Defensive Daddy

I knew I was being harsh, but the words flew off my tongue so fast I couldn’t rein them in. I’d held so much hurt and anger inside, for so long, once the dam broke, I couldn’t stop it. “So, you’re going to have to excuse me if I don’t stand by and listen to your territorial bullshit,” I continued. “You’ve been a part-time father at best up till now, Ethan, spending more damn time cheating on your family than being a part of it. Now, there is no more us and you’re pissed about it?” My eyes burned with the blazing fire that his outburst had ignited within them. “You don’t have a right to be angry with me, Ethan. You’re right, Levi is your son, and I’ll never deny you of that. But be damned if I will sit back and let you have a problem with the man who makes your son happy, especially after the way you tore our family apart.”

Dumbfounded—that’s what Ethan was.

A fleeting glance in Cooper’s direction proved that he was just as shocked by my rant.

I blinked back tears, bound and determined I wasn’t going to cry after making it through my speech without so much as a sob. My breath caught in my throat. Maybe that’s the only reason I heard the barely audible sigh escape Ethan’s lips.

“Samantha...” Defeat coated his tone, something I’d never heard from him before. His fatigued voice didn’t match the cool, confident, tailored suit he donned. “Samantha,” he said again, stronger this time. “I’m sorry.”

“For which part?” I asked quickly.

“For the fact that I never apologized for any of this before. For what I did. To you. To Levi. To us.”

I felt a weight lift from my shoulders. A weight I hadn’t known I’d been carrying. Jesus, had I really gotten through to him? “I’m sorry for that, too,” I offered. “But you chose to move on, Ethan, and now I am as well.”

He seemed to mull that over. From the corner of my eye, I could tell Cooper hadn’t moved a muscle, and his gaze was set firmly on me.

“I’ll do better,” Ethan said finally. “For Levi.”

“Like I said, I’ll never keep your son from you,” I promised. “But I can’t keep you from keeping yourself from him.”

He blinked rapidly. It was like a punch to the gut once I realized he was trying desperately to keep his emotions in check. In silence, he nodded at me, then did something I never thought I would witness.

Ethan held his hand out toward Cooper, waiting.

Cooper obviously hadn’t expected the gesture, either, but after a moment’s hesitation he reached out and shook the man’s hand.

Then, Ethan left us both standing in a room filled with silence, with only the soft click of the door closing to announce his departure.

“You didn’t have to defend me, Samantha.”

Cooper’s voice met my ears just as I wiped the first tear from my cheek. “Yes, I did.” I turned to him, my glistening eyes finding him amidst my blurred vision. I felt more for the man before me now than I ever thought possible.

Cooper stood before me, looking sheepish and disappointed in himself. “I shouldn’t have roughed him up. I’m sorry I got so angry. It’s just that—”

A lot of emotions washed through me at that moment, but despite my muted outward reaction, I had to admit, disappointment wasn?

??t one of them. “You have nothing to apologize for. You defended me, too.”

His mouth twitched slightly at that, but he didn’t smile. “Of course I did. I’ll never stand by and let someone speak to you or about you like that, Samantha.”

He spoke with such conviction, it made my throat tighten.

Then, his gaze sharpened. “Why did you defend me?” he added, as though it was the most convoluted idea in the world.

“Because it’s about time I defend the right man, the one who’s beside me, instead of pushing him away.”

He curled his arms around me, pulling me into him. “You haven’t been pushing me away.”

“Believe me, my head’s been telling me I should be,” I admitted wryly against his chest. “But my heart had other plans.” I tilted my head upward. “And you’re damn persistent, I must say.”

A cocky but adorable grin crossed his face. “Is that the politically correct way of telling me I’m a pain in the ass, but you love me, anyway?”

His use of that word didn’t shake me the way it once might have, and I laughed softly. “And you said you didn’t do political correctness very well,” I joked.

“I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I don’t understand the concept,” he said, still grinning. “You’re avoiding my question.”

“You want to know if I think you’re a pain in the ass?” Laughter bubbled within me when he squeezed me tighter, dramatically tucking me between the wall and him, tilting my chin upward so I’d meet his gaze.