My whole sight is blurry as I climb up into the passenger seat of Robbie's SUV, my muscles still shaking from the adrenaline and anger of what just took place only moments ago. I slam the door shut harder than I intend to and I can feel my friend's eyes fall onto me as he cranks the engine to life.

"Matt," he speaks with a concerned tone, attempting to grab my attention, but my thoughts are too consumed with what just happened for me to give him any sort of verbal response. "Just take a deep breath, man, alright? I know you're mad right now. Okay? I get it. I mean, fuck, I can't even imagine-"

"Please, just drive," I beg through gritted teeth because I can't even fucking think straight right now, and he needs to get us out of this parking lot before I convince myself to jump out of this car and do something I know I'll regret.

He pauses for a beat, then takes a deep breath, nods, and slams the gear shift into drive. Quickly, he weaves us through the parking lot and I keep my eyes down on the floorboard, trying to grapple with the thoughts wreaking havoc through my mind and deal with the series of emotions washing over me.

How did I not see this happening? Especially, considering how long this shit has been going on. Months, fucking months for crying out loud. That piece of shit has been taking advantage of her for months, and I didn't even know it. I clench my fists at the thought, my stomach churning with disgust at the mere thought of the things he's apparently said about Lelani- about my daughter. Why didn't she ever tell me? Why did she lie to me and break the one promise she swore she would keep for me?

And this whole time, that broken promise was staring me right in the fucking face.

If I would have known, I could have done more. I could have put a damn end to things before they manifested into the trouble and turmoil that they're in now. Turmoil that may just cost her the big win she's been working so goddamn hard for. Why couldn't she understand that I was only being hard on her so that I could protect her? Because watching my child hurt and knowing that there's nothing I can do to help it has been the worst pain I've ever known.

And suddenly I'm terrified that I'm about to live through that pain all over again because my mind replays the way her eyes looked at him; all innocent, naive, and trusting. The kind of eyes that I've seen filled with tears before and that I prayed I would never have to see again.

Dawson bleeds back to the forefront of my mind, replacing my momentary disappointment and grief with anger again. I could have beaten that boy to a pulp back there, and I probably would have if it didn't hold the threat of me losing my job.

"Why don't we drive around for a bit before taking you back to the house?" Robbie asks, interrupting my thoughts. "It'll give you all some time to wind down a bit."

"No," I immediately disagree, shaking my head fervently and lifting my eyes to the winding road we're now cruising down. "I want to talk to her."

"Matt, come on. The girl's been through enough today."

"I said, I want to talk to her," I repeat, gulping back the poor taste lingering in my mouth.

"What are you expecting to get out of the conversation?"

Hell, I don't even fully know the answer to that question myself, but I go with, "The truth. I want her to tell me everything."

"And what about you?" He replies back, patting his thumbs against the steering wheel.

"What about me?"

"Are you going to tell her the truth? About your plans to ship the goddamn boy off? I mean, Christ, Matt- don't you think that you should think on it for a bit?"

Already I can feel the blood in my veins beginning to heat because Robbie knows what came from a situation like this last time; he knows the trouble it caused, so why is he questioning me on the matter? Why can't any of them see that I'm only trying to keep Lelani safe? Hell, our entire family safe for that matter because this goes far beyond the emotional harm that all of this is creating for my daughter. If word got out that this incident happened again, under my supervision, our family's livelihood is put at stake. I'm not letting that happen.

"I'm not going to tell her shit, Robbie, and I hope you'll be the friend that you've always been to me and not say a word either. You were there- you saw what almost came of this last time."

"You wouldn't even listen to the boy. You don't even know if what Hammond is saying is the full truth."

"I don't have time to figure out the full truth! That fucker said it himself; he had those pictures of her- that's all I need to know." And saying all of this out loud is making my stomach twist into knots because my mind can't stop thinking about what other men in the shop he might have shown them to. Lelani doesn't deserve that.

Robbie and I both stay silent for a few more minutes, the car ringing with the quiet tension that's building between the two of us.

My mind drifts back to all the years we've spent in the military together, and after a moment, I speak up about the recollections. "You know just as well as I do how most of these young Marines act. They're ruthless. Women are a game to them; all they care about is the lay they can get out of them."

"We weren't like that," he argues, shaking his head.

"Yeah, well, we're the fucking minority and you know that, too. I don't trust him, Robbie. He's caused me enough trouble at work as it is. I'm taking care of the situation before it turns into something out of my control."

"What if she finds out about it, Matt? Because eventually she's going to and that's just going to cause her even more heartbreak."

"She won't," I lie to myself because I don't want to think about that truth right now, I just want to keep her safe. "Because he's not saying a goddamn word to her again, and I'm begging that you won't either. Please, man- father to father- put yourself in my shoes."

"I'm trying," he sighs, flipping on the blinker of the car and making a turn down the road our house is on.

"You're trying?" I scoff because I'm in shock from everything that's been said within the past 30 minutes. Did he not hear what I heard back in that beach parking lot? Part of me is hoping that it's just part of a nightmare that I'll wake up from, but I know it's not.

"I'm putting myself in Lela's shoes too. She's going to need some sort of closure, don't you think?"

"We don't always need closure," I assert. "Sometimes we just need to move on. What do you think is going to happen if those sponsors get word of what happened today? You think they'll still let her compete in the future if she's tied to that fight that broke out between those boys back there? I mean, hell- what else am I supposed to do?"

"Shit," I hear him curse under his breath as the house comes into view. "I didn't even think about the competition."

Alana's car is parked in the driveway and my heart quickens with anticipation as to what waits for me on the other side of the front door because as ready as I am for answers, my chest aches with the decision of what I'm about to do. The SUV juts as Robbie shifts the gear into park, and we both sit still for a few minutes as I try to let the revving of the engine drown out my cluttered thoughts.

He clears his throat beside me, conjuring my attention and drawing my eyes onto him. "Just be easy with her, okay? I know you're trying to do what's best for her, I do, and I won't say anything about your plans for Dawson, but be gentle with her."

"I know," I nod, swallowing back the lump suddenly forming in my throat. I'm a hard-ass, I know I am, but this time I really am just doing the one thing I know can keep her out of trouble or safe from being hurt and humiliated again. "I'll try, I swear."

Apprehensively, I reach for the handle of my door, stalling for a few more seconds before I finally find the courage to push it open and climb out of the car. My friend's voice is gentle as he stops me one last time. "I'm sorry man, I really am."

"Me too," I frown.

"Call me if you need anything, alright?"

I shut the door and throw Robbie a nod, grateful for his friendship and his ability to always find a way to be here for me and my family even in the ugliest of times. As I make my way towards the front porch, my mind quickly contemplates whether or not to turn my ass around, take my friend's advice, and come back for this discussion with my daughter at a later time, but my wife's face appears in the front doorway and I know it's too late to turn back now.

"Oh, you've got some freaking nerve showing up here," she begins to reprimand me, storming out of the doorway and closing the door behind her, I assume so no one can hear.

"Malia, listen-"

"No, you listen to me," She cuts me off quickly, with a pointed finger. "The way you acted back there was absolutely ridiculous. That was a boy that you had your hands on."

"He was showing around half-naked pictures of our daughter, he needs to be grateful that I didn't do more!"

"Aiden was watching you, Matt! He was terrified."

"I told you to take him back to the car."

"Don't you dare put the blame on me," she fires back, her cheeks slowly turning a bright shade of red. "I said we could take care of things back at the house, and you ignored me. Acting like a damn child throwing a temper tantrum back there!"

I go silent because I'm a smart man and I know better than to argue with her right now because deep-down, I know she's right.

"Please tell me you didn't lay another hand on him, Matt," she begs, her dark, brown eyes searching mine for the truth of what happened when they left.

"I didn't touch him again," I admit. "I know I shouldn't have done what I did back there. I fucked up, okay? But all I could see was red in the moment. It happened again, Malia." My voice starts to break and I can feel my eyes begin to sting with tears, but I take a deep breath and push them back underneath the surface. "It was right under my nose the whole damn time, and I let it happen again."

My wife's eyes soften and she sighs as she looks at me. "Yeah, well, I didn't see it either. What happened after we left, Matt? What did you say to him?"

"It doesn't matter. He's taken care of. We won't have to worry about it anymore."

She squints her eyes at me, and I can tell she's trying to piece together the meaning of my words in her head. "Taken care of? Matt, you told me you didn't lay another hand on him-"

"I didn't," I assure her. I take in the state of her, her beautiful tan skin and the black, messy curls that encircle her face, and immediately I'm sure that I don't want her to have any part of the lie I'm about to make. "Just let me deal with this, alright?"

"Matt, tell me what's going on-"

The sound of the front door opening puts an abrupt end to our conversation and our eyes dart back to our daughter now looking at the two of us from the front porch. "What is she talking about, Dad?" Lelani immediately asks, advancing my way. "What did you do?"

"Lela, honey," Malia says softly, trying to calm her before worry creates a thousand false scenarios in her head.

Unfortunately, my daughter's eyes stay pinned on me, demanding an answer. "Did you hurt him? What did you do? I swear if you laid another hand on him-"

"I didn't hurt him," I answer truthfully. "Why didn't you tell me, Lela?"

She stops dead in her tracks, holding back for a moment before finally answering defiantly, "I don't know, Sergeant Campbell, why didn't I tell you? Maybe it could be because of the way you basically fucking attacked him back there!"

"Watch your mouth," I retort, feeling my muscles grow tense with my building frustration. "I told you I didn't want you messing around with Marines! You know what happened last time."

"Brodie isn't like the last time," she argues back, but her reddened and puffy eyes tell a different story.

"He's just like the last time, dammit!"

She draws back as the harsh tone leaves my mouth, and my wife immediately intervenes, "You two have got to stop. You both just need some time to cool down."

"I'm not stopping until he tells me what the hell happened with Brodie," Lelani continues, crossing her arms against her chest obstinately. "I want answers."

"So do I," I fire back, refusing to answer her just yet and throwing another question her way. "How long have you been seeing him?"

"You're little puppy dog Hammond already told you that."

"So August?" I say out loud, thinking of the timeline in my head and trying to piece together how the hell the two of them ever even met each other. Lelani's lessons started in August, but she only had one client that signed up and he was just some little kid named Maverick...

But Dawson always had that surfboard in the back of his car at work... He told me that he was taking lessons...Son of a-

"You were giving him lessons, weren't you? You lied to us about that too, huh?"

I can see a glimmer of panic cross Lelani's eyes, and Malia wears a look of disbelief as she takes in all the new information being revealed. "Lela, why would you lie to us about that?"

"I didn't mean for things to turn out the way they did between the two of us. Everything was innocent in the beginning."

"I don't believe that for a damn second," I scoff, suddenly wondering what other things she's been lying to us about.

"Well, it's the truth! I don't know what else to tell you."

"If they were ever innocent, he wouldn't have even thought about showing around those pictures of you," I point out, hoping she'll truly reflect on what I'm saying. "Lela, men like that are never innocent. Whatever he's been telling you his intentions are have been a lie from a start to keep getting you in his bed; because if they were true he would have never shared them."

"He didn't show them around," she fights back, standing tall and keeping her voice stern. "Hammond is a liar. He's full of shit."

"You think? Then tell me how in the hell would he have known about them in the first place, huh?"

"I don't know," she shrugs, her voice a little quieter in her response.

Challenging her again, I prod, "How is it possible for Hammond to even know of their fucking existence if Dawson didn't show him, Lela?"

"I said I don't know!" She shouts, making everything around us go quiet except for the breeze that blows against us. Lelani brushes back the inky curls waving around her face, giving sight to the tears starting to well up in her eyes. She fights hard to keep them at bay as she affirms, "I want to talk to him. You can't stop me from that."

"I know I can't," I say, "but he's not going to talk to you, Lela."

Her brows furrow as the statement leaves my mouth, and quickly she asks, "What do you mean? Yes, he will. You're being ridiculous."

"I'm not," I frown, knowing that what I'm about to say is going to hurt her, but certain that if I don't end this now it'll only be that much worse as time drags on. "He doesn't want to see you anymore."

"Screw you," her voice trembles as she turns on her heels and bolts her way inside the house. "I'm calling him."

"Lela, sweetie," Malia calls after her as we both follow her inside.

Alana sits with Aiden on the living room couch, their eyes and ears perked with curiosity at the commotion we've brought inside. Lelani's footsteps echo down the hardwood floor of the hallway as she makes her way back to her bedroom and I trail after her, the door slamming in my face as soon as I reach the doorway.

"Lelani," I reprimand her through the wooden barrier. "I'm not done talking to you."

But I'm only returned with silence, and I listen closely to try and hear what's going on the other side of the door. It's minutes before I hear anything but the quiet of the house is finally interrupted with a soft cry from inside the room, and I can feel a knot start to form in the back of my throat. Taking a deep breath, I allow the muscles in my body to soften and I do my best to reel in a calm composure as I place a gentle knock against the door.

"Lela," I say carefully, cracking it open slowly.

The phone drops from her hands onto the mattress of her bed and her eyes are angry and pooling with tears as they lock onto me. "What did you say to him?"

"Nothing."

"He's not answering me," she sniffles, trying her best to mask her sadness with anger instead. "I've called him three times and he's not answering. What the hell did you say to him?"

"I didn't have to say anything to him," I say, "he said it all himself."

"What are you even talking about? Quit beating around the bush and answer me. What happened when we left?"

"He admitted to having the pictures, Lelani. What more do you need to know? I told him he was disgusting for sharing them and he didn't have anything to say," I half-lie, and my guilt is slowly starting to eat me alive but I do my best to repress it. Dawson doesn't care about my daughter; I'm not going to let him keep screwing with her. "Baby, he doesn't love you."

"He does, Dad," she insists, nodding her head fervently as tears stream down her face.

Sitting down onto her bed beside her, I tug her closer next to me, feeling sick to know that another person has made her feel any less than deserving of an unconditional type of love. I'd give the stars and the moon to this girl if it meant seeing her smile, and I can't let Dawson keep fooling her like this.

Caringly, I remind her, "You don't do that to someone you love."

Lelani collapses into my arms as soon as the phrase leaves my mouth, heavy sobs escaping her as she finally processes the events from today and everything that's been said. My lip begins to quiver, my eyes stinging with the tears that are threatening to escape because I can hardly bear to see her hurt like this.

"I'm so sorry, baby," I hush out, pulling her into me tightly.

"He'll come around," her voice chokes out, not sounding completely convinced. "Brodie didn't do it, Dad. He just needs time to prove it to you. You'll see."

I'm sorry, Lelani, but for your sake... Dawson's time is up.

༄༄༄

😉

🙃