TJ shook his head with defeat. “I’m sure you’re aware by now that Jessa hasn’t dated much. I blame myself for that. She should’ve had a mother. Someone to give her the feminine influence girls need at a young age. Someone to encourage her and to help her understand that not all men are out to, well, you know.” He cleared his throat, his discomfort obvious in the strain on his face. “Instead, she had me. A no-nonsense kind of guy who’d rather be at the ballpark than anywhere in the world, even if that meant dragging my young, blossoming daughter all over hell’s creation to do it.”
“You’re the one who warned her away from dating ball players. Tell me, TJ, if she spent all her time in ballparks, who else was she going to meet? Her lack of maternal influence isn’t the problem.”
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes. You’ll know what I mean someday when you have a daughter. There’s no rational thought involved. You’ll want to protect her and keep her safe. You’ll want to put her in a goddamn bubble.”
Garrett didn’t need a daughter to understand it. He’d give his life for Georgia Grace. He might only be her uncle, but he could foresee a talk or two with the boys who showed interest in her.
TJ blew out a harsh breath. “I taught her to be strong and independent. But, she doesn’t trust people. Guess I taught her that, too. Lord knows I didn’t encourage her to develop relationships. I wanted her to be cautious. I didn’t want to see her hurt.”
“How’s that working out for you?”
TJ chuckled, unfazed by Garrett’s hostility. “My intentions were honorable, I assure you. My only wish was to see my daughter happy. And she wasn’t. She’d closed herself off from the world. All she did was work. So, when you came up, I thought the two of you might hit it off, being the same age and all.”
Garrett held on to his temper by the thinnest thread. “You lied to your own daughter. Used her like a fucking puppet master, guiding her where you wanted her to go. Jesus fucking Christ! To what end, TJ? Is she happy now? What makes you any better than anyone else who’s tried to use her over the years?”
Surprise filled his expression. “I’m her father.”
As if that was enough. “A father who thinks he can plan his daughter’s life!” Garrett raged.
TJ’s lips thinned. “I wasn’t trying to plan her life. I’d hoped she’d find her own way. I put the two of you on the same path, hoping you’d be friends. Jessa needs people her own age to spend time with. I trusted you’d look out for her. I didn’t anticipate what happened between the two of you.”
“You didn’t anticipate.” Garrett ripped his cap off his head and sent it hurling across the room, his curse echoing around them. “We’re young and single. Jessa is beautiful and you —”
“Whatever happened between you and Jessa was none of my doing, Garrett.”
Garrett seethed at the irony. They’d all played an intricate game, hadn’t they? TJ may have maneuvered their initial meeting, but he was right. Garrett had made the decision to go along with Jessa about keeping their relationship a secret. For him. He’d agreed in order to protect his own ass when he should’ve been protecting hers.
TJ wasn’t the only asshole in the room.
“I love my daughter, Garrett. I’d never do anything to hurt her.”
Garrett blew out a breath. “But you did hurt her, TJ. That’s the point. You hurt us both by not being honest.” The pain in Jessa’s voice was fresh in Garrett’s mind, even now. “For the record, she never distracted me. If anything, she kept me focused. How could you blame her for something that didn’t happen? Where’s the logic in that?”
“Logic doesn’t come into play when it’s your daughter, Garrett. You don’t understand. I never expected Jessa to fall in love with you. I never expected her to fall in love with anyone.”
Garrett stared at the man, incredulous. Did he even know his daughter? Garrett may not have a long history with Jessa, but even he saw it. Sweet and kind, full of fire and passion. His Jessa was made to love. “Then you’re a fool. And she could do worse. At least with me she’d be cherished.”
She’d be loved.
There wouldn’t be anyone else. Not for him. And as long as Garrett had breath in his lungs, no other man would touch her. Jessa belonged to him and soon, very soon, she’d know it.