Page 76 of Teach Me Your Ways

He exhaled slowly. “His parents died in a crash.” He watched my face without blinking.

I frowned, brows knitting. I didn’t want to stumble into an emotional rabbit hole about Stone’s family but my curiosity was piqued. “I didn’t know.”

Felix nodded. “He was a kid. Big crash. That’s why he’s touchy about—you know, responsibility.”

“He never told me.”

He shrugged. “Trauma. Doesn’t always come out in interviews. It might not even be my place to say it now, but it seemed like something you ought to know about, all things considered.”

“But still, he might’ve been gentle if he just told me that.”

Felix sighed. “I don’t think it was about protecting you.”

I frowned. “Not me?”

“Your daughter.”

“My daughter?”

Felix nodded. “He didn’t have a family to take him in. He was put in the system and it wasn’t great. He was old enough that people weren’t jumping at the chance to adopt him. He spent time in an orphanage and it wasn’t the Daddy Warbucks kind of story. He bounced around to foster homes. His life was hard. I assume he doesn’t want to be responsible for putting another child into that situation.”

My chest clenched and my mind spun. “I think I understand, but cutting me out of the dive without talking? That’s not right. I’ve shown him I’m good in the water. And it’s not like I would ever do anything to endanger myself. I don’t have a death wish. I don’t want to leave my daughter without a parent, either. I wouldn’t do that.”

He smiled gently. “He means well. That’s often worse.”

I nodded slowly, considering his words.

“You want me to talk to him?” Felix offered, finishing the last of his water. “I could explain that you’re not some reckless kid looking for thrills. That you understand the risks better than most.”

I shook my head immediately. “No. Thanks, but no.”

“Are you sure? He listens to me. Sometimes. We’ve been friends for years, and I know how to get through to him when he’s being stubborn, which is often. Like being friends with a mule.”

“I appreciate it, Felix. I really do.” I twisted the cap back onto my water bottle, the plastic crinkling under my grip. “But if you fight my battles for me, he’ll never respect me as an equal. He’ll always see me as someone who needs protection, someone who can’t handle herself.”

Felix nodded slowly, understanding flickering in his eyes. “You want to prove you can stand on your own.”

“Exactly.” I stood up, brushing off my jeans. “I need him to see me as a competent professional, not some fragile single mom who needs a man to shelter her. If I let you intervene, I’ll just be proving his point that I need someone else to take care of things.”

“You are a wise young woman,” he said, nodding. “So what’s your plan?”

I paused, realizing I didn’t actually have one yet. I knew one thing for certain—whatever I did, it had to come from me.

“I’ll figure something out,” I said finally. “Maybe I’ll show him exactly how capable I am on this dive. Let my actions speak louder than words.”

“I may be joining you all out there. I look forward to seeing your skills.” Felix smiled, but there was concern in his expression. “Just be careful, Cece. Grady’s protective instincts run deep. Push too hard and he might dig in even deeper.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to be smarter than him,” I said with more confidence than I felt.