Page 126 of Structure of Love

“Why?”

Okay, it wasn’t just me, he didn’t understand it either.

“Did you save enough for Erin?”

What the hell did he just say? I stared at this man, wondering where his head was at. He’djustapologized for not being fair to his sons at his own father’s funeral and here he was again, focusing on his daughter.

Logan blew out a noisy breath. “Somehow, I just knew that would be the words coming out of your mouth. Go home. Erin isn’t your responsibility anymore.”

“She’s my daughter!” he snapped back. “As a parent, I—”

“As a parent, you suck.” Logan bit off, glaring him down. “Even if you offered Erin money, she’d throw it right back into your face.”

Startled, his jaw flapped for a moment before croaking, “She doesn’t hate us that much!”

Logan sighed, wearily. Like he knew there was no need to argue that point. That his father wouldn’t hear it.

It might not be my place, but I chose to step in. “Sir. Frankly, none of your children trust you or want your involvement in their lives. I’ve talked with most of them at this point, Erin especially, and they all agree you’re just trouble. Please, for the love of god, go through therapy and figure out why you’re so obsessed with your daughter. This really isn’t healthy.”

He stared at me, gobsmacked. “This is between me and my children!”

Logan challenged that immediately. “No, it’s not. Because we don’t want to deal with you anymore. Just go. All right? Just fucking go.”

Raymond’s brows screwed together in this perplexed manner. “I’m just making sure my daughter has enough money for college, is that so wrong?”

“I repeat, again, she won’t accept a dime from you. You’re wasting your time.”

“No one turns down money!”

“But it’s not just money with you. There’s always strings attached. Erin’s learned that painfully well.”

“I wasn’t going to ask for anything!”

I snorted because even I didn’t believe that.

Logan pointed to me. “He barely knows you and even he knows better. There’salwaysstrings attached. You’re obviously using money to open the door again. But Erin’s nailed that door shut. May have welded it shut, really. She wants absolutely nothing to do with you or your wife.”

He looked crestfallen all over again. “I can’t even help her?”

“No.”

For a long moment, we awkwardly stood there. Raymond, I think, was on the point of tears. He was lost on what to do next. I think he really believed his ploy would work. Why, Ididn’t understand. Logan had gone to several lengths in order to support his baby sister. Did the man really think he’d given all the money away and not given Erin anything? Seriously?

Or had he gambled, hoping this ploy would make his daughter talk to him again? If so, it was a poor ass bet with very low odds.

He stared at Logan for a long moment. Then at me, strangely. He seemed really focused on me. “Don’t you know what he was like as a teenager, how much a reprobate he was?”

Oh he fucking did NOT. “Sir. Your son has no secrets from me. Nor I from him. And with your question, it shows you haven’t changed at all. You leave right now. I’m calling the police in three seconds.”

“No, I didn’t mean—”

“I guess I’ll always be the screwup to you,” Logan said harshly, and oh his expression was furious. Like a storm sweeping across Lake Superior. It was cold, too, an icy fury. “You’ll never acknowledge your part in it, either. Go fuck yourself, asshole.”

Raymond seemed to realize he had put both feet in his mouth, and had somehow crammed a hand in there as well. I don’t know why he thought undermining Logan in front of me was a good idea. Maybe he was trying to break Logan’s support to get to Erin? I don’t know, it didn’t make sense to me.

But he did realize he wasn’t going to gain ground here. With a heavy sigh, he turned and trudged away.

“What,” I bit off, “the ever loving fuck was that?”