Diary of a Bad Boy(101)

“I wasn’t expecting to fall for him, but I did, and I’m glad I did because he truly makes me happy, Dad. He loves me, I know he does, and he cares for me, encourages me, protects me—”

“Protects you? He got in a fight . . . twice around you.”

“Dad, the man you paid off tonight was assaulting me, had his hands on me—”

“What?” my dad booms, standing from his chair.

“Roark was protecting me,” I add and stop Dad from causing another scene. “Don’t worry about him for now. You need to listen to me about Roark. He’s a good man. Unlike that slimeball—”

“What. Did. He. Do. To. You?”

I take a deep breath. I’m barely holding it together from what’s happened to Roark, from the feel of John’s hands on me . . . “It started at the bar. He kept insisting I didn’t want Roark near me, which was the furthest thing from the truth. You walked into the restaurant and I asked Roark to keep his distance. John took it as I wanted nothing to do with Roark and swooped in. Roark took insults from the man, swallowed his pride as he watched me make small talk, but never took action. He was calm and reserved, when I know he wanted to claim me as his, but he couldn’t.” I hang my head in shame. “He couldn’t because I told him not to. I wasn’t ready to tell you because I didn’t want the reaction you had when you found out. I wanted to preserve our relationship for as long as I could.”

“You could have told me, Sutton. I would have understood.”

I shake my head. “Clearly you couldn’t, Dad.”

“He was beating the shit out of another man; what was I supposed to think?”

“Before that, you walked away.”

He drags his hand over his face in frustration. “Because . . . I was caught off guard.”

“I was blindsided about you and Whitney, but I acted like an adult and was happy for your happiness. And when you left us after finding out, that’s when John pulled me into that hallway and tried to take advantage of me. Roark found me and told John to step away from me. When he didn’t, yes, he pulled him off me.”

“He had his hands on you—”

“Yes.” I’m trembling. I don’t want to think about this. “Roark loves me, Dad, so imagine how he felt seeing that. Ask the restaurant for footage if you don’t believe me. I bet it’s all there. He was protecting me, Dad, and you treated him like he was a monster.”

“Fuck,” he mutters, pressing his hand to his palm and slowly moving it back and forth. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I tried to, but you wouldn’t let me. And I couldn’t leave letting you believe anything other than the truth. He’s a good man, Dad. He might be rough around the edges and has made some bad decisions in the past, but he’s a good man, one you should be proud to have in my life . . . in your life.”

Leaning back, he blows out a long breath of air and stares at the ceiling. “Shit. The things I said to him, Sutton. God, I’m so sorry. Why didn’t he talk to me about the two of you? Before tonight, I had seen a change in him.”

“He wanted to talk to you. Right from the start. And I asked him to wait. I was in the wrong, Dad, not Roark.” I was so wrong.

My dad locks eyes with me and cocks his head to the side in question. “But you love him?”

I nod, not even having to give it thought. “I love him, Dad.”

“And he treats you with respect.”

“Yes.”

“And you’re happy?”

I smile softly. “The happiest I’ve ever been. He teases me, he pushes my buttons, he makes me angry, but all in a way that shows me how compatible we are. And he never asks me for anything other than my presence. He just wants to be with me, hold my hand, hold me. That’s all.” I pause and catch my breath. “He makes me feel special, Dad.” Loved. Adored. Cherished.

Slowly he nods and places his hands on his knees. “We need to go find him.”

A tear slips past my eyes as I reach over and give him a large hug. As he lowers his head to my ear he whispers, “I’m so sorry, Sutton. If you’re happy, I’m happy. And you’re right about Roark. I’m sorry I let my ignorance blind me.”

“It’s okay, Dad.” I lean back and pat him on the cheek. “You can’t always be perfect.”

Whitney scoffs at that comment and folds her arms over her chest, a playful smile on her lips. “He’s anything but perfect, Sutton, you can trust me on that.”

“Watch it.” He points his finger at Whitney. “I don’t need you knocking me down a peg in front of my daughter.”

“Oh, you did that all on your own.” She chuckles, causing me to laugh as well. Looks like my dad met his match, and I couldn’t have picked a better person for him to be with. I’m shocked I didn’t see it before. Talk about being professional. I never would have guessed.

“Come on.” My dad rises from his chair. “Let’s go find, Roark.”





I roll over, the sheets tangling between my legs. The sun shines down through a slit in the curtains, and the smell of coffee permeates the room as I try to gain my bearings. My eyes flutter open, heavy from lack of sleep, adjusting to the early morning sun.