SWNOVELS The Forbidden Freshman: Chapter 54
Watching the blood drain from Mikayla’s face kills me. I knew she was gonna be mad about this. Even though the news is fucking great, it’s gonna take her a minute to get there. But I couldn’t sit on this.
I only just got off the phone with her father. It took me a little time to find him. Ten days, to be exact. I’ve been scouring the Internet, working my way through a bunch of Michael Hydes with no success. But not today. This morning, I left a message for the owner of the Luna Luxury Resort in Northern California. The guy is loaded, the son-in-law of some business mogul who builds resorts all over the world. Michael Hyde designed this boutique getaway hotel in Northern California and has grown it into a world-class escape that’s frequented by the rich and famous. There’s no way he doesn’t have the money to pay for Mikayla’s education.
And he called me back just as I was hopping out of the shower, his voice shaking.
“You know my daughter?”
He’d sounded breathless with excitement, and I’d rushed out a few key questions that would reassure me he’s the man I’m looking for.
And he was.
He fucking was!
And he wants to see Mikayla.
But will she be willing to see him?
That’s the battle I’m facing right now, and as I watch her pale face start to mottle with anger, I know I’m in for a fight.
“Mick, please.”
“You called my dad? What the fuck, Ethan!”
I close my eyes.
“How could you go behind my back like that? I trusted you, and you shit all over me?”
“I didn’t shit on you. I…” I sigh. “Okay, yes, I went behind your back on this, but I didn’t want to say anything unless it worked out, and he—”
“He doesn’t want me. I told you that, yet you looked for him anyway!” She stomps down the stairs toward me. I go to reach for her, but she slaps my hands away with an angry growl, using Liam’s sleeves as weapons to keep me back. It would be comical if she wasn’t so angry with me.
“Mick, come on. He wants you. He called me back. He’s excited to see you. He’s flying all the way out here this weekend so he can—”
“No!” She shoves me aside, storming past me. “I can’t do this. I’m not gonna talk about this with you, and I’m not going to meet up with some guy who abandoned me when I was eleven.”
“Mick.”
She throws me a dark glare that warns me off, but dammit, I can’t listen to it. So I follow her down the tunnel toward the exit and snatch her arm before she can run away from me. “Just stop and talk to me.”
“I don’t want to talk about it!” She tries to wrench her arm free, but I don’t let go this time.
Instead, I pull her toward me. “I don’t give a shit if you want to or not. You need to.”
She growls again, sounding like a pissed-off little puppy, but I meet her raging gaze, refusing to be put off by it.
“I know he hurt you. I get that, okay? But you should have heard him on the phone. He was nearly crying. And he’s flying out here. He didn’t even hesitate. He wants to see you.”
“Well, I don’t want to see him.”
“But you’re going to, because this could solve all your problems.”
“Or it could ruin me!” Her blue eyes glass with tears. “Don’t you get that?”
My chest constricts, the look on her face like a punch to the balls.
I sigh, my voice dropping to a soft, husky rumble. “Why would he fly out to see you only to reject you again? If he didn’t want you, he wouldn’t have called me back, and he wouldn’t have offered to meet up this weekend.”
She tries to wrench her arm free again, and this time I let go, sensing that she’s not about to bolt. But she’s not about to respond to me either, so I take advantage of the silent space and keep talking.
“I know this is scary and emotional. And I know you hate emotional, but you need to do this.”
She starts shaking her head.
“Mick, you’ve gotta go see him.”
“No I don’t.”
“Yes you do.” I bend down to look her right in the eye. “And I love you enough to make you.”
Her eyes round, and then she darts her gaze away from me. I can tell by the trembling of her bottom lip that she’s fighting tears, refusing to let them spill out of her eyes. I hate it when she cries, but this isn’t about my comfort. It’s about helping her. If she needs to, then she can just go ahead and rip my heart to pieces with her tears.
“It’s gonna be okay,” I whisper. “I’ll be right beside you, and I would never let anyone hurt you.”
She sniffs and swallows, hunching her shoulders and swiveling away from me.
She’s not running out the door, so I take that as a positive sign.
Inching closer, I stand right behind her, gently weaving my arms around her and kissing the back of her head. “That’s why I didn’t tell you what I was up to. If I’d found him and he hadn’t wanted to see you, I wouldn’t have said anything. You never would have known.”
“I hate that you hid this from me.” Her voice is barely audible. “It feels like you were lying or something.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“But you did.”
I close my eyes, resting my forehead on the top of her head. “I’m sorry.” I swallow, my voice sounding thick and gummy. “I just want what’s best for you. I was just trying to fight for you. For your future. For us.”
With another little sniff, she spins and wraps her arms around me, fisting the back of my hoodie and burying her face against my chest.
I kiss the top of her head, then cup the back of it, relief pulsing through me. She has every right to call me an asshole and dump me right here. But she’s holding me.
Tightening my grip on her, I stand there in the dimming light of the arena entrance and hold her until she’s ready to let go. It takes a really long time, but finally, she eases away from me. I smile down at her, tucking her hair behind her ears. Her lips twitch and she sniffs again, pushing up the massive sleeves of Liam’s jacket.
My forehead wrinkles with a frown. “Here.” I push it off her shoulders.
“What are you doing?”
Liam’s jacket hits the floor as I unzip my hoodie and drape it around her shoulders. “That’s better.”
She gives me a droll look, her right eyebrow arching. “Are you gonna pee on me next?”
I snicker, grabbing Liam’s jacket before tucking my arm around her shoulders and pulling her close as we walk to my truck. “My girl. My hoodie.”
She doesn’t say anything, but her lips are curling into a smile, and I take that as forgiveness. I can’t shake the feeling that I’m still gonna have to fight to get her to see her dad this weekend, but hopefully she’ll let me.
“I love you,” I murmur when we reach my truck.
She stops and looks up at me, rising to her tiptoes and pressing her lips to mine. It’s enough of a reassurance to settle my gut as I open the door for her, then drive us home to Hockey House.