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“What gives, baby girl?” Rain asked in a quiet, subdued voice. “Over the phone your voice was all kinds of messed up. Now you’re quiet and you’ve shut down. I feel like I might need to turn the car around so I can go kick one of those boys’ asses, because clearly one of them needs an ass whooping. Stop scaring me and tell me what the fuck is going on.”

I didn’t want to tell him anymore. I wanted to keep my humiliation to myself.

I mean, really? Had Quinton actually told me he wanted to marry me because he thought it would keep me safe?

What in the actual fuck was that?

“Ariel?” Rain prompted in that same subdued voice, but now there was a sweet softness to it that he only ever used with me... and now Baxter, but I’d sent him away. “I need you to talk me off the ledge before I get past the point of no return. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you, and you’re starting to really freak me out.”

Shit.

I watched in fascination as he strangled the steering wheel in his white-knuckled grip. His face had morphed into a dark, angry mask, and I knew he was closer to that ledge than he knew.

I sighed as I slumped back into my seat and looked out my window. “Quinton told me he wants me to have a commitment ceremony with the guys because he thinks it will make me safer from the Council, and then he told me he wants me to actually marry one of them legally, just to be safe. He acted like we were having a conversation about the damn weather, and I’ve never wanted to dick punch someone more in my whole freaking life. That’s saying something, because the majority of my life has been filled with assholes. I’m not saying that to make you angry, it’s just the truth of my life.”

Before he could respond, I slapped the palm of my hand against the dash and exclaimed, “Oh! Andget this!He was kind enough to tell me I could pick out who I actually legally tied myself to. Can you believe the nerve of that man?”

Now I was angry all over again.

“He’s a good boy,” Rain remarked, sounding far too calm for my liking. “But sometimes he’s got shit for brains.”

Shit for brains.

He had that right.

The Rover was silent for several minutes after that. I didn’t want to break it because I had finally started to relax.

Most people would not be at ease in Rain’s company, but he was my dad. I loved him, and he always had a way of making me feel better about everything. I didn’t even want to get into how much I’d missed out on with him because it’d just break my heart all the more to even think about right now. I was a strong girl, but I couldn’t hack any more at the moment.

Maybe we were both standing side by side at that ledge, ready for that thing to come along and push us both over.

It was Rain who broke the silence.

“You don’t want to get married? I know you don’t want to have kids, and even though it pains me, I can understand that. If all I get is you, then that will be more than enough for me because you’re my everything. But marriage? That’s a whole other thing, baby girl. Marrying your mother was...fuck.She fulfilled all my hopes and dreams that day. Then she gave me you, and I knew true happiness in its purest form. I want that for you, and I know as much as he can come across as a dick that Quinton always means well when it comes to you. He’d do anything for you, it’s obvious to anyone who sees him with you. You know I don’t think you could do much better than him. I wouldn’t mind him being my son-in-law. Either him or his nephew, the one with the big set of balls hanging between his legs. They’d both make great sons-in-law. Not that creep Julian though. You could get rid of him, and I’d be happy for you.”

I groaned as I closed my eyes. Why my dad was talking about Tyson’s junk, I had no idea.

The men in my life were out of control, every single one of them.

“What’d the ring look like?” Rain asked when I didn’t respond to his outrageous words.

This was a question that had an answer that I felt like he’d have a good response to.

“There was no damn ring,” I informed him smugly. “I’m telling you, Dad, it was almost like a business transaction. He told me after I got mad that he had a ring for me, but because I don’t like receiving gifts, he didn’t think it was smart to give it to me just then. Seriously. And I’m getting better about accepting gifts, so how dare he try to throw that in my face? Is it even a gift when it’s an engagement ring? I think not. I wanted a pretty ring, damn it.”

All my fire left me immediately, and I slumped back into my seat, utterly deflated.

Rain slammed on the brakes, and the Rover screeched to a stop in the middle of the road. Thank goodness I never got into a car without putting my seatbelt on or my face might have met with the windshield.

“What kind of bullshit is this?” Rain raged. “You’re my fucking daughter! Did he at least get down on one knee?”

My eyes widened, and I regretted calling Rain. Maybe I needed to find myself a girlfriend, because sharing with my dad looked like it was about to backfire and the men I loved were all about to die by his bare hands.

“Dad.” I didn’t say any more, because my voice was choked up and I knew I wouldn’t be able to get out more.

“No,” he said as he slowly shook his head. “I could hear it in your voice, see it in your eyes. You’re hurt over this because it’s something you actually did want, and he’s fucked it all up.”

Yeah.