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Angel saw pain in her pale blue eyes and heard the ehened voice Her honesty unnerved him, flayed off a whole layer of protective skin, and he didn’t like how it made him feel ‘I had no desire to hurt you, there was no such intent,’ he countered tautly ‘I realised that our situation had becouiltier than you because I ’

It was an acknowledgement of fault that would once have softened her He had created that untenable situation and brutally ditched her when he had had enough of it but his adht ball of hurt in her belly ‘You could have talked toto drop the subject

‘I’ve never talked about stuff like that I wouldn’t knohere to begin,’ Angel confessed grimly

‘Well, how could you possibly forge a hile bond with a daughter, then?’ Merry pressed ‘The minute she annoys you or offends you will you turn your back on her the way you turned your back on me?’

Angel flashed her a seethingly angry appraisal ‘Not for one minute have you and that baby been out of nant! I did not turn my back on you I made proper provision for both of you’

‘Yeah, you threw money at us to keep us at a safe distance, yet now here you are breaking your own rules,’ Merry whispered shakily

‘What is the point of us wrangling like this?’ Angel questioned with rank ier about you and I This involves a third person with rights of her own even if she is still only a baby Will you allow hter this afternoon?’

‘Apart fro immaterial to you that I hate and distrust you,’ Merry fraot a date this afternoon and we’re going out’

Angel tensed, long, powerfultaut He could not explain why he was shocked by the idea of her having a date Maybe he had been guilty of assu aa social life But the concept of her enjoying herself with another ed and infuriated hi another man when he had been the first, the only,

His lean brown hands clenched into fists ‘A date?’ he queried as jaggedly as if he had a piece of glass in his throat

Merry stood up behind the desk and squared her sli us to the beach You have a problem with that as well?’

Us? The realisation that another hter when he did not heaped coals of fire on Angel’s proud head He snatched in a stark breath, fighting with all his e his hot temper and his bitterness ‘Yes, I do Can’t you leave her with your aunt and grant me even ten minutes with my own child?’ he demanded rawly

‘I’m afraid there isn’t time today’ Merry sed the luhts of her own still filtering back through her like a stor her appreciate that every decision she made noould have to be explained and defended to satisfy her daughter’s questions some years down the road And just how hter would question her attitude? Question whether her ht and importance? Her tummy dive-boht taking a massive dent

Nobody was ever totally in the right, she reminded herself reluctantly There were always two sides to every story, every conflict She was letting herself be influenced by her own feelings, not looking towards the future when Elyssa would de to her father And did she really want to put herself in the position of having refused to allow her daughter’s flesh and blood to even see her? Dully it dawned on her that that could well be a step too far in hostilities Angel had hurt her, but that was not indisputable proof that he would hurt his daughter