I felt my jaw click from the effort I was going through to keep from yelling at the man in front of me.

Lottie's hand squeezed mine tightly, and she stepped back so that she was standing next to me and not in front of me. I focused on her hand, not on my anger. I focused on how her hand was so little but felt really strong from the time she spent working in that bakery of hers.

"What are those two problems?" I heard Lottie ask. My grip on her hand tightened, because I knew what my father would say, and I didn't want her to feel hurt.

"I'm looking at them," he said.

I scowled and straightened, about to let him have it, but Lottie beat me to the punch. She let go of my hand, and her hands formed fists. "How dare you!" she said in the loudest voice I have ever heard her use. To be fair, it wasn't even that loud. But for Lottie, it was noteworthy.

My father raised his eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

I couldn't see her face, but I heard her furious tone of voice. I'm going to be honest - angry Lottie turned me on just as much as regular Lottie. "How dare you treat Ben like that? He's your son!"

My father let out a huff of air and straightened his back. "He is no son of mine," he snapped.

"Harrison!" Mum exclaimed, visibly distraught.

I blinked and stepped back. Of course he'd say that - he'd disowned me, hadn't he? Of course his feelings wouldn't have changed.

Lottie let out a small, frustrated sigh. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why isn't he a son of yours? Because he doesn't want to be like you? I'm glad he doesn't, because I like him just the way he is, and I already don't like you!"

Mine and my father's eyes widened in surprise. Maybe he was surprised that such a slip of a girl stood up to him, but I was surprised at how ready she was to defend me, as if I mattered at all.

"Show some respect, young lady."

"My name is Charlotte, and I will show some respect when you say sorry to your son and mean it!"

His gaze flickered to me and I met it evenly. I was embarrassed that Lottie had to listen to this bullshit. I shouldn't have brought her. "He is not my son."

"Why is he not your son?" Lottie asked.

I took her shoulders and pulled her into my chest. "Calm down, Lottie," I whispered. "It's okay."

"It's not okay," she said. She tried to get out of my hold, and while we struggled, my father strode off.

Mum looked at us helplessly. "I'm sorry, Benjamin," she said, wringing her hands. My mum never used to fidget. She must genuinely be upset, but that did little to comfort me. "I'm sorry. I'll go talk to him, okay? Don't worry."

"Ben," Lottie said when my mum had walked off. My ears pricked up worriedly at the hoarseness of her voice, and I spun her around. Her big green eyes shone with tears.

I furrowed her eyebrows, unsure of what to do. "Why are you crying, Lottie? I'm sorry my dad's such a bastard, but don't listen to anything he says, okay?"

She furiously wiped at her eyes and turned away from me. "It's not okay, Ben," she said, and I could tell she was trying to get rid of any evidence that she was sad. "Why can't you see that? He's your dad, he shouldn't treat you so badly. You don't deserve it."

I shrugged, feeling really awkward in my skin. She cried for me. She didn't even cry for herself, but she cried for me. I shoved my hands into my pockets, because they really ached to hug her, but I didn't know if I should. "Don't worry about it, babe," I said.

She shrugged her shoulders tiredly, and it made her look extremely small. My frown deepened. "I'm still going to worry," she said.

Ah fuck. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her against my side, and that immediately made me feel better. "I'd rather you not."

"But I still am going to. You can't force me not to."

Jeez, she was so stubborn. I really didn't want her to tire herself out for me, but the fact that she did...I felt myself well up with affection for her, so much so that I felt compelled to swoop down and peck her forehead. A tiny smile curled up the corners of her lips. "That's what I wanted to see," I said.

She took my free hand and started walking. "I'm not really sure I want to go back in there."

I nodded. "Same."

Suddenly, she stopped. "Wait. I know where I want to go."

"Where?"

"The toilet."

I snorted. "You said you've been needing to go for the past twenty minutes. Did you forget about your bladder?"

She laughed, and I relished in the sound. "My pee controls itself when it needs to."

I shook my head. "Okay. Let's go, then."

As we began to walk again, Lottie's expression crumpled in confusion. "Ben," she said.

"Yeah?"

"I seem to remember something about that lady butler saying that we would be sharing a room. Tell me I'm wrong."

I froze and looked at her. "You're joking."

"I swear, I'm not."

I blinked and my jaw ticked uncomfortably. "Ah fuck."