“Fred?” I tried to speak past the golf ball-sized lump in my throat. “I’m so sorry for what I said the day I got his first letter… about wanting to finally have a relationship with my dad.”

“It’s okay, kiddo.” He reached out and patted my knee. “I know how bad you’ve wanted a dad your whole life.”

I stared deep into the beautiful sky blue eyes of the man who’d taken me to the hospital for stitches in my chin when I was twelve and rode my bike straight into a tree. The eyes of the man whose silhouette had stood in the front window when Zach dropped me off from our first date. The eyes of the man who’d cried in front of me for the first time the day I brought the girls home from the hospital and he held one in each arm. The eyes of a man who didn’t share one drop of blood with me, but loved me unconditionally regardless, when another man decided I wasn’t worth it.

“That’s just my point—I already had one. You’re the best dad I could’ve ever asked for.” Tears stung my eyes again, but these were happy tears. “We may not share blood, but we share more memories in one day than I had in ten years with him. You’ve been by my side as far back as I can remember, Fred, and it’s just fitting that you be by my side on my wedding day. Would you please walk me down the aisle?”

“Wow.” Fred swallowed and cleared his throat. “I’m sure glad that you feel that way about me, Kacie, because that’s exactly how I feel about you. I would love to escort you down the aisle, right into the arms of the man who loves your girls the way I love you.”

I threw my arms around his shoulders and squeezed as hard as I could. “I love you too… dad.”

I liked to think of myself as a pretty even-keeled guy. Dealing with a lot of trash talk and bullshit on the ice had really numbed me to the dickheads of the real world. But one thing that sent me into attack mode was seeing someone I loved get hurt. Especially if that someone happened to be my fiancé.

“That sucks. What a prick.” Andy sat in amazement as I told him the story of Kacie’s meeting with her dad.

“Dude, she was so upset when she told me all of this last week. I wanted to find him right then and ring his fucking neck with my bare hands.”

“I can imagine. Nothing worse than when someone makes your girl cry.” He stood up, walked over to his printer, and removed the paper. “You really think this is gonna work?”

“It has to.” I shrugged. “I know how people like him work. They only see one thing.”

Andy made small talk for the next half hour while I eyed my watch and paced nervously around his office.

“Calm down.” He laughed, sitting relaxed as ever at his desk.

“I just want to get this over with.” I stretched my arms up high in the air, trying to relax myself any way I could. “Does nothing ever rattle you? You’re the same person all the time.”

“Sure, things get to me,” he said nonchalantly, “but not dealing with scum like this.”

Ellie’s voice rang out in the room. “Mr. Shaw, your eleven o’clock is here.”

Andy’s eyes locked on mine. “Ready?”

“Fuck yes.”

He pushed a button on his phone. “Thanks, El. Send him in.”

A minute later, his office door opened and Ellie ushered in Don Jensen. I sat against Andy’s desk, gripping the wooden end so tight I thought I might break it off. Andy sensed my tension and walked over to shake his hand first. “Hi, Don. Come on in.”

Don finished with Andy and walked over to me, holding his hand out eagerly, completely oblivious when I ignored it. “So, this is the man engaged to my little girl. Congratulations, she’s quite the catch.”

How the fuck would you know?

“Hold my calls for a bit please, Ellie,” Andy called out. Ellie nodded and shut the door behind her.

“Have a seat, Mr. Jensen.” Andy waved toward his seating area.

“Please, call me Don.” He grinned as he sat down, looking back and forth between me and Andy. “I was surprised to hear from you, Brody. Kacie left the coffee shop all huffy, but I’m glad she finally came to her senses and talked to you about my offer.”

“Oh yeah, she talked to me about it,” I said sarcastically. “It’s like this, Don. I’m in love with Kacie. I love her more than I’ve ever loved anyone on this planet, and when someone upsets her, I will go to the ends of the earth to make sure that doesn’t happen again. So here’s the deal: Kacie doesn’t want to see you again—ever—but I’m not stupid; I know how you people work.”

His cheerful grin faded and was replaced with a frown as he realized he wasn’t there for pleasantries.

“You sent her a letter. She ignored it, and you sent her two more until she finally agreed to come and meet you.” I stood tall, crossing my arms over my chest. “So, here’s what I’m proposing. She said you asked for fifty grand. I’m gonna double it and give you a hundred.”

His eyes grew wide but he didn’t respond, knowing I wasn’t done.

“However, in order to get that hundred grand, you’re going to sign the contract my good friend Andy is holding, promising that you will never, ever, ever contact Kacie, her daughters, or Sophia again or I will sue the shit out of you for twenty times what I gave you.”

“And if I refuse?” he snarled.

“Then you leave here with no money, but still the same chances of getting near Kacie. I’ll hire a security detail for her and the girls that’ll give the President’s a run for his money if I even think you’re contemplating contacting her again. Money or no money, you’ll never see her again.”

“What are you, in the mafia?” He huffed.

“Nope.” I raised my chin in the air. “I’m a love-sick man who has more money than he knows what to do with and will protect what’s his at all costs.”

“More money than you know what to do with?” Tilting his head to the side, a calculating smile crossed his lips. “Then I want more. Make it a million and you have a deal.”

I stared him straight in the eye. “Go fuck yourself. Hundred grand, that’s it. Take it or leave it, but you have two minutes to decide. Then I’m throwing you out on your ass, completely penniless.”

His eyes looked down at the ground as he contemplated his next move, even though I already knew exactly what it would be.

“Got a pen?” He sighed, glaring at Andy.

“Sure thing.” Andy laid the contract on the coffee table in front of him and handed him a pen. He didn’t even read it. He just signed his name as I took out my checkbook. I gnashed my teeth as I wrote the check. It wasn’t about the money. That meant nothing to me. When Kacie cried as she told me about their meeting and how stupid her dad made her feel, my protective instincts took over and I knew I had to keep him away from her.

“You have the contract?” I asked Andy.

“Signed and dated,” he confirmed.

“Here.” I handed the check to Don, who grinned as he looked down at it. “Now get out.”

Looking up at me, his smile grew bigger. “You don’t have to tell me twice. Nice doing business with you boys.” He nodded and turned toward the door. It would have been worth it to punch him right in the back of his smug head if I weren’t still on probation for my bar fight incident.