hell outta a man.”
“Daddy,” I said interrupting him from his angry tirade about Asher. “Did you… did you know…” how did I ask my father whether he knew his wife had slept with another man? I couldn’t do this. Could I? God, this was too much.
“Did I know what, baby? What is bothering you?” his words had gentled as he pulled me closer to his chest like he was protecting me. He didn’t even know from what.
“My… mother… did she…” I stopped and swallowed hard. I felt sick. Hearing this was one thing, but repeating it was another.
“You said this wasn’t about Mom,” he said looking back up at the house again with concern. He didn’t understand.
I shook my head. “No, the woman… my real mother,” I said and his body tensed. We never talked about her. Ever. Not once. Did he know something? Had she left because of an affair. Did he just not realize that I was the product of her affair?
“Has she contacted you?” he asked in a tight voice.
I shook my head. I had once planned on finding her. Now, I never wanted to see her. She’d ruined my life. She’d left lies behind that destroyed everything. “Did you know she had an affair with Vance Sutton?” I asked before I could stop myself. Closing my eyes tightly, I suddenly wanted to take those words back. I didn’t want him to know this. I loved him. He was my daddy. I couldn’t lose that.
“She wasn’t mentally well, honey. But yes, I knew. How did you find out about this?” His words surprised me. I hadn’t expected him to know that much. “Do the Sutton boys know this?”
I nodded. “Yeah, Asher found letters from Millie to Vance. They said some things…” tears spilled free and rolled down my face. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I’d faced this fear and now I had to wait.
Daddy stared down at me with a concerned frown and then slowly understanding lit his eyes. He closed his eyes tightly and muttered a curse then pulled me against him and squeezed me. “Oh no, baby. I know what you read. That’s not what you think, buttercup. You’re my princess. You hear me. You’re mine. I got proof of that. Those letters were from a mentally unstable woman. A woman who hurt others as if life was a game. Millie’s beauty was something she used as a weapon of destruction.”
I pulled away from him and searched his face. “I’m not Vance Sutton’s daughter,” I repeated, needing to make sure we were understanding each other.
“No,” Daddy said fiercely. “Hell, no. You’re mine. Although Millie tried to destroy me and Vance Sutton with her lie. I had a paternity test done when you were born because Vance demanded it. He wanted proof you weren’t his. But understand this, from the moment they handed you to me minutes after you were born, you became mine. You stole my heart. A heart I didn’t think could ever heal, you healed it in your first few moments on this earth. I wouldn’t have cared what that paper said, you were my baby girl. I was willing to fight for you. I wanted you. Millie had broken me but you, Dixie Monroe, you saved me. You were my miracle.”
For the second day in a row I sobbed.
ASHER
“You better eat them biscuits. I didn’t get up and fix them for you to mess over,” Momma said as she stared at my plate that I had barely touched. My appetite was gone.
“Yes, ma’am,” I replied before forcing a bite into my mouth.
Steel had hurried up and finished his breakfast, then left. He hadn’t looked me in the eye either. That was
“Daddy,” I said interrupting him from his angry tirade about Asher. “Did you… did you know…” how did I ask my father whether he knew his wife had slept with another man? I couldn’t do this. Could I? God, this was too much.
“Did I know what, baby? What is bothering you?” his words had gentled as he pulled me closer to his chest like he was protecting me. He didn’t even know from what.
“My… mother… did she…” I stopped and swallowed hard. I felt sick. Hearing this was one thing, but repeating it was another.
“You said this wasn’t about Mom,” he said looking back up at the house again with concern. He didn’t understand.
I shook my head. “No, the woman… my real mother,” I said and his body tensed. We never talked about her. Ever. Not once. Did he know something? Had she left because of an affair. Did he just not realize that I was the product of her affair?
“Has she contacted you?” he asked in a tight voice.
I shook my head. I had once planned on finding her. Now, I never wanted to see her. She’d ruined my life. She’d left lies behind that destroyed everything. “Did you know she had an affair with Vance Sutton?” I asked before I could stop myself. Closing my eyes tightly, I suddenly wanted to take those words back. I didn’t want him to know this. I loved him. He was my daddy. I couldn’t lose that.
“She wasn’t mentally well, honey. But yes, I knew. How did you find out about this?” His words surprised me. I hadn’t expected him to know that much. “Do the Sutton boys know this?”
I nodded. “Yeah, Asher found letters from Millie to Vance. They said some things…” tears spilled free and rolled down my face. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I’d faced this fear and now I had to wait.
Daddy stared down at me with a concerned frown and then slowly understanding lit his eyes. He closed his eyes tightly and muttered a curse then pulled me against him and squeezed me. “Oh no, baby. I know what you read. That’s not what you think, buttercup. You’re my princess. You hear me. You’re mine. I got proof of that. Those letters were from a mentally unstable woman. A woman who hurt others as if life was a game. Millie’s beauty was something she used as a weapon of destruction.”
I pulled away from him and searched his face. “I’m not Vance Sutton’s daughter,” I repeated, needing to make sure we were understanding each other.
“No,” Daddy said fiercely. “Hell, no. You’re mine. Although Millie tried to destroy me and Vance Sutton with her lie. I had a paternity test done when you were born because Vance demanded it. He wanted proof you weren’t his. But understand this, from the moment they handed you to me minutes after you were born, you became mine. You stole my heart. A heart I didn’t think could ever heal, you healed it in your first few moments on this earth. I wouldn’t have cared what that paper said, you were my baby girl. I was willing to fight for you. I wanted you. Millie had broken me but you, Dixie Monroe, you saved me. You were my miracle.”
For the second day in a row I sobbed.
ASHER
“You better eat them biscuits. I didn’t get up and fix them for you to mess over,” Momma said as she stared at my plate that I had barely touched. My appetite was gone.
“Yes, ma’am,” I replied before forcing a bite into my mouth.
Steel had hurried up and finished his breakfast, then left. He hadn’t looked me in the eye either. That was
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