His dark but salted hair was long, as long as his daughter’s, but just the back. The top was clipped and spiked. The mullet to beat all mullets that only a guy like him could pull off.

His face was weathered. It was clear he had no problem with sun and wind, drink and food, likely drugs. He lived his life, every fucking minute of it, and he enjoyed the fuck out of it, all of this written on his face.

Then something else was written on his face as he noticed Abel and Delilah coming into the room.

Love and joy. Pure. Absolute.

Delilah pulled her hand from his, raced across the room, and Abel forced himself to stop and freeze in that position, his jaw clenching, feeling a muscle dance in his cheek as she threw herself into her father’s arms.

He knew from what she’d told him that they were very close. She adored the man, trusted him, her affection for him was extreme. Abel also knew from the look he’d just witnessed on her father’s face that he returned all that.

Thus that man would never harm her.

Abel still felt the overwhelming urge to forge straight to them and tear his woman out of her father’s arms.

“Daddy!” she cried as her father shook her in his hold, her feet off the floor, arms around his shoulders, face in his neck, his face wreathed in smiles.

“My little girl,” he husked, his voice beyond gravelly, straight to shards.

Finally, he let her down but didn’t let her go, just positioned her a foot away, his hands holding her at her forearms out in front of them.

That was when Abel moved, immediately getting close, wrapping his fingers around her upper arm, forcing himself to pull her away but doing it gently. He felt her eyes come to him, saw her father’s eyes move to him. But when he got her where he wanted her, he did not hesitate to clamp an arm around her shoulders and tuck her tight, her front to his side.

“Things have been intense,” he said quietly to her father. “I get who you are to Lilah. She told me. But the first time I had eyes on her, she was not in a good way. So I’m not good with men touching her. Any man. This might wear off. But until it does, I hope you get me.”

He felt Delilah relax into his side as her arms snaked around his middle. Through this, her father held his eyes.

Then he hooted, “Fuck!” He turned and said to the men behind him, “Did I tell you I was gonna love this guy?” He turned back to Abel and Delilah and shouted, “I fuckin’ love this guy!”

The tension that had sifted into the room at Abel’s actions slid away as Delilah made the introductions. “Daddy, this is Abel.”