Page 10

Tennessee

“Out!” I bark as I tie a sheet around my waist and step toward the door, herding folks like sheep. Sure, we’re in the room without permission, and now her father is staring me straight in the face, but I’m not letting the first intimate moment between Sienna and I end like this.

She deserves better. Something sweeter, softer.

The man I haven’t seen in nearly thirty years pushes through the small crowd of people and barrels forward like the selfish fucking asshole he is. “What the fuck is going on here?” he hollers, face dark red, suit still crisp. “No, I know what’s going on here. Sienna, get up. We’re leaving.”

“No,” she whispers low in her chest, “I’m not going anywhere.”

“You planned this wedding, and you’re making a fucking fool of yourself in front of the hotel manager and all these guests,” he scoffs and glances back toward me, “with a man twice your age!” There’s disgust and disappointment in his tone, and I want to knock him the fuck out for every unkind word he’s ever said to her.

A woman nearly the same age with short, unnaturally black hair and a long black, sparkling dress steps into the room. I assume it’s the mother from Planet Zargo. “Sienna, are you kidding me? You’re an embarrassment. Clean yourself up and get back to work.”

Too bad none of these fucks tell her what to do anymore.

“Get the hell out, both of you, or I’ll carry you out.” My words are firm and rooted in honesty. There’s not a thing I wouldn’t do to keep this girl safe.

“Oh, high fucking day coming from the fucker who’s dicking my twenty-five-year-old daughter in a stolen hotel room.” Her father laughs under his breath and shoves me back. “You haven’t changed a bit, have you?”

“Not enough,” I groan, landing a punch square on his jaw.

The woman in black gasps and steps in, holding her husband’s arm as though he’s permanently damaged. Dramatic, everyone is so fucking dramatic. If I wanted him permanently injured, he would be.

Sienna lands her hand on my back and a rush of guilt swells my chest.

Fuck! I don’t want her to see me like this. I’m supposed to be a better man.

“It’s okay.” She rubs my back softly and holds my hand in hers, guiding me toward the bathroom. “Let’s go take a break.”

The second the door closes between the two worlds, I apologize. “I don’t know what happened. I’m so sorry. They interrupted us, and there’s all that past shit, and it just came rushing back. I—”

“It’s okay.” She tips up onto her toes and kisses my lips gently as though she’s the softest baby bird that ever lived. “He’s hurt me enough times, too.”

Blood pokes at me from beneath my skin. “What do you mean? He hurt you?”

“He’s not a good man. I put a lot of blame on my mother because she’s the puppet master, but my father goes along with it.

I’ve never been good enough for either of them.

Never pretty enough, never smart enough, and they let me know.

I spent years saving money to start this business, and I thought I wanted their approval,” she drags in a deep breath, “but I was wrong. They’ll never change. ”

I sweep my fingers through her hair and kiss the top of her head. “I need to be honest with you, sweetheart. I’m not a good man.”

“Yes, you are.” Her eyes meet mine as though she wants me to hear her, but I know I can’t leave the room until she knows the truth.

“Your dad and I were in our junior year of college. We had this thesis to write,” I round my shoulders, “and I had everything to prove. I was raised by a single mom, and I was at school on a scholarship. Your dad and I became friends. We were always fuckin’ around together, until one day, late in the semester, I found out he stole parts of my thesis and turned it in as his own.

I lost my scholarship, went home, joined the military, and well… ended up here.”

She shakes her head, twisting her long blonde hair to the side. “Why would you lose your scholarship? You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Honey, your dad is rich. Your family is rich. Rich people get what they want. It’s that easy. They always do.”

She huffs out a heavy breath and wrinkles her brows. “Why would I have thought you were the bad guy for that story?”

I drag in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“When I got kicked out, and he got to stay enrolled, I got really bitter. My mom had worked so fuckin’ hard to keep me in all the best programs at school so I’d get that scholarship.

I hated your dad after he did what he did.

So, I followed him out to the bar one night, dragged him out into the street, and beat the shit out of him.

He was in the hospital for a few months.

It was before cell phones, so no one had any proof it was me, but he knew. ”

She bites the inside of her lip as though she isn’t sure how to take everything I’m saying. I don’t blame her. This isn’t my highlight reel.

“I don’t know what to say,” she finally whispers.

I scrub my hand across my beard, the scent of her body still on me. “I’m not proud of myself for any of this. I’m a different man now.”

She stands from the bed and walks toward me slowly as though she sees parts of me that I no longer do. “I know you are, Tennessee. You don’t have to live in the past anymore. We can build a future together.”

I land my hand on her face, my chest warm from the words of understanding she spills from her innocent heart.

“I’m not a good man, Sienna. I’m not. I think that punch a few minutes ago proves it.

But I’d never lie to you, I’d never hurt you, and I’d burn the whole fuckin’ world down to make sure you’re safe. ”

“Sienna, we’re taking your father to the hospital. That beast broke his jaw!” her mother hollers through the bathroom door.

I stare down at her. “Do you want me to handle them?”

“No,” she kisses my chest and opens the door slowly, “I’ve got it.”

The door is barely open when I see her father staring at us. His jaw is definitely not busted. It’s red and bruised, but it’s not busted, and he doesn’t need a fucking hospital. He should know that with the medical degree he has.

“Does she know who you are?” he groans, staring up at me with heavy, untamed eyebrows.

“Of course I know who he is. I know who you are, too,” Sienna says, landing her small hand in mine as she steps beside me. “You’re a monster. You steal money from the hospital, you lie to people who care about you, you ruin lives, and you smile while you do it.”

“And you think your trash boyfriend is any better?” her father says with a smirk.

Fuck this guy!

Sienna smiles and leans against my chest. “Yeah, I do. I think he’s the best thing that ever happened to me, and if you and Mom walked out that door right now, I’d be just fine with never seeing either of you ever again.”

Her mother laughs. “If you cut us out Sienna, don’t think you’re getting a cent from us ever again. Not even a penny. You could be struggling at our doorstep, begging for a cracker and a glass of water, and I’ll remind you of this moment.”

Her head tilts to the side as she stares back at her folks.

“I’ve lived in your wreckage since I was a kid.

You built it brick by brick. Your threats, your violence, your selfish pride.

” She squeezes my hand tighter. “I’m done pretending silence is love.

Tennessee may not be perfect, but he sees me. He sees me like you never did.”

Her father’s mouth opens, but the words catch somewhere he can’t reach. For once, he’s not the loudest voice in the room.

I watch my girl with pride. Not only for standing up to her father, but for standing up for herself, for giving herself freedom from their ways.

“You ready?” she asks without looking away from her parents.

I nod. “Always.”

Finally, we step past the man who used to control everything, past the woman from Planet Zargo, past our history and into the future… and no one says another word.