Exposed (Book Three) COMPLETE!

chapter fifteen

Jensen

     "Hey Dad."

     "Can we go for a drive?" I looked back up at the stairs momentarily before looking into the living room at the pack and play.

     "Give me one second." I tell him to come inside while I run up to get Harry. I find him in our room, a towel being the only thing covering him while his shook out his wet hair.

     "Hey, babe." He looked up at me and I noticed his clean, shaven face. I smiled at him, rushing over to take his chin in my hands and kissing him softly, "My dad showed up and asked if we could go for a drive. Can you keep an eye on Piper for a little? I'll pick up pizza for dinner on the way back if everything goes okay."

     "Of course, good luck." I hug him before I head back downstairs. I take a peek at Piper who was still sleeping. I lean in over the edge to kiss her forehead before heading out to the car with my dad.

We drive in silence as I know he's trying to muster up the courage to figure out what he wants to tell me. I didn't fight with my dad often as we both have pretty level heads but the few times we did fight always left me feeling ill. We always made up though, in the same spot, every time.

I pulled up to the lake, sighing when my dad practically jumped out of the car as soon as I put it in park. I shut off the ignition, rubbing my eyes before getting out myself. He stood at the end of the lake, staring out at the mossy water.

     "I know you hate fighting with me just as much as I hate fighting with you," He sighed, looking up at the sky, "Your mom used to argue with me like that. Always having her mind made up before it even started and arguing with her was no use. When she made a decision, she stuck to it and nothing I could say or do would change that." He squinted down at me, shielding his eyes from the sun.

     "Guess I get that from her then." I stated, kicking a rock into the water.

     "Oh you most definitely get that from her. It's not a bad quality but it makes it hard to see someone else's side of things." I bit the inside of my cheek, looking down at the dirt beneath my shoes, "J, you have to understand where I'm coming from here."

     "I do understand-"

     "No, J, you don't. You don't know what it's like to see your daughter bloody and bruised on a hardwood floor, left to die. You didn't see your daughter in a hospital bed, lifeless, while the doctors were repeatedly telling me that you may not make it. I should have killed him then." He whispered the last sentence, shaking his head.

     "I should have left him the first time he hit me, Dad. This shouldn't be your fight and I'm sorry you had to see what you did. I never meant for it to get that bad." I wiped away the tear that slipped down my cheek. My dad grabbed me by the shoulders, holding me at arms length.

     "This isn't your fault, J. You cannot blame yourself for this, got it." I lifted my head, my eyes meeting his as I nodded. He pulled my into him, hugging me tightly, "J, you are the strongest and most stubborn woman I know. Besides your mother, of course. I don't think that a restraining order or the cops can keep him away though."

     "We'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it." I say, sniffling as I pull away.

     "I don't want to come to that bridge, J. I almost lost you then, hell, I almost lost you almost two months ago in that hospital. I already lost your mom, Jensen. I can't stand losing you too." I watched the tears roll down his red cheeks. He didn't try to hid them this time as he took his glasses off, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his t-shirt.

     "You're not going to lose me, Dad. I promise you that. Harry wouldn't let anything happen to me and I know you or Reese wouldn't either. But you cant go putting yourself in jail because of this. If he comes around, we'll deal with it then. For now, the restraining order and the protection is all we can do. You know I made my mind up that night and you're not going to change it." He closed his eyes, running his hands over his face before pulling me in for another hug.

     "Fine but if I see that kid and he throws the first punch, it's fair game." I rolled my eyes, sighing, "You gotta give me that, J."

     "Hey, I'm all for it then but I think you're going to have to fight me, Reese, and Harry on it." I felt him laugh as he pulled away.

     "I love you kiddo, and I'm sorry about how I acted the other night. I sometimes-"

     "Speak before you think?" I finish for him, making him nod, "Guess I get that from you." I hit his shoulder lightly, both of us laughing.

     "Let's get you back." He nods towards the car as he wraps his arm over my shoulders. We made our way back to the car, in much better spirits than last time.

     "Do you want to stay for dinner? I have to pick up some pizzas on the way home. Niall's supposed to be there too." I looked over at him as he said sure. I rolled the windows down, letting the cool breeze rush over me.

     I turned the radio on for the way home, almost losing it when Hey Ya came on. My dad and I both looked at each other in excitement as we jammed out the whole way home, just like we used to.

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sweet little dad and daughter moment here