Unbeautifully (Undeniable, #2)(80)
I shrugged halfheartedly. “I can read between the lines.”
“Jesus, Danny, I never f*ckin’ said that, what I meant was…”
Trailing off, he let out a frustrated sigh.
“It don’t matter what I meant. What’s f*ckin’ done is done and you’re my kid and shit f*ckin’ happens and despite all that shit, I’m still proud of you, darlin’. You met the devil head-on and came out alive. Not many f*ckers out there can say that.”
He sighed again. “You wanna be part of the club, I ain’t gonna stop you. You want to be Ripper’s old lady, I ain’t gonna stop you. You’re twenty-one, a grown-ass woman who’s been makin’ her own mistakes for some time now and doin’ just fine.”
“You’re okay with me and Ripper?” I whispered, shocked. “I mean…even after everything…and what I did to ZZ?”
He snorted. “Am I happy that you and Ripper were sneakin’ around behind my back? Fuck no. Am I likin’ the fact my daughter was forced to kill a bitch? No. Is it okay that so far you’ve run off two of my high-rankin’ boys? No. Should you have told me you were f*ckin’ knocked up? Yeah, baby, you f*ckin’ should have. But Jesus, Danny, who am I to be judgin’ anyone? Made my fair share of mistakes too. I spent too much time wantin’ a woman I kept lettin’ get away, and I don’t want that for you.”
My jaw dropped. Who was this man?
“Darlin’, we live in a f*ckin’ cesspool of shit and dirty-ass motherf*ckers, but if you found somethin’ good and true, somethin’ that you can bank on bein’ there for you when everything else is fallin’ apart around you, whoever it is, I’m good with it.”
He smiled. A true smile, full of dimples.
“Just don’t be tellin’ Ripper that. I want that boy shittin’ his pants every time I look his way.”
My lips split in a smile I couldn’t contain any more than I could stop breathing.
“There it is,” he said softly, reaching out and running his knuckles down my cheek. “There’s my Danny girl.”
And just like that, I had my father back.
Life may not always go the way you’d planned, you may not have the perfect family, you may not be the most beautiful, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make the best of what you do have.
My father wasn’t perfect, far from it. He’d made a lot of mistakes and I had no doubt he was going to make a lot more. But he was mine and I wouldn’t trade him for the world.
? ? ?
In the club parking lot, I sat inside the truck long after my father, Eva, and Ivy had gone inside. Just thinking.
About me.
About Ripper.
About everything.
I cried a little. Smiled. Closed my eyes and just appreciated the sun on my face.
I knew who I wanted.
I knew he wanted me.
Did I believe he was going to stay? Yeah, I did.
And my father had given me his blessing.
Everything was out in the open now.
No more secrets.
It was time to stop dwelling on the past, time to let go of my painful memories and make new ones, better ones.
With Ripper.
Giggling, I pressed my hand against my mouth.
I was going to be Ripper’s old lady.
And maybe…someday I would be his wife.
My stomach suddenly full of butterflies, I squeezed my eyes shut and laughed out loud.
Erik and Danielle Jacobs.
Danielle Elizabeth Jacobs.
Perfect.
More than perfect.
It was beautiful.
I jumped out of the truck, suddenly desperate to find Ripper. To start my life, our life, right this very second.
“Well, ain’t you adorable.”
Startled, I whirled around. A tall, curvy black woman stood mere feet from me, her head cocked to one side, smiling.
There were very few African-Americans living in Miles City, Ellie’s family being one of them. In a town where everyone knew everyone, I knew immediately this woman was not from around here.
Which meant one of three things. Either she was a club associate, or she’d met one of the boys on a run and was passing through for a hookup, or…
She shifted and her jean jacket opened slightly, revealing a holstered gun on either side of her body.
I backed up a few steps and her smile widened.
“Security’s tight,” she said. “Wasn’t easy gettin’ in here.”
Or…she was here for less than honorable reasons. Yep.
“Um…my father,” I stammered, my heart in my throat. “Do you want me to get him?”
“Who’s your father, boo?” she cooed, her tone sugary sweet.
“Deuce,” I whispered. “My father is Deuce.”
Her smile turned into a vicious grin and my stomach took a nosedive.
“He’s inside?” she asked, nodding at the club.
“Yes,” I whispered, fighting the urge to run. This woman might appear calm, but there was something in her eyes…
Something that told me running would be a very bad idea.
“I’m gonna need a favor then, Deuce’s daughter.”
She glanced over my head, at the club. “You go on and get your daddy for me, can you do that?”