Reese let go of her hand and took a step forward. “She means more to me than family.”
“You said this happened fast, Reese,” Ginny said, and Lake knew that his sister was possibly implying that maybe this was impulsive for both of them or maybe a rebound thing for Reese.
But Reese shook his head. “It doesn’t matter, Ginny. I was with Brittany for six months before we got married, then another two years after we said our vows. Look how that went down.”
Her dad shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. Ginny didn’t respond.
“If she doesn’t want me, doesn’t want anything to do with me, then I will back off. I am not making her do anything she doesn’t want to do.”
Her father cursed out.
Obviously Lake wished she could have told her father about this beforehand, but she had needed to be with Reese right then, needed his comfort, and things just kind of went from there.
She was an adult, knew that she could make her own decisions without letting her father know, but she also knew that telling him about this since Reese was part of the family should have been a priority.
“This is fast, Dad,” Lake said, and looked up at Reese. She pulled away from him and saw the surprise on his face, but she wasn’t done speaking just yet. “We aren’t saying we love each other. What we are saying is that we want you to understand we are both adults, and what was done was done with consent.”
Her father’s face turned a nasty shade of red, and he took a menacing step toward Reese.
“Stop, Calvin.” Ginny said, her worry clear in her voice.
Lake knew a fight would transpire if Reese didn’t leave and let her speak to her dad.
“No, Ginny,” Calvin said and lifted a hand to stop her from pulling him away. “This is between me and your brother.”
“This is about two consenting adults. This isn’t about us, Calvin—”
“You’re too old for her, Reese, too experienced and are barely divorced.” Her dad’s jaw clenched, and she heard him grind his teeth. “I don’t want to even think about what you are doing with her, or what you plan to do with her.”
“You know the age thing isn’t a factor for either of us. If it is for you then there is a problem. The issue is the fact I’m Ginny’s brother, and that we didn’t tell you beforehand what we planned on doing.” Reese took a step closer. “But even if we should have talked to you two beforehand, what we did was done by two consenting adults.”
And that seemed to be her father’s breaking point. He charged forward, and Reese and Calvin crashed into the foyer wall. Ginny cried out, and Lake stumbled back, but she could do nothing but watch the horror in front of her.
“Please, Dad, stop,” she shouted. Ginny tried to pull her dad off of Reese, but the two men were in a locked embrace. They were grappling with each other, Reese blocking blows but not delivering them.
The momentum of her father and Reese fighting had them moving out of the foyer and into the living room. Ginny kept shouting for them to stop, and Lake saw her tears. Lake moved forward, trying to pull her father away, but Ginny grabbed her just as her dad and Reese stumbled back briefly before falling forward.
“Stay back. You’ll get hurt,” Ginny said, out of breath, her tears coming harder now.
Reese slammed into the couch, causing the piece of furniture to tumble backward. The first punch from her father hit Reese in the gut, and then he was hit for a second time on the other side. She’d never seen her father fight.
Her dad’s normally perfectly styled hair was a disheveled mess around his head, and his face was red from his anger. Reese was equally flustered, but he wasn’t fighting back, just blocking the hits and letting her father pummel him.
“I should kill you,” her father roared out. They fell into a side table, knocking over the lamp and having it crash to the floor. Her father hit him again and again, until blood came out of Reese’s nose and the corner of his mouth.
“I won’t fight you, Calvin. I won’t.”
Lake couldn’t stand by and let this happen. She had to do something. She charged forward, trying to pull her dad off of him, but it was like moving a brick wall.
“Stay back, Lake,” Reese said in a gruff voice.
Ginny pulled her back, just as her dad punched Reese again. Reese and Calvin fell to the floor with her father on top, throwing punches, gruff noises coming from him. Knowing this had to stop, Lake pushed her dad off of Reese with more strength than she thought she’d be able to muster.