you,” he repeated, his arms hanging at
his sides and his broad shoulders slumped.
“Well, goodie for you,” the girl said before turning and
flouncing to the door. She yanked it open then whirled around with a dramatic
flourish. Margot tried very, very hard not to roll her eyes. “Let’s go, Daddy.”
She kept her gaze on Margot who’d stepped out from behind and now stood
shoulder to shoulder with Antony. “Don’t you have a date ? With your fiancée ?”
“As a matter of fact, I don’t have a date. Rosie said she’d
be late tonight, some meeting at the bank.” His voice was strong, steady and
free of anger. Margot gave him mental kudos. He crossed his arms. His daughter
mirrored him. If the whole thing weren’t so hopelessly messy, Margot would
consider this moment a breakthrough. But she couldn’t get past her bizarre,
huffy, knee-jerk reactions to the girl’s teenage-style baiting.
AliceLynn frowned then slipped out the door, leaving Margot
at a loss, and unsure for the first time in a damn long time what to say or do.
Antony turned and dropped into the closest chair, burying his face in his
hands. She stood over him, raised a hand to touch his shoulder and then dropped
it. Then raised it again and dropped it once more. Confusion churned through
her.
After a few brutally awkward minutes, Antony lifted his head
and looked at her, making her weak in the knees, in a way no grown woman should
be. She took a step away from him, shaking her head but he remained seated,
staring at her. “I can’t do this.” His voice was low and sounded strangled.
“You don’t have to do anything,” she insisted, making her
slow way around so the huge desk was between them again.
“I can’t be this…person everyone needs me to be. I don’t
know how I got here in the first place and I’m sick and fucking tired of
disappointing everybody with my inability to father that…that girl. Oh god,” he
moaned and leaned his elbows on his knees.
Letting her inner caretaker overrule her logical mind, which
was fairly screaming at her to stop, run away and put a lot of distance between
herself and this imminent disaster, Margot moved back around the desk and put
her hand on his shoulder. The way he settled under her touch and the way she
sensed it, provided her with even more inner turmoil.
“You aren’t disappointing anyone,” she said, attempting and
nearly failing to keep the tremor out of her voice. “Stop saying that.”
He rose so fast the chair tottered and tipped backward with
a thud. Before she could blink he had her wrists in his hands and his lips
close to hers. “I can’t do this anymore. I’m…I …”
Giving herself a firm shove over the precipice, Margot took
a breath and yanked her arms out of his grip, wrapped them around his neck and
pressed her lips to his. They both made low, satisfied sounds deep in their
throats. He hesitated a split second then met her more than halfway, pulling
her close and opening his mouth to hers. After a few, glorious seconds, he
broke away, breathing heavy and glaring at her. “Don’t make this fucking
worse,” he said under his breath as if talking to himself.
Margot’s body was on high alert. She tingled from tip to toe
and knew her face was flushed. “It’s…all right.” She moved closer, taking his
large, warm hand in hers. He jerked out her reach.
“No, it’s not and you damn well know it. I don’t know what
the fuck it is about you—no, wait, I do know and I don’t want it, do you get
me? Margot? I can’t want it. I had it. I loved it. And it got into a car and was crushed by a fucking semi-trailer on the interstate.”
His voice broke. “I won’t allow myself to feel that way about anyone ever
again.”
Margot dropped onto the small couch, her therapy brain
clicking in on autopilot. “But, you…what about…” She couldn’t even bring
herself to say the poor woman’s name.
“Rosie,” he
his sides and his broad shoulders slumped.
“Well, goodie for you,” the girl said before turning and
flouncing to the door. She yanked it open then whirled around with a dramatic
flourish. Margot tried very, very hard not to roll her eyes. “Let’s go, Daddy.”
She kept her gaze on Margot who’d stepped out from behind and now stood
shoulder to shoulder with Antony. “Don’t you have a date ? With your fiancée ?”
“As a matter of fact, I don’t have a date. Rosie said she’d
be late tonight, some meeting at the bank.” His voice was strong, steady and
free of anger. Margot gave him mental kudos. He crossed his arms. His daughter
mirrored him. If the whole thing weren’t so hopelessly messy, Margot would
consider this moment a breakthrough. But she couldn’t get past her bizarre,
huffy, knee-jerk reactions to the girl’s teenage-style baiting.
AliceLynn frowned then slipped out the door, leaving Margot
at a loss, and unsure for the first time in a damn long time what to say or do.
Antony turned and dropped into the closest chair, burying his face in his
hands. She stood over him, raised a hand to touch his shoulder and then dropped
it. Then raised it again and dropped it once more. Confusion churned through
her.
After a few brutally awkward minutes, Antony lifted his head
and looked at her, making her weak in the knees, in a way no grown woman should
be. She took a step away from him, shaking her head but he remained seated,
staring at her. “I can’t do this.” His voice was low and sounded strangled.
“You don’t have to do anything,” she insisted, making her
slow way around so the huge desk was between them again.
“I can’t be this…person everyone needs me to be. I don’t
know how I got here in the first place and I’m sick and fucking tired of
disappointing everybody with my inability to father that…that girl. Oh god,” he
moaned and leaned his elbows on his knees.
Letting her inner caretaker overrule her logical mind, which
was fairly screaming at her to stop, run away and put a lot of distance between
herself and this imminent disaster, Margot moved back around the desk and put
her hand on his shoulder. The way he settled under her touch and the way she
sensed it, provided her with even more inner turmoil.
“You aren’t disappointing anyone,” she said, attempting and
nearly failing to keep the tremor out of her voice. “Stop saying that.”
He rose so fast the chair tottered and tipped backward with
a thud. Before she could blink he had her wrists in his hands and his lips
close to hers. “I can’t do this anymore. I’m…I …”
Giving herself a firm shove over the precipice, Margot took
a breath and yanked her arms out of his grip, wrapped them around his neck and
pressed her lips to his. They both made low, satisfied sounds deep in their
throats. He hesitated a split second then met her more than halfway, pulling
her close and opening his mouth to hers. After a few, glorious seconds, he
broke away, breathing heavy and glaring at her. “Don’t make this fucking
worse,” he said under his breath as if talking to himself.
Margot’s body was on high alert. She tingled from tip to toe
and knew her face was flushed. “It’s…all right.” She moved closer, taking his
large, warm hand in hers. He jerked out her reach.
“No, it’s not and you damn well know it. I don’t know what
the fuck it is about you—no, wait, I do know and I don’t want it, do you get
me? Margot? I can’t want it. I had it. I loved it. And it got into a car and was crushed by a fucking semi-trailer on the interstate.”
His voice broke. “I won’t allow myself to feel that way about anyone ever
again.”
Margot dropped onto the small couch, her therapy brain
clicking in on autopilot. “But, you…what about…” She couldn’t even bring
herself to say the poor woman’s name.
“Rosie,” he
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