“God help me,” he mutters, glancing down at his bottle. “But part of me thinks he needs it.”
“Or maybe this is a huge wake-up call,” I offer, then try to provide him with some reassurances. “All I can tell you is he never intended for Jaime to get hurt. I’m sure had he known she was at risk, he would have sought appropriate help to make sure it didn’t happen.”
Mr. Dolan nods, then takes a pull on his beer. When his gaze comes to mine, there’s a slight chill in it. “Now… how about you tell me why in the hell you and Jaime got married without telling us about it? Better yet, tell me why you married my daughter when she didn’t even know who you really were. I want to know what your game is—because no one marries a woman with such a lie between them.”
I hold back my sigh since I deserve these questions. “First, there is no game. I love your daughter, and I wanted to marry her. I have always intended to tell her the truth from the beginning, but the lie just kept getting bigger the longer I held on to it. The more I fell for her, the more I was afraid to lose her. Your daughter takes honor and integrity very seriously, if you didn’t know.”
He nods with a grave expression. “I do know that. Which is why I’m wondering why you lied to her in the first place?”
Christ, I’d rather not get into that. The reasons were not only stupid, but they also highlight that I was not a great guy when it came to women. I mean… the lie was intended to get a woman out of my bed early the next morning, which means Mr. Dolan will know I was only viewing Jaime as a hookup when we first met.
I put down my beer bottle to face her father. He’s a big guy who looks like he can throw down.
“Okay,” I say, chin up and spine straight. “Here’s the truth.”
I then proceed to tell him what a player I was, how I lied to any woman I met about what I did for a living as I didn’t want them hanging onto me when they realized what a cool and sexy career I have. I told him it was only natural for me to do the same when I met Jaime, but by the time I’d realized just how crazy I was for her, the lie was so deeply embedded that it couldn’t be undone.
Not without the risk of losing her.
He listens quietly, not a single tic on his face that anything I’m saying is even registering. Face passive, he stares at me and ignores his beer.
“I had intended to tell her in Vegas, but then I got called up for a mission in Colombia. I knew I couldn’t drop that bombshell on her right before I had to leave for a week. Then I was going to tell her this afternoon when I got back. We had just taken our seats in the living room—I’d told her I had something to tell her—when the damn door flew open. Those men burst in, and she was taken.”
Mr. Dolan finally shakes his head. “I’ve got to tell you, Cage. That’s about the dumbest story I’ve ever heard in my life. I mean, the actual lie about what you do for a living. I’ll never understand you kids.”
“I agree. Dumb and asinine. Think Jaime will forgive me?”
“You have a lot of work to get there,” he says sagely. “And honestly, I don’t know. It doesn’t help this came on the heels of her last boyfriend cheating on her.”
“Don’t I know it,” I reply glumly, my gaze dropping to the floor.
“But,” he drawls, and my head snaps up, ready to take any bit of hope he can offer. “I imagine you’re a pretty determined guy, and it seems your heart is in the right place now. I certainly don’t think you have anything to lose by fighting for her.”
That’s absolutely true.
And I have everything to lose if I can’t get through to her.
CHAPTER 24
Jaime
Their voices are low, but they’re still carrying through to the living room. My mom, dad, brother, and sister are all in there, having a conversation about me. They think they’re being covert about it.
“She’s been lying on that couch all day, just staring at the ceiling,” my mom whispers, maternal worry thick in her voice.