Page 31 of Claimed By Daddy

"I've always been lost," I mutter—another poignant truth. And then I huff out a breath, reaching deep for a little courage. "You've always had your own ideas about my future, but they aren't mine, Gramps. My dreams have always been simple."

"Son of a bitch," Dalton growls suddenly. "You aren't staying in that fucking cabin alone, are you?"

I whip my head in his direction. "How do you…?"

"I know you," he mutters, scrubbing a hand down his face wearily. "You're talking like you found your goddamn purpose in life."

"Maybe I did," I whisper, feeling defiant. "And maybe he's exactly what I've always wanted out of life. And maybe, just maybe, I'm happier than I've ever been."

"With a mountain man?" Dalton crosses his arms, his gaze locked on my face. He doesn't seem averse to the idea though. Just…curious.

"He isn't a mountain man." I grimace. "Well, not exactly. He's a former Army Ranger. He just retired to the mountains."

"When do we get to meet him?" Gramps demands, cutting right to what he sees as the heart of the matter. "No man is taking my granddaughter unless he's worth a damn, little bird."

"You'll meet him when I'm ready. And just so we're clear, I won't let either of you run him off." My voice doesn't waver, even as their expressions shift between surprise and indignation.

"Why would you think we'd do that?" Dalton asks, his brows furrowed.

"Um, because you're overprotective and you hate love?" I retort, looking at him like he's lost his mind. "Grandfather sees marriage as a business deal. You act like it's a curse. I'm sure you'd both be thrilled if I married some boring old billionaire of your choosing or never married at all." I pause, taking a breath. "But I'm not like either of you. I want love and family and happily ever after. That's all I've ever wanted."

Dalton and my grandfather share a look I don't understand. It's almost…troubled, as if they've both just come to the same realization. And then Dalton sighs.

"You don't know us nearly as well as you think you do, baby cousin."

My brows furrow in confusion. "What does that mean?"

"Maybe there's a part of us that loves too much," Dalton says after a moment, a vulnerability in his eyes that I've never seen. "And maybe that love scares us."

"Dalton, I…" For the first time, I realize that there are hidden depths to my family that I've never noticed before, secrets that I don't know. All this time, I've thought he and Gramps were fighting because Gramps was forcing him into a marriage he didn't want…but is there more to the story? Something they've kept from me?

The way they both avoid my gaze hints that maybe there is. But as much as I want to know what it is and fix it for Dalton, I can't do that. If I learned anything in the mountains with Carver, it's that there's freedom in letting go. Perhaps Dalton needs to learn surrender, too.

God, Carver.

His image—those piercing gray eyes, that rugged, muscular body—burns bright in my mind, and I physically ache to get back to him. He's my Daddy, and I'm his little girl. I need him in every way that counts.

"Whatever secrets you're keeping, it doesn't change how I feel," I tell my grandfather and Dalton, my voice firm. "I love you both beyond reason, but I know what I want, and I won't let either of you stand in my way. Please don't make me fight you."

Gramps snorts, rolling his eyes in Dalton's direction. "You could take a page from her book, you know," he mutters, his voice rumbling with displeasure. "And actually fight for what you want when its standing right in front of you."

Dalton's jaw clenches, his glare sharp enough to cut. "Mind your own damn business, old man," he retorts, each word a bullet fired in frustration.

"Kid, you are my business," Gramps fires back, his eyes hard as steel. "When the fuck are you going to learn that? Everything I do, I do for you!"

The resulting silence is thick enough to cut as the two face off, both willful and defiant to their very cores. But it doesn't last long before Dalton breaks with a muttered curse, storming toward the door.

"Where are you going?" I cry after him.

"Home to my wife," he growls over his shoulder.

My mouth falls open, shock rippling through me. He really did it. He bowed to Gramps' wishes. I don't even know where to begin fitting those pieces into place, and I don't have time to try before Gramps reaches for my hand, patting it.

"Ignore him," he says with a tired sigh. "He'll figure it out eventually."

"Figure what out?"

"That some things in this world are worth fighting for," he says. "Even if they scare the hell out of you."