I put the car in park and opened my door before it stopped rocking from the force of my entry into the driveway. I was late. I only had minutes to change from the dress I wore to the boutique into jeans and a T-shirt for dinner with my dad, Joshua Mosley.

My fiancé, Bryce Chase, and my dad didn’t get along. It was more than just the regular in-law tension. They despised each other. How was I supposed to choose? I loved them both. I couldn’t see my life without either of them.

My father was pushing that theory. He was cruel to Bryce every chance he got. When he got him fired from the teaching job Bryce had worked so hard to get, I stopped talking to him for a few months. He promised to be better. He even agreed to pay for the wedding to keep us from eloping.

He missed every appointment to plan that wedding, and I was fed up. I called the dinner, much to my fiancé’s frustration, to tell my father to put up or shut up. He was on the verge of losing me no matter how much it killed me. I was miserable those three months I didn’t speak to him after he interfered with Bryce’s job, but I was miserable with the way he was treating us. It was time to take my life back.

I often wondered what it would’ve been like had my mother been alive. Would she have been able to calm him and make him see reason? Would he even be upset about Bryce if he had the love of his life by his side? I’d forgiven my father a lot because I was there to see the change in him when she died. I was the only one close enough to hear the sobs that ultimately turned him bitter.

If life didn’t go his way after that, he fixed it until it did. Not all of his fixes were legal. It was easier to leave your morals at the door when things started working out in your favor. I tried to get him to become the father I knew before my mother’s accident, but nothing I did brought him back. It was almost as if I’d lost both my parents.

I wished she could’ve met Bryce. She would’ve loved him just as much as I did. I tried to tell him that, but it was hard for me to talk about her. I missed her so much. She was the memory I tucked away to help me get through the hard times with my father. It was hard to share that with someone, but Bryce understood. He always understood what I needed.

“I’m so sorry I’m late.” I burst through the door, but Bryce wasn’t in the living room. “Babe?” I didn’t hear anything downstairs and needed to get upstairs to change. I placed my bag on the sofa and ran up to our bedroom.

The bathroom light was on and the door was partially open with the sounds of the electric razor filling the bedroom. I took my dress off and laid it on the bed before adjusting my bra and making my way to the bathroom. I smiled when I opened the door all the way and leaned on the doorway. I still had my high heels on.

I watched as he stood leaning over the sink and looking into the mirror. He wasn’t as bulky as the men who worked for my father were, but I loved his swimmer’s body. I watched as the lean muscle flexed when he moved the electric razor over his gorgeous face. His brown hair was a shade or two lighter than mine, but he was stronger in every other aspect.

He was taller than me, but not by much when I had my heels on. He overpowered me in every wrestling match we ever took on. I didn’t mind, though. It usually led to a more intimate wresting match. I may not have had much experience with men, but he fit me perfectly there, too. I smiled again. I wished I hadn’t been running late. I could’ve used a quick wrestling match.

“Whatcha doing?” He hadn’t heard me come in, so I wanted to sound innocent until he looked at me.

He glanced my way and looked again when he realized I was standing in only my bra and underwear. He put the razor down as if he had all the time in the world. Once it hit the counter, he rushed me and picked me up before he spun me around and pinned me to the wall. I laughed and wrapped my arms and legs around him.

He kissed me and pressed his hips into me. “God, I love you.”

I ran my fingers through his hair as I looked into his eyes. “I love you, too.” I kissed him again and then dropped my legs from around his waist. “Come on. The sooner we get over there, the sooner we can get back here.” I looked to the bed.

“We should just skip it.” He kissed my neck.

“Not tonight. It’s too important.”

He stopped kissing my neck and held my face. “You don’t have to do this. I love you no matter who your father is. Please, don’t do something you’re going to regret. I can handle him.” He kissed me. “As long as I have you, I can handle anything.”

“You’ll never lose me.” I wrapped my arms around him. “But you will have to wait a few more hours to have me.” I gave him a quick peck and walked to the closet. “Are you just about done? I’ll be ready in two minutes.”

“Yeah.” He smacked my ass as he walked by. “I’ll be ready then, too.”

* * *

I waited until we sat down to eat to tell my father why we were really at his house that night. I wanted to gauge his attitude and mood to figure out the best way to say it without setting him off. I wanted to be forceful and strong with my words, but I didn’t want to come off as an asshole unless I needed to.

It was difficult to not spout off from the moment the dinner was served. My father knew Bryce was a vegetarian and that I made the decision to live that lifestyle with him. It was easier to make one meal instead of two every night. I didn’t miss having meat with dinner until it was placed in front of me, but I held my ground and only took potatoes, corn, and bread. Both Bryce and I left the chicken and gravy behind.

The small talk had ended and all any of us were doing was eating. It was time to start the conversation I called the dinner for. “Dad, we missed you again last night for the cake testing.”

“Sweetie, I’m sorry. I’m the only one who can make certain decisions, and you know I have to be available at all times for that.” He went back to eating.

“Yes, I know, but you haven’t made it to one appointment.”

“I know. I’m sorry, baby.” He took a bite and chewed for a few moments as he looked at us. “You know, why not do something really special and have one of those destination weddings? We could go wherever you want to go.”

Bryce surprised me with his interest in it. “Even somewhere with no connection to the outside world?”

I looked at him. “You want to go somewhere like that to get married?”

He shrugged. “I think it would be fun to go somewhere tropical and not be attached to our phones.” He scooted his chair closer. “I’d rather be attached to you.”

My father cleared his throat. “If that’s what you want, baby, I’ll have my travel agent get some things together and get in touch with you.”

“Honestly, Dad, I just want you to show up to one appointment. It will be so much cheaper to have it here. I already have everything I need.” I placed my hand on Bryce’s cheek and gave him a quick kiss.

My father hated it when I showed Bryce any kind of affection. It changed his mood in a heartbeat. “Let’s see you run a business this big and have time for everything. Just because you’re working for yourself doesn’t mean you know the first thing about true business.”

“True business?” I turned from Bryce. “I may not have a lot of employees, but I do have a true business.”

“You have no employees, but that wasn’t what I was referring to. You buy and sell dresses. It’s pretty cut and dry. I have a complex business, which demands my attention at all times. “

Bryce put his hand on my leg but continued eating with his other hand. He was trying to calm me down. My father was just baiting me for a fight. It would’ve worked if Bryce hadn’t stopped me.

My father pointed his fork in Bryce’s direction. “Are you fondling her under the table? Why they didn’t lock your ass up when that kid turned you in is beyond me.”

“That’s it!” I stood and shoved Bryce off when he tried to get me to sit again. “There was no kid. You hired a family to make those false accusations, and I will not tolerate you to speak of it again.

“This dinner is a last chance for you to get your shit together or get out of my life. This is the man I’m going to spend the rest of my life with, and you need to get over it.”

He sounded too calm. It was how I knew I hit a nerve. “I know you didn’t just give your father an ultimatum.” He took a drink of his wine as he eyed Bryce and me.

“I did and I’ll stick to it this time. You will not bully my fiancé or me anymore. I don’t need your blessing to be happy. And stop serving us meat! We are vegetarians.”

“You’re not a vegetarian. It’s more bullshit he’s fed you. There is no reason for you to not eat meat. If you’d pull your head out of his ass, I’m sure you’d remember that you like it.”

* * *

I walked out from behind Laney and stood on the other side. I was too close to the table. I needed to be in the open before Joshua Mosley did something. He was unpredictable and dangerous.

Most guys would’ve run scared the moment he looked their way, but I wasn’t going anywhere. Laney Mosley was the woman I’d spent my life looking for. Nothing was too much of a hardship as long as she was by my side.

Teaching was my dream job, but the bank did offer more financial incentive. Since Laney’s dream was to run the boutique, I’d work a straight nine-to-five to ensure our family would be financially secure. I didn’t want Laney to give up anything if times got tough for her shop. I didn’t want her to give up her father, either. She would’ve been better off without his controlling and deceitful ways, but he was her father. I would’ve understood and made it work.

“Laney can have meat any time she would like to. No one is telling her she can’t. She chooses to stay away from it. Look, I think things are a little heated—” I stood in front of Laney and pulled her behind me when her father stood and threw his plate across the room as if it were a Frisbee.

“A little heated?” He stormed around the corner, pointing his finger in my face. “You listen to me, you little cocksucker.”

Laney tried to get around me, but I held her back and continued to stand my ground when her father walked up to me. I would not be intimidated. That was what he hated most of all. He couldn’t control me or my fears. I knew he was a worthless piece of shit.

“You are going to walk out that door right now and leave my daughter alone. She never would’ve talked to me this way if you hadn’t come into her life and filled her head with a bunch of lies. Get out!”

“I go if he goes, and I’ll never come back!” Laney was trying to get around me still, but I held on to her waist with my hands behind me. It kept my chest open for Joshua to do something, but Laney was my first priority. She would always be my first priority.

“I think it would be best if we both leave. After a few days, you two can talk things out.” I wasn’t letting Joshua cut me off that time. “Or, you can agree to never contact her again.” I knew he’d never agree to it.

He took one long look down my body before he snarled and turned to walk away. Once he was in the other room, I turned to Laney and wrapped my arms around her. “Come on.” I kissed her forehead. “Let’s head home.”

She was silent the thirty minutes it took to drive home and get into our pajamas, but the moment we crawled into bed she sobbed. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tighter. Some may have tried to stop the tears, but I let them fall. She needed the release.

“I don’t know what we’ve done to him.”

“We didn’t do anything. He would’ve had a problem with anyone you fell in love with.”

She pushed herself up on her elbow and looked down at me. “He has to know I want a family. Why doesn’t he want me happy?”

I reached up and brushed the hair out of her face. “He wants you to be happy. He just wants to be the one to make you happy. You’re all he’s got in the world. Since your mom died, he’s got no one else.”

“That isn’t my fault.” She lay back down on my chest.

“No, it isn’t.” I kissed the top of her head. “He thinks it’s mine. I need you to really think about what you’re doing when you say you’ll cut him out of your life. He is your dad. You won’t get another one.”

“I won’t get another you, either.”

“But, I’m not going anywhere. Your father is not going to scare me away. He isn’t going to pay me off to get rid of me. I can handle anything he can throw my way as long as I have you.”

She slid her leg in between mine in an attempt to get even closer. “You’ll never have to be without me. Just, please, let us elope.”

“We only get one shot to really get married. I want it to be perfect. I don’t want you to regret anything about it.”

“The only thing I’m regretting is waiting so long. I need to be married to you.”

“You need a piece of paper to tell the world we’re in love?”

“No, but it isn’t the paper. I want to be yours in every way. Getting married is the only way I’m not yours yet.”

I rolled her to her back and got on top of her. I stayed up on my elbows and held her face. “You are mine in every way possible. I don’t need a piece of paper to tell me you are my wife. You are my wife in my heart and in my soul. I cannot live a day without you.”

She caressed my face. “You’ll never have to, but I’m still packing to elope. You’ll change your mind.”