down as well.

“What about her future and college?” my father asks. “Have you forgotten about that, or is this all about you, Will? Tell me that.”

“I’ll be honest, I’m not too keen on the idea of her going away to school, so that won’t be happening. There are plenty of schools around here, but if she’s dead set on a different location I’m sure we could move. I’ve actually—”

Are they really planning out my life for me as if I’m not even here? “Hello! I’m sitting right here. Freaking son of biscuit, doesn’t anyone want to know what I think? The person everyone is making plans about? You, Father, have been driving me nuts telling me that I’m a grown woman and it’s time to go out into the world!”

Shocked by my outburst, they just stare at me as if I’ve grown two heads so I continue. “Father, like you said, it’s time for me to go out into the world. It just so happens that the world I’ll be going into is William’s. It’s my decision and that’s the one I’ve made. As for you, William, I understand what you laid out for me last night about how you want this to be between us. I also understand that in doing things your way, it’s really you just doing what you think is best for me.”

“Haley…”

“Little one…”

They both start to speak.

Holding my finger up to stop both of them, I finish.

“I don’t want to go into all the details of that with my father sitting right here, but you both need to get that I’m going to be where I want to be. Father, you need to understand that William fills a part of me that I knew was missing. A part of me that I knew was different and craved a different life than most. You should be happy that I found someone who can give me what I need without taking advantage of me. I’m smart enough to know I’m naive about a lot of things, and I know William will guide me. Everyone knows William loves me, he has forever. Our love for each other has just changed. As for you, William, you’re lucky because it just so happens that this is where I want to be. So I don’t see much of a point for you two to talk out my future. That being said, I think I’ll take my now-cold breakfast and go eat it in the kitchen.”





CHAPTER 6 DADDY





I took a deep breath and allowed Haley to leave the room without incident. I needed to speak to Roger alone anyway. I just wasn’t excited about it.

“Rog—”

He holds up his hand and interrupts me. I know that this is an important moment in our friendship and I need to stand down.

“How long has this been going on?” he asks through gritted teeth.