K I A R A ' S P.O.V
"Daddy, I know you must still be angry but..."
He held up his hand. I fell silent, and watched as he clenched his jaw so tightly he looked as though he was in pain.
"I'm not angry, I'm disappointed. Because you went, and I know your mother helped you, trust me we've argued about it for far too long but you disobeyed me Kiara. You left with a man, you know I still consider my enemy."
That was it in a nutshell.
"But why is he your enemy? Because...he's got power and money. Aaron can help you and you can help him and you can get to know each other more and see how much good of a guy he is."
"I don't care if he's the Pope, no-one is good enough for my little girl." I felt my heart crack a little. My dad cursed under his breath, as if he didn't mean to say. As if saying it, suddenly made him look weak and vulnerable.
"Dad, just because I'm with Aaron and just because I'm not a virgin anymore or not the perfect image you had of me, I'm still always going to be your little girl. All I want to do right now, is come home and move on from all of this. You just have to accept who I am now." I teared up, plastering a watery smile on my face.
I felt like I was slowly breaking through, but then any emotion was wiped off his face completely and the mask he put on whenever he dealt with business, came on.
"What if I can't accept it?" The million dollar question, and I had no fucking clue how to answer it.
In that moment, my brothers came sprinting into the room. "Kiwi, you're back." Kai rushed forward to hug me, but Kieron hauled him back and Kalen stood in the corner, face displaying my nothing but bitter coldness towards me.
"I don't know because I think I'm falling in love with him, and I am not ready to lose him yet." There it was. The truth. The thing was though, the truth just seemed to screw everything up nowadays.
"In love?" He scoffed, completely disregarding my fragile state of mind right now. "You're 18, you don't know what love is."
I hated that. When parents just assumed that they know better because they were older. Well guess what, if he wanted a fight, he was getting one.
"Mum was 18 when she married you, she was 18 when she had Kieron, 18 when she fell in love. So what, you're telling me her feelings weren't real because of her age?"
"Don't sass me young lady, that's completely different."
"How? How is that different? Because it sounds the fucking same to me dad!"
"Watch your language!" He screamed back, pointing his finger straight at me. I merely laughed in his face.
"I'm 18 dad, I can swear and kiss guys and date and fall in love because I'm not a kid. I may not be 26 and have a job or know what I want to do with my life but, I know that my future right now has Aaron in it. That's the only thing I want, the only thing I need is him."
My mother stepped forward, placing her warm hand on my shoulder for support. "Let it go Ryder, our daughter has grown up. She's ready to make her own decisions."
"Stay out of his Gabi! You let her out, you have no room to talk." My dad snapped at her.
My dad had never spoken to her like this before and from the flinch and the tinge of pain I could see in her eyes, I knew she wasn't expecting this either.
My brothers grew tense, I knew they wanted to step in but at the same time they didn't want to make it worse. I didn't give a fuck though. No-one, not even my own father, spoke to my mother like that.
"Don't blame mum. Not when everything here is because you have a problem with me moving on with my life and Aaron. Don't blame her for letting me out. She was doing the right thing for her child and I'm so glad she did because I can't remember the last time I have been this dad. The last time I have smiled as much as I have this past week."
I couldn't wipe off the silly grin that erupted onto my face as I remembered every single moment. Every kiss, every touch, every laugh. And it was all because of him.
"I don't care Kiara. He's bad for you, he will break your heart and break you. I want better for you. You've always gotten everything you wanted in life and that's my fault. I spoiled you too much and never said no. Well, now I am."
"I'm not a little girl anymore dad, you can't take away my dolls if I do something you don't like. You just have learn to accept it or...accept that you won't be in my life anymore if you don't." My father had a choice between being in my life or being cut out of it completely.
I just prayed for both our sakes, he made the right one.
"Why Aaron? You could choose any other member of the male species, but you just happened to choose the one I hate most. Why him?" Was he caving? Was this his way of showing me that he wanted to try and accept Aaron?
"I was drowning dad. I was so much pain and I was suffering all by myself but Aaron became my friend. He pulled me out of the darkness and helped me become someone I'm proud to be. He saved me from myself dad and I fear what I would have become with him." He was literally my dark knight.
"I could have helped you, your mother, your brothers. You could have relied on your family but instead you chose a total stranger." He shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.
Slowly, he looked up at me and my heart stopped as I saw the tears in his eyes, my own sad reflection mirroring back in them.
"Now you can choose Kiara, because I can't accept Aaron being with you so choose. Your family, or him."
"Ryder don't do this." My mum growled but he silenced her with a sharp look.
"What happens if I choose him?" My dad swallowed painfully, refusing to let his tears fall but I welcomed them gladly. The salty taste reminding me that this wasn't some sick nightmare, it was reality.
"You leave. You take your bag and go back to the man you chose over us. I won't call you or text you. I won't visit on your birthday, I will no longer consider you to be my daughter."
I thought Tristan breaking my heart would the most excruciating pain I had ever felt but no, it was this. It was my dad breaking my heart instead. The one man I thought never would, the one man I never thought to guard myself from. My own father.
"You are completely mad. Kicking your own daughter out just to what...prove a point?" My voice wavered slightly but I forced myself to stay strong in his presence.
"He will break your heart Kiara, he's a monster."
"The only monster I know is you. I choose Aaron because he accepts me for who I am." I turned slowly, my body physically in pain with every step I took.
I couldn't control the loud sobs that racketed throughout my body as I hauled my bag onto my shoulder and looked at my mother. She was staring into thin air, her eyes drowning in tears but I think she don't realise that this was real. She was in shock.
The only thing I could do was press a lingering kiss to her cheek and walk out the house I had always called home. Now, it was no longer that.
The door shut behind me and then an explosion of noise and shouting erupted. They thought he was bluffing, that he would call me back before I could make it out the door but they were wrong.
Ryder Romano was a stubborn bastard.
"Kiara!" The door swung open violently, revealing all three of my brothers. I could hear my mother in the background, pleading for my father to put an end to his madness.
"I have to go guys. He won't accept it."
"He's just angry right now, come inside and we can talk more." I shook my head. I had a little bit of pride left, not to go running to daddy again.
"No, I made my choice. He made his. I can't stay in that house with him. He hates me." All three of them engulfed me into a tight hug, the exact thing I needed right now.
"Kiara, we will convince him we promise. For now though take your phone. We will try and visit when we can, just text us the address, and if you need anything call us okay." I nodded, slowly pulling back and taking the phone with me.
"I love you guys." Their hard exteriors cracked.
"We love you too Kiwi." I closed the door, needs to be the one to put an end to this chapter once and for all.
Shutting my eyes, I let my tears fall silently before trudging forward. No car, no place to live, no money, no-one expect him. All I could do now was pray that Aaron took me in. Otherwise I was screwed
**
G A B I ' S P.O.V
"Ryder! Ryder don't you dare ignore me!" I was furious. Every nerve in my body was filled with this uncontrollable raged directed entirely at the supposed 'love of my life.'
That stubborn stubborn bastard. First he passed down his stubborn nature, to our beautiful daughter, and then he proceeded to kick her out.
Why? Because she's growing up.
"Gabrielle this is all your fault." He spun around violently, causing my feet to halt. "If you just kept her here, instead of letting her go off with that asshole, she would have realised how bad he is for her and willingly stayed."
"Or she would have hated us and carried around that bitter resentment towards us the whole of her life. I've seen them together Ryder, it's not just some fling it's...love. One day, they will love each other. Hell, he might even be the one for her."
"How long have you know?" Fuck, I knew this was coming. Ryder hated secrets being kept from him and I just happened to have kept the biggest one of all.
"Since their relationship started I guess so...two months."
"Two months! You've known for two months and said nothing." I sighed dejectedly, leaning back against the wall.
"It had to come from her and we all knew you would react this way. At least I did, I thought you would have given it some thought, really tried to understand before you going all pyscho parent on her."
"She will see reason and come crawling back to us." I kicked off from the wall and followed him into his office. Rain was pouring heavily outside and the crack of thunder signalled a storm was incoming.
I just prayed my boys managed to convince Kiara to stay.
"That's what you want? Our baby girl to come begging for us to let back into her home? You're sick, a sick sick man. She's our daughter, she's your pride and joy, you...you love her. I know that you love me and Kiara is my everything. She's my youngest baby and Ryder you just sent her out of the only home she's ever know with nothing but a suitcase full of dirty clothes."
His fists gripped the table and he let out a few deep breaths before glancing up to meet my eyes.
"I don't care." Lies, every single word was a lie.
"Like hell you don't. You're her father, her hero. You're both stubborn as hell, but this time Ryder you need to let go a little. You need to forgive her and try and accept Aaron being her life otherwise...she will no longer be in ours."
"She made her choice." No more nice cop. I wanted my daughter back and my husband because the monster in-front of me wasn't him.
"Bullshit. You practically kicked her out and if you don't fix this, I will leave too." His head shot up, a flash of pain washed over him but it disappeared the moment my sons came barrelling into the room.
"She's gone mum. She didn't want to stay." Kalen mumbled, a look of anguish on his face.
"Honestly, I don't blame her." Kai spat out angrily, and a gasp left me. None of my sons had ever spoken to Ryder like that before, but right now they had every right too.
"Kiara was in pain dad. I saw how broken she was after Tristan..."
"You knew?" Kieron growled. Kai nodded sadly, and I sighed.
My family was going to fall apart at the seams.
"She was depressed dad and if she's been with Aaron these past few months then he's definitely helped her. Don't you notice how she always smiles now, how she laughs more and her face lights up whenever we are all together. Aaron Black may be a monster and he may be a violent criminal but dad...so are you. So is Kieron and Kalen and me. Kiara is safe and happy with him. Isn't that enough?"
I couldn't have been more proud of my baby boy and from the way his brothers stood behind him in support, let this feeling of pride overpower the anger.
"You don't understand! None of you."
"So let me understand! Because our baby is out there in the dark and the rain all alone. You have enemies Ryder, and because of that you passed them onto our children too. Kiara is in danger without any protection or money or transport. Please, let me bring her back."
He didn't speak, nor did he even look at me as my tears freely splashed onto the marble tiles. I sunk to my knees in-front of him, and started to beg.
I was begging my husband, that's how low I had fallen.
"Ryder, please bring her back. She's my baby, our baby!" I wailed, clutching his shirt but my sons wrenched me away from my cold husband and wrapped me into a hug.
"Shh, it's okay mum." I nodded and pulled back, wiping away my tears. I stared at the monster before me and searched for any sign of my true love. Yet, I found none.
"I'm leaving you Ryder."
"Like fuck you are." He grabbed my wrist and tugged me forward, the harsh movement making me stumble into his arms. "Boys leave."
I glanced back at them and nodded. This was between me and him.
"You are destroying our family Ryder, and if there is any piece of the man I married still left inside of you. You will accept our daughter for who she is and bring her back to me."
"Kiara broke my heart. My little girl broke my heart." And there it was. The tiny glimmer of redemption in the man I love.
"Only because you broke her's first." He didn't respond, only let go of my wrist and step back.
"I don't know how to salvage our relationship."
"You can start by saying sorry and bringing back our baby back home, because I need my little girl in my arms Ryder."
"I know baby." A smile cracked onto my face. The first smile in a week. "I need time."
"So does she, so I will give you some time and her. Eventually though you will need to out your stubborn natures behind you and talk." I didn't bother to listen to his response as I opened the door and walked out.
**
K I A R A ' S P.O.V
Cold, damp and miserable. My entire body was covered in clothes, dripping with water and the lighting crackling overhead, did nothing to soothe the panic that was racing through my body.
Tessa was away for the entire summer with her family, and she wasn't responding to any of the fifty messages I had sent her. None of my family members lived remotely close to New York and I had no friends to speak of.
I texted Tristan too, and then I quickly realised it was almost three in the morning, and I had no idea where he lived.
So that left Aaron.
My sweet lover, who was currently the only person I could depend on right now.
Sighing, I lifted up my frozen hand and knocked on the door twice. It opened barely 5 seconds later, and he didn't say anything. Instead, he wrapped his arms around my wet body and pulled me into his warm embrace.
"I'm guessing things didn't go to well." I chuckled, quietly.
"You guessed right. He kicked me out and he hates me."
"No-one can hate you Princess, he just needs time." Time was unfortunately the one thing Mafia leaders didn't have, and I just prayed he could accept me and Aaron, so I could finally have him back.
Because right now, I needed my daddy.
________________________________
A/N: I really feel for Kiara but also for Ryder.
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