I Married a Billionaire: Lost and Found (Contemporary Romance) by Melanie Marchande Page B
Authors: Melanie Marchande
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but I promise you, that's the only thing that makes him different from most of the others."
"You have no idea what you're talking about," I snapped, grabbing my phone and switching it to my other ear. I felt like my head was going to explode. "You know, for once, it would be nice to just get some support from you. You know, just, hey, honey, we're rooting for you . A little less judgment disguised as advice and concern. That would be really fantastic. Just once."
"You know, I just called to be nice," my dad said, sternly. "I thought maybe there was something we could do to help. You don't have to be so hostile."
"Well, next time you want to be nice and help out, you could do that by not calling, if you don't have anything positive to say. Okay? Okay."
I hung up, throwing my phone down on the counter and sitting down heavily on one of the chairs.
"Your dad?" came Daniel's voice from behind me.
I turned around. "How long have you been standing there?"
He walked over and sat down beside me, letting his hand rest gently on my back, right between my shoulders. I let out a massive sigh and sagged, leaning on the counter with my elbows and letting my head hang between my arms.
"Yeah," I said, finally. "It was my dad."
I'd never talked much about my relationship with my parents. The truth of the matter was, there really wasn't much to say. From the way we talked to each other, anyone on the outside would assume that there had been a huge blowout at some point, from which none of us had ever fully recovered. But that wasn't really true. We simply didn't get along. We never really had.
"I'm sorry," he said.
" You're sorry?" I scoffed. "This is still your cross to bear, not mine."
"Maddy," he said, taking a deep breath. "I know I've been…" he drifted off, then started again. "What I'm trying to say is, if you need to talk about it, you can."
I shook my head, finally lifting it back up to look at him.
"He's just…he's just being the way he is," I said. "He thinks he knows everything, and he thinks it's okay to be hurtful and judgmental as long as his intentions are good. He makes up his mind about something as soon as he sees even the first little hint of it, and no matter what you say about it afterwards, you can't change his mind. So I guess in a way he's like everybody else out there. He sees 'billionaire' and 'illegal insider trading' and he just assumes he knows the whole story. I tell him you're innocent and he thinks I'm naïve. To him, I'm still a stupid little girl who doesn't know how the world works."
"You believe it, then?"
I frowned at him. "Believe what?"
"That I'm innocent?"
His face was soft and open in a way I hadn't seen…well, since our second honeymoon. I reached out and grabbed his hand, holding it tightly.
"Of course," I said. "Did you really think I didn't?"
He shrugged, smiling a little. "I wouldn't necessarily expect you to," he said. "But thank you. That's very nice of you to say."
"Well, I'm glad you appreciate it, at least." I sighed again, twisting my neck a little until I heard a pop. I rubbed my shoulder, feeling the muscles stiff and tightly knotted underneath my fingers. "I just…I really could have done without hearing from him today."
"He probably does want to help you," Daniel said, quietly. "I know that's not necessarily what you want to hear, but…he loves you, I'm sure he does, even if he doesn't understand. He doesn't want to show empathy because he's afraid you're going to get hurt if he doesn't point you on the right path. Or what he thinks is the right path, at any rate."
"I know," I said. "Really, I do, it's just…you'd think, after all these years, he'd have some kind of faith in my ability to manage my own life. Make my own decisions, from time to time. You know?"
"I'm sure it's very hard for him," said Daniel. He was looking out the window, at the birds sitting on the windowsill. "He doesn't ever want to feel like he's failed you, but he doesn't understand
"You have no idea what you're talking about," I snapped, grabbing my phone and switching it to my other ear. I felt like my head was going to explode. "You know, for once, it would be nice to just get some support from you. You know, just, hey, honey, we're rooting for you . A little less judgment disguised as advice and concern. That would be really fantastic. Just once."
"You know, I just called to be nice," my dad said, sternly. "I thought maybe there was something we could do to help. You don't have to be so hostile."
"Well, next time you want to be nice and help out, you could do that by not calling, if you don't have anything positive to say. Okay? Okay."
I hung up, throwing my phone down on the counter and sitting down heavily on one of the chairs.
"Your dad?" came Daniel's voice from behind me.
I turned around. "How long have you been standing there?"
He walked over and sat down beside me, letting his hand rest gently on my back, right between my shoulders. I let out a massive sigh and sagged, leaning on the counter with my elbows and letting my head hang between my arms.
"Yeah," I said, finally. "It was my dad."
I'd never talked much about my relationship with my parents. The truth of the matter was, there really wasn't much to say. From the way we talked to each other, anyone on the outside would assume that there had been a huge blowout at some point, from which none of us had ever fully recovered. But that wasn't really true. We simply didn't get along. We never really had.
"I'm sorry," he said.
" You're sorry?" I scoffed. "This is still your cross to bear, not mine."
"Maddy," he said, taking a deep breath. "I know I've been…" he drifted off, then started again. "What I'm trying to say is, if you need to talk about it, you can."
I shook my head, finally lifting it back up to look at him.
"He's just…he's just being the way he is," I said. "He thinks he knows everything, and he thinks it's okay to be hurtful and judgmental as long as his intentions are good. He makes up his mind about something as soon as he sees even the first little hint of it, and no matter what you say about it afterwards, you can't change his mind. So I guess in a way he's like everybody else out there. He sees 'billionaire' and 'illegal insider trading' and he just assumes he knows the whole story. I tell him you're innocent and he thinks I'm naïve. To him, I'm still a stupid little girl who doesn't know how the world works."
"You believe it, then?"
I frowned at him. "Believe what?"
"That I'm innocent?"
His face was soft and open in a way I hadn't seen…well, since our second honeymoon. I reached out and grabbed his hand, holding it tightly.
"Of course," I said. "Did you really think I didn't?"
He shrugged, smiling a little. "I wouldn't necessarily expect you to," he said. "But thank you. That's very nice of you to say."
"Well, I'm glad you appreciate it, at least." I sighed again, twisting my neck a little until I heard a pop. I rubbed my shoulder, feeling the muscles stiff and tightly knotted underneath my fingers. "I just…I really could have done without hearing from him today."
"He probably does want to help you," Daniel said, quietly. "I know that's not necessarily what you want to hear, but…he loves you, I'm sure he does, even if he doesn't understand. He doesn't want to show empathy because he's afraid you're going to get hurt if he doesn't point you on the right path. Or what he thinks is the right path, at any rate."
"I know," I said. "Really, I do, it's just…you'd think, after all these years, he'd have some kind of faith in my ability to manage my own life. Make my own decisions, from time to time. You know?"
"I'm sure it's very hard for him," said Daniel. He was looking out the window, at the birds sitting on the windowsill. "He doesn't ever want to feel like he's failed you, but he doesn't understand
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