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I waited by the door, and at the first knock, pulled it open. “Mom, Dad, what are you doing here?”
Mom’s mouth opened in fly-catcher mode. “What are you?—?”
I didn’t let her finish. “Come in.”
Dad’s eyes looked past me.
“I can make coffee if you like.” My man’s voice came from behind me. Always the possessive one, a shirtless, barefoot Duke wrapped an arm around my waist a second later. At least he had pants on, and he wasn’t sporting wood any longer.
Dad ignored Duke. “Munchkin, we’re not staying,” He used his practiced, master-of-the-universe voice.
Mom’s gaze flicked between me and Duke. “Serena, why didn’t you tell us you were attacked last week and had to go to the hospital?”
“Who—”
“Vincent ’fessed up to covering for you,” Dad said before I finished the question.
“I didn’t want to worry you.” I aimed my words at Mom.
Dad looked ready to blow. “That was before Fox was paroled. What’s going on?”
“We’re looking into that,” Duke said.
“Not good enough.”
“Dad, they’re looking into several leads.”
“Is what happened at your house yesterday related to this?”
The creep of increasing demands had begun, and I had to stop the cycle. “That’s between me and my team.”
“Not good enough.” He looked to Duke. “I want to know what leads you have.”
“Sir, I can’t divulge that without Serena’s permission. We’ve already had this discussion. She’s the client, not you.”
I straightened up to be worthy of his words.
“That’s bullshit. She might be your…” He motioned up my length. “I don’t know what. But she’s my little girl, and I have a right to know.” He couldn’t even bring himself to call me Duke’s girlfriend.
“Serena,” Mom pleaded.
Dad grasped Mom’s hand. “We have a right to know.”
Duke let go of me and advanced on Dad. “She used to be your little girl, but now, she is your adult daughter. She is very capable of making her own decisions.”
“Munchkin, you’re coming with us.” Dad hadn’t absorbed a single word Duke or I had said yesterday.
Duke did the unthinkable. He jabbed a finger in Dad’s chest. “You’re not listening. You can’t dictate her life anymore. She’s an adult, and you need to start treating her like one.”
My God, I loved hearing him support me. Before yesterday, nobody had, not even my brothers.
Dad backed up, spluttering, “But…”
Mom’s eyes were angry. “You can’t talk to him like that.”
“We’re in my house,” Duke pointed out. “And I can say anything I like. No disrespect, sir, but you’re not in charge of Serena’s life now. She is. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you both. But you have to respect her right to make her own decisions.”
I couldn’t have said it any better or any more forcefully. I came up and put my arm around Duke. “I do love you both, but I’m staying.”
