Hold On

“I beg to differ when my daughter has quit her job, taken her house off the market, as well as broken off her engagement with another man all because she’s committed to helping her husband get his head sorted out. And while she’s committed to that and has shared that with you, you’re not only spending time with the town slut, word is, you’ve moved her in with—”

McClintock didn’t finish.

This was because Garrett moved and did it aggressively, backing McClintock up until he hit the connected bench of chairs that ran the front of the reception area. And he did this with such speed, McClintock’s ass crashed into a seat.

Looking up at Garrett, his face paled with fear before it reddened with bluster and he opened his mouth to speak.

Garrett leaned so they were nose-to-nose and beat him to it.

“Have you met Cher Rivers?” he growled.

“I don’t need to—”

“If you’ve never met her, you don’t know fuck all about her. So you sure as fuck don’t talk that kind of trash about her.”

McClintock was shifting in his seat, all bluster now, demanding, “Step back, Garrett.”

He didn’t step back.

Garrett declared, “It’s a sad thing to say about a woman her age, but the God’s honest truth is, your daughter is a spoiled-rotten brat.”

He lifted a hand and jabbed his finger an inch from McClintock’s face, savoring the flash of fear he saw before the bluster shot back when his eyes narrowed.

On his jab, he went on.

“You created that. The woman is in her late thirties and her daddy is still out bustin’ his ass and makin’ himself look a fool to get her what she wants. Since she hasn’t already done it, the time is now for her to grow the fuck up and learn to take care of herself. Even more, she needs to learn to take care of the things in her life that mean something. The age she is, Justin, if she doesn’t do that shit, she’s gonna lose those things and you can’t do jack to get them back for her, case in point, Mia not fighting for her marriage and only deciding she’s willin’ to do that when it’s way too fuckin’ late.”

“You need to step back,” McClintock spat.

Garrett straightened, but he didn’t step back. This meant McClintock had to get out of the seat while shifting to the side to avoid hitting Garrett’s body. He did that and Garrett turned to him just as his phone in his jacket started ringing.

He wanted to take the call. With his work and a woman in his life, that woman having a son, he might even need to take the call.

He unfortunately had to get this done, so he didn’t take the call.

“We’ll see what your captain thinks of you assailing a citizen right in the reception area of the goddamned station,” McClintock threatened.

“As it’s a police station, we have cameras. Those will show I didn’t touch you. I also didn’t demand to speak to you. I didn’t show at your place of business, interrupt your pursuit of doing that business, and do it uttering slurs against a woman who means something to you. Feel free to discuss this with my captain. He’ll give you the respect of listening to you without laughing to your face. Then he won’t do dick.”

Garrett’s phone stopped ringing.

McClintock’s enraged look turned nasty. “I cannot believe I’m looking at the man I happily walked my daughter down the aisle and gave her away to. She’s hurting…because of you. Her life’s in a shambles…because of you. She—”

Garrett took a step back and planted his hands on his hips, interrupting, “Listen to yourself, Justin. I did not give a ring to another woman, then go to Mia with what amounts to a dare to win her back or lose her forever. I didn’t find out she became involved with another man, happily involved, and seek her out to share I was ready, after five years, to try and resurrect our marriage. After repeated warnings that all between us was good and dead with no hope of resurrection, I didn’t go to her man’s place of business and cause a scene.”

As Garrett spoke, McClintock’s face got tighter and tighter.

He might spoil his daughter, but he wasn’t stupid. As Garrett gave him the words, he was realizing Mia had made her own bed.