“Neo,” Bella interrupts.
I nod. “They became a thing. I had no interest in her that way, so it was easy. He found out she was pregnant; she was too far along to do shit about it. Baby came out my color, not his. She said she wanted to get married. I was already in it for life with a kid—I could have made it work—so I was down.”
“Then she left him and Luna when she was an infant, and they were homeless, and an old lady took them in,” Bella finishes.
“You missed a part. She made me turn myself in for all the warrants—vandalism. Well, graffiti. She took care of my girl, and when I got out, she had a job lined up for me. She’s the one who pushed me to do this, and I’m going to win so I can make sure she’s taken care of like she took care of us.”
Jase still looks pissed. The others don’t. Either way, I don’t care.
As a father, the next part is what would bother me, so I’m ready for whatever.
“The extra push was when I found out who Mara really was.”
Bella interrupts, “When he was trying to get her to sign papers for their divorce.”
“She’s David, the executive producers, daughter. She’s a spoiled, little, rich bitch who’s had no type of supervision. Her dad doesn’t know about Luna, or about me. She’s avoided me all she can, but I have papers for her to sign. My only fear is David will get wind of it and go after some sort of custody for Mara. She’s not mother material, and she isn’t gonna fuck my girl up. If I could avoid the shit for the rest of my life, I would. But I’m twenty-three years old and my girl deserves better. I’m the only one who’s gonna make that happen. Just got something to deal with first.”
“She’s freaking crazy, too. Hates me. So, she can’t know about him and me. She’d avoid signing to spite me.”
“Or tell her father about my girl. I don’t have David’s money. I might never. Doesn’t mean I’m not good enough for her. I know damn well I’m the best she’ll ever have.”
“You do that to my girl’s back?” Jase asks.
“Still working on some of my issues.”
He huffs, “She ends up ditching you—and odds are, she will—the next man that she’s with—”
“The next man who bends her over will see she’s taken.”
Carly whispers, “No, nope, nuh-uh, not something I’d—”
“You and I need to take a walk.” Jase’s eyes are an interesting shade of amber.
This is gonna suck.
I push myself off the wall, and Bella jumps up.
“No!” She points at him then at me. “Please don’t do this.”
Jase sneers, “How the hell does he get a please and I get a no?”
I smile at her. “She’s already got your love, and she’s just realized she’s falling in love with me.” I look up at the man whose eyes are murderous. “I’m assuming that will change when she hears those words from me.”
“Might wanna say ’em now. Pretty sure he’s gonna bust your jaw.” Cyrus laughs tauntingly.
“You want me to get a picture of the two of you before his face is fucked up, Little Bell?” Zandor’s laugh is lighter, but he seems serious to me.
“Just go with it, man. No one wants to fight someone who’s not fighting back.” Xavier’s suggestion.
I lean down, eyes on her father, and brush my lips across her forehead. “I’ll be back in a little while.”
“No!”
I cock my head to the side, lean in, and whisper, “We have two nights left here; you really want to deny me the right to get this out of the way?”
She leans in and whispers to me, “I like your lips; don’t let him bust them.”
I smile as I step back. “See you later.”
“Yes, you will.” But she doesn’t say those words to me; she says them to her father.
I step out first, and he follows.
“Would like to do this in private? The hall’s full of cast, crew, and I’m assuming Mara.”
“You think I give a fuck?”
“Yeah, actually, I do.”
He doesn’t respond as he follows me down the hall.
Once I open my door, I see some of her shit laying around. When I turn around, he swings.
I don’t block, and I don’t move. I let him hit me.
“You got nothing to say?” he snaps.
I shrug. “Nothing you wanna hear.”
He swings again. This time I grab his fist.
“Ask me what I did for money to eat from ages sixteen to eighteen?”
“Don’t give a fuck.”
I shove his hand away. “Fought. I’m pretty fucking quick. Ask me why?”
He swings again, and I catch it and shove it away again.
“Because I learned real quick how to avoid shit flying at me from a deranged mother from the time I was old enough to remember shit.”
“You expect me to feel sorry for you?”
“Not my point. My point is, she’ll be loved, she’ll be protected, she’ll be looked after.”
“Like she is here!”
“Not an answer you wanna hear, but yeah, she’s been well looked after.”
“You’re damn right it’s not something I wanna hear.” His jaw muscles tense.
“The guys on team Bella love that girl. She’s looked after even when I’m not around. That better?”
“The ones who allowed her to eat fucking edibles?”
“That was a fluke.”
“So you’re telling me she works, and then you suck every bit of time out of her!”
“No, she does whatever she wants to do. I just make sure I’m around.”
“So you’re obsessed with my daughter!”
“With all due respect, it seems like nothing I say is gonna make you happy, so why—”
“Exactly.”
“Wasn’t gonna say why bother. I was gonna say why fight it.”
“You want your daughter with some man who …” He stops.
“Right now, yeah. In twenty years, I’m not sure how I’ll feel. But when I get there, I’ll look back on this moment right here.”
He looks between my eyes, trying to read me.
“You think I’m full of shit? Some punk who just wants a good piece of ass? I can assure you that’s not the case. Something sparked when we met. Something I’ve never felt. And even though I haven’t said the words to your daughter, and I’m not about to tonight, I loved her the minute I saw her. I will love her until she tells me to fuck off. And I will bust my ass to make sure that never happens. And if you think love at first sight is a joke, man”—I sigh—“I’m sorry because it’s not just a game changer; it changes your heart’s rhythm.”
Silence, and then I laugh. “Isabella, I can feel you from here.”
Jase begins, “You’re fucking cra—”
“I’m pissed at you for hitting him,” she spews as she hurries into view.
“You’re not alone.” Carly walks in and, yeah, the rest follow her.
“Your lip’s bleeding.” She runs her thumb over it. “Come on; let’s clean it up.”