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“I understand.”
“I'm not trying to be an ass, but I’m going to protect my girl. I don’t think she’s against getting to know you again, but she was blindsided. If she’s blindsided again, she’ll never give you a chance. I'm sure you barely know your daughter, but let me give you a little bit of information on her. Macy Hayes is one of the strongest women I know. She’s smart, caring, funny, driven, and so full of love. But she feels like she isn't worthy of love. Like everyone will leave or disappoint her sooner or later. The most important thing you need to know right now is that you can't force her to do anything she doesn’t want to do. She’ll dig her heels in and cut off all ties. You need to do things on her terms or not at all. That’s who she is.”
“Thank you, Cord,” his voice breaks on a sob and I feel for him. I can't imagine what he’s gone through. He was sick when he was drinking that much, but he’s had to live with the consequences of his actions for the last twenty years and knowing how he abused his children. I'm sure it’s taken a toll on him. “I’m so glad she has someone like you in her life.”
“It won't be easy to get her to drop her walls, but it’s worth it.”
“Are you planning on marrying my daughter?”
“I’d love nothing more, but I'm not sure she’ll let me.” I chuckle, thinking about how Macy refuses to let anyone else dictate what happens in her life.
“Is she happy?” His voice comes out as a hoarse whisper.
I take a moment to really think about Macy. Even though we broke up for a few years, I still saw her for a decent amount of time. She was always sassy and rocking her pissed off expression. Since we started fake dating, then really dating, she’s been smiling and laughing so much more. She looks happy. Content. Like she’s living again.
“I think she’s getting there, but it took her a bit of time.”
“Thank you, Cord.”
“For what?” I frown down at the desk in the pod. What could he possibly be thankful for? I'm making it impossible for him to speak to his daughter directly.
“For taking care of my daughter when no one else was there to do it. For remaining there even when she’s hard to love. For going to bat for her over and over again when you could’ve just walked away. More than anything, thank you for loving her the way she deserves to be loved.”
“You’re welcome, Sir.”
Chapter 25
Macy
I blow out a long breath and I massage my temples. This whole thing with Stubbs is a disaster. He’s trying his hardest to drag Owen’s name and the Pit Bulls through the mud. Anything to make them look bad and him look slightly better.
“Knock, knock,” a sweet voice says from the door to my new office.
I glance up to find a beautiful woman with long blonde hair and sparkling green eyes standing in front of me.
“Can I help you?”
“I’m Liliana. I’m here to speak with Macy Hayes.”
“That’s me. C’mon in and take a seat.” I move around a few papers on my desk, trying to make me feel more professional.
Liliana is adorable in her dress pants, fitted top, and a little jacket. She looks every bit the sports reporter, mixed with a business woman.
“Please, don’t clean up on my account. You should see my office.” She waves her hand around in the air and shakes her head. “I swear, sometimes I don’t know why anyone would hire me. Half the time I can't find anything in there.”
“Well, this is worse because I just got this office and it’s already a disaster.” I chuckle, loving how easy it is to talk to her.
Liliana waits patiently for me to finish fidgeting with everything. She has a sweet smile and kind eyes. She’s the type of woman Cord deserves.
“So, what can I do for you? You said you had a story you needed mysteriously leaked?”
“Yes. Stubbs is dragging everything Owen Powell has built through the mud and I don’t like it one bit. There are multiple pieces of footage showing how detrimental Stubbs was to this team and our players and staff. I want them leaked with no connection to us. Do you think you can help me with that?”
“Of course! Is this an exclusive thing? I’d love to have something no one else has, at least for a day. I can make sure it gets shared with other reporters, but could I hold on to it for a short while? It would really earn me some brownie points at work.”
“I don’t care if you keep it forever, as long as people see it and stop believing Stubbs about Owen and the team.”
“Oh, I could definitely do that. Give me all the dirty details. I’ll write up a story to go with the videos and make sure this is perfect.”
