Page 35 of Silver Fox Grump
“Do not ‘Dad’ me,” he snaps. “You two are awful, shitty?—”
“Wes,” I interrupt with a threat in my tone. There’s only so much I’ll take, and the amount is zero for Maisie. I won’t allow him to be rude to her, mortal threats to my life or not.
“Don’t. You’re lucky to be alive.” He plants his hands on his hips and looks over his shoulder, then away again, as though the sight of us together, our hands linked, is more than he can deal with.
“This is happening with or without your approval,” I state clearly. If I have to steal Maisie away and break ties with my best friend, well. So be it.
Today has reorientated my priorities in a way that makes me wonder why this realisation took me so long.
“I can’t believe I didn’t see it sooner,” he says, almost to himself. “You sneaky shitheads.”
Maisie and I exchange a tentative look of hope.
“I’m sorry, Dad,” Maisie begins, “But?—”
“I know, I know, give me a minute you arseholes,” Wes grumbles, bowing his head as though at the funeral of good sense and taste, and really mourning their loss.
I feel Maisie’s excitement buzzing and when I brush my thumb over hers and she pushes her little fingertips into my knuckles, it’s a promise.
“You’ll formalise the alliance with Mitcham,” he says, his back still to us.
“Of course, how much were you thinking of?” I’ve built a fortune once, doing it a second time would be a small price for Maisie.
Wes huffs. “I don’t need your money, you prick. You’ll take my side when Westminster wants to short-change everyone south of the river, and you’llmarry.”
“I’m no more fond of being fleeced than you are, and a better ally than Waltham,” I say to Wes, not quite daring to look at Maisie even as I bring our joined hands to my lips and kiss the back of her hand. “I’ll ask your daughter about the second thing. I hope she’ll say yes.”
Maisie blinks, then nods eagerly.
“In return I’ll pay you for that laundering you do for me,” Wes says between gritted teeth.
“Good of you.” I’m grinning, because I’m winning all the way here. I’m stupidly, improbably happy.
“Don’t hurt her.” Wes turns and faces me down.
“I won’t.”
“If you break her heart, I will personally skin you alive, then dip you in acid.” Right now, Wes is not my friend. He’s not a mafia boss. He’s a protective father. “Be good to her. Keep her safe.”
“Dad!” Maisie protests.
“I will treat her like the princess she is, but not because of any threat from you,” I reply with the simple truth.
Wes narrows his eyes.
“I’ll love and spoil her as she deserves because doing anything that harmed Maisie would be far more painful than your torture.”
“Fine.” Wes grimaces, but doesn’t enlarge on that.
“You don’t mind?” Maisie checks.
“I absolutely do mind.” His expression softens as he looks at his daughter. “But I won’t kill him since you seem tolikehim.”
“Good.” I touch my cheek, which is sore and probably going to bruise, but thankfully not that bad. Wes is my friend, it seems, even when he’s murderous, and didn’t hit me as hard as he could have.
“I love him,” Maisie says again, and my heart does a new move. Olympic-winning gymnast, my stupid heart. Missed its calling beating in my chest all day.
Wes huffs, but he holds out open arms. Maisie goes to him, and I let her. My future wife hugs my best friend, her father, and my future father-in-law.