“Walter, honey, your blood pressure!” Nancy said softly, from behind him. “Jackson, I told you not to come here.”

“Yeah.” He shrugged. “Only someone in uniform can tell me what to do.”

Daddy stalked toward Jackson with murder written all over his expression. “I’ll give you a—”

“Everybody, sit down,” my stepmother snapped.

Jackson snorted. “I’m not sitting down anywhere. I’m leaving.”

“Good riddance.” Daddy threw a check at Jackson. “You forgot your money when you left the house.”

Jackson didn’t catch it, so it fluttered down to his feet. He stared down at it coldly. “No. I didn’t forget a damn thing. And I already told her about the money.”

“Did you tell her you took it? That you used her again?”

Jackson laughed and shook his head. “You just won’t quit till you’ve made her think the worst of me, will you?”

“Daddy. Don’t—”

Daddy stepped forward, finger pointed at Jackson’s chest. “She should think the worst of you. You cost thousands of people their jobs today. You’re a disgrace to this family, and always have been.”

Jackson laughed. “Yeah, because you’re just so great, right? You and your hypocritical—”

“Stop!” I cried out, trembling. “Both of you. Stop this.”

Jackson watched me coldly.

“You heard her.” Daddy pointed to the door. “Now get out of my house before I call the police.”

“Gladly,” Jackson said, his shoulders stiff. “Lilly?”

I blinked at him, not moving.

Nodding, he headed for the door. “All right, then.”

“Wait, I—” I stepped forward to follow him, but Daddy grabbed my arm. I tried to jerk free, but he didn’t release me. “Let go. I need to talk to him.”

“Let her go,” Jackson growled.

Daddy didn’t. If anything, his grip tightened. “If you walk out that door with him, you’re through. You’re no longer my daughter. You’ll no longer be a Hastings.”

Chapter 23

Lilly

The silence lasted too long. The shock that hit me when Daddy threatened to disown me still hadn’t left me, but it never would. That he could be so cold and so callous toward me—his only daughter—shouldn’t have surprised me. But it did.

It really did.

I finally opened my mouth and formed words. But they weren’t for my father. They were for the furious man standing to the left of him. “Jackson, can you give me a minute?”

Jackson opened his mouth, closed it, nodded, and left.

I knew how much control it took for him not to say what he thought of this whole mess. But the thing was, it was my mess to begin with. I had to handle this one on my own.

And he respected that.

“I mean it,” Daddy said, his tone hard. “You walk out, I’m done with you.”

I swallowed. “Daddy, I—”

“No,” Daddy snarled. “There’s no wiggle room here. You either let him walk away, or you walk away with him—permanently.”

“You don’t mean that,” I said, my voice barely a whisper.

Jackson’s truck started in the driveway. I glanced out the window.

My father slammed his hand down on the table, making Nancy, and me, jump. “I mean every damn word. Sit down.”

“Daddy—”

“Enough from you,” he shouted, pointing a shaking finger in my direction. “After what you did, you will sit there silently, unless directly spoken to. Think of all those poor people without jobs.”

I lowered my head, but then lifted it right away. “You’ll find a way to save them. To save the company.”

“You’re damn right I will. Actually, I’m already working on it.” Jackson’s truck still hadn’t pulled away, and it took all my control not to run out there after him. I needed to take care of my past before I chased after my future. “With any luck, we’ll find a replacement, and your wedding will still be on.”

I lurched back. “But—no.” There wasn’t a chance that I would agree to another marriage after narrowly escaping the last one. “Daddy—”

Daddy crossed his arms and curled his lip. “Don’t worry. Despite your transgressions, we’ll find someone else. Do you remember George Stanton from the club?”

I pressed a hand to my chest. Oh, Daddy, no. It felt as if he’d ripped my heart out and stomped on it. If not for the thumping against my palm, I would’ve sworn he had. Already, he was preparing to sell me off to the highest bidder…again. “I met the guy once, I’m certainly not marrying him.”

“Well, we could arrange more meetings between the two of you,” my father said, completely oblivious to the fact that I was about to explode. “I haven’t asked him yet, but he’s always spoken of you with respect and high regard. He could be a likely candidate. Or maybe—”

“No!” I practically shouted.

My stepmother paled.

Daddy’s jaw dropped.

I had no idea what I looked like, but it was as if I weren’t me anymore. It was as though I were a bystander, watching the scene unfold from the sidelines, and I couldn’t move.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

That was all I heard, echoing in my head. My thudding heartbeat. “No. I’m not marrying anyone.”

My father lurched to his feet. “The hell you’re not. You’ll—”

“Walter,” Nancy said, her tone harder than I ever heard it before.

“No,” I said again, louder. More firmly. “I refuse.”

Daddy turned red. “Then get out.”

“Just like that?”

For a second, just a second, he hesitated. “If you’re choosing him over me? Yes.”

“Over you?” I said to my father, shaking my head at him. “I gave you everything. Did my best to make you happy. Tried to be a good daughter. Never asking for anything in return.”

“Funny, because here we are after you ruined the one thing I asked you to do.”

“One thing?” I laughed, and I sounded a little bit crazy. Maybe I was. Like father, like daughter. “You controlled my whole life. My clothes. My friends. My choices. My job. Even my spouse. I did everything you told me to do.” I shook my head and laughed again. “And this is how you repay me? By selling me off again? I never asked you for anything.”

Daddy laughed. “Until you wanted him. Your own brother.”

“He’s not my brother,” I said slowly. “And I’m leaving with him. If you want to disown me because of that, and act as if I never existed, be my guest. And if you let Hastings International go under because you are too damn stubborn to have your lawyers file the amendment paperwork, I swear to God I will go to the media and tell them everything.”

“You’re no better than he is,” Daddy growled. “Get out.”

“You’re wrong about him, you know.” I stood up, trembling. “He’s a good guy. A hero. A brave soldier. A man any man should be proud to call his stepson.”

Daddy looked about two seconds from falling over. “I’d rather die.”

“You will, eventually. We all do.” I shrugged, trying my best to hide the pain that coursed through me at his rejection. “But you see, you’re sending all of us away, so when you do? No one will be there to hold your hand. No one but your pride, and your precious company. And you’ll have only yourself to blame, because I’m done trying to make you see what’s right in front of your face.”

He crossed his arms. “And what would that be?”

“That I still, always have, and always will, love Jackson Worthington. I plan on spending the rest of my long, happy, laughter-filled life with him, if he’ll still have me. I plan on having a family with that man, and loving him the way both of you should have.” I walked toward the door. “I’m just sad you won’t be there to see it.”